"click", but no light?

[Slim]

I do all the work on my kid's foils. We're at an event last week, and one of my kids is using a nice new foil I built for him. He's doing pretty well, but every once in a while I can see him attack, he seems to hit right on target, I can actually hear the tip "click", but no light at all...not even off target. After this particular bout, he is clearly upset and says that some hits were not registering anything. Being the guy responsible for his equipment, I start to think I may have not tested the weapon or body cord properly. (And his opponent did not get a light either, or I would dismiss it as a lock-out event)

Question: What, if anything, would cause a clearly audible click by the point, but nothing to register?

Thanks.

[DHCJr]

The most common cause with the new timing is poor taping. If the tip and ANY part of the barrel or blade is touching the lame, you will get no light.

This is of course not the only cause, but the most common.

[larkmaj]

The point can also be bouncing off a chest protector if this happens in that area. It is for this reason that more men are wearing them.

[penguin_2000]

The point can also be bouncing off a chest protector if this happens in that area. It is for this reason that more men are wearing them.

Yeah, what this guy says. Often times, the click isn't because you hit squarely, its because you didn't hit properly, and when the tip springs back it makes the click sound.

[KD5MDK]

The most common cause with the new timing is poor taping. If the tip and ANY part of the barrel or blade is touching the lame, you will get no light.

This is of course not the only cause, but the most common.

Would this still happen with a St. George or Eigertek machine that has the separate grounds?

[larkmaj]

Would this still happen with a St. George or Eigertek machine that has the separate grounds?

He's talking about the tip and any part of the same weapon is touching the lame. If this were the case no matter what box it was it wouldn't be able to recognize the fact that the tip is depressed as the b and c lines are still connected.

[KD5MDK]

Right, my bad.

[epeeisky]

Try and recreate the problem in practice. If the grounding light comes on, you hear the click, and no light comes on, then you know that there is some barrel-lame contact going on.

[Slim]

Thanks for the feedback. It does look like a little retaping might be in order.