Desperately Seeking Power Supply

[Inquartata]

Well, so "desperately" is a slight exaggeration.

A few years back my salle got one of those little Russian scoring boxes from Blade, the power supply for which has disappeared on us. I have emailed Blade asking whether they have replacements, but naturally have gotten no reply.

Does anyone know where else I might seek out one of these, or, failing that, has anyone any idea what one would need component-wise to build one?

[Dav3ey]

No idea how to build one. No idea where to get one, specifically.

But I've been overdue to drop by Blade to get some wires and crud.

If you give me the specifics of your box I'd be happy to ask them when I go this week. Usually they pay attention when one is actually in the shop -- if for no other reason than to stem shoplifting.

[JEC]

Does it help being an attorney too????

[you know ... professionals at stealing money )

[Dav3ey]

Oooo...shhhh...shhhh!

No need to say that! "Stealing" is such an ugly word.

We prefer "zealous representation".

Unless, of course, it's being done by our adversaries, in which case it is "frivolous abuse of process".



And contrary to popular belief, we can't be identified on sight by our fangs, a dorsal fin or a trail of slime. Natural camouflage is important to a successful predator!

[kini mini]

Originally posted by Inquartata
Well, so "desperately" is a slight exaggeration.

A few years back my salle got one of those little Russian scoring boxes from Blade, the power supply for which has disappeared on us. I have emailed Blade asking whether they have replacements, but naturally have gotten no reply.

Does anyone know where else I might seek out one of these, or, failing that, has anyone any idea what one would need component-wise to build one?

I have no idea where you might find an official replacement, but I can make some general suggestions. I assume the power systems used in Russia and the USA are different and/or the box may need a specific voltage and current. It should not be too hard to replace this, all you need is to find out what input the box took (the old power supply probably had its properties printed on it and you should have those details in the manual) and you can go to your local hardware store to find another one. Off the top of my head, you'll probably need a transformer from USA > Russian standard electricity (110V to whatever).

[neevel]

You can pick up a power supply from just about anywhere (just go to Radio Shack and get a 12 V supply that can souce 500 mA or more-- that should certainly be fine). The challenge is finding that 4-pin, screw-on connector to hook up the power supply to the box. Since it's (IIRC) an old Soviet mil-spec connector, you're not likely to find it at an electronics supplier. So it looks like you're stuck going through the fencing vendor.

When E-mail fails, get on the phone-- it's much more difficult to ignore or forget about someone on the phone right then and there. I'd also try some of the other extensions of the Bardakh consortium (e.g. Fencesmart) that also sell the Amico boxes.

Once you've got the new power supply, I'd recommend cutting the connector off from the supply cord and soldering on male & female adaptaplug connectors from Radio Shack to the wire ends.
That way, you can keep the hard-to-find connector permanently attached to the box, and just pick up a new adaptaplug power supply when the old one gets lost or dies.

As a last resort, if you've got somebody on hand who's a little more adept at circuit board rework, you could have them remove the Russian connector and solder in a more standard one.

-Dave

[Inquartata]

Originally posted by Dav3ey
No idea how to build one. No idea where to get one, specifically.

But I've been overdue to drop by Blade to get some wires and crud.

If you give me the specifics of your box I'd be happy to ask them when I go this week. Usually they pay attention when one is actually in the shop -- if for no other reason than to stem shoplifting.

LOL...and thanks.

The power supply we need is for this box, listed as catalog#904:

http://www.blade-fencing.com/cgi-bin...1210954206311+

As Daves notes below ( is there ANYTHING he doesn't know? ), the fly in the ointment is the peculiar pin connector with a knurled screw-on collar...

We assume ( dangerous, I know ) that a power supply oughtn't cost more than $30 or $40, and the officers of my club are willing to pay that much. No idea if they're even sold separately, though.

[Inquartata]

Originally posted by neevel
The challenge is finding that 4-pin, screw-on connector to hook up the power supply to the box. Since it's (IIRC) an old Soviet mil-spec connector, you're not likely to find it at an electronics supplier. So it looks like you're stuck going through the fencing vendor.

Yes, you have put your finger on the main sticking point....

When E-mail fails, get on the phone-- it's much more difficult to ignore or forget about someone on the phone right then and there.

Yes...but will I understand their answer over the phone?

I'd also try some of the other extensions of the Bardakh consortium (e.g. Fencesmart) that also sell the Amico boxes.

Once you've got the new power supply, I'd recommend cutting the connector off from the supply cord and soldering on male & female adaptaplug connectors from Radio Shack to the wire ends.
That way, you can keep the hard-to-find connector permanently attached to the box, and just pick up a new adaptaplug power supply when the old one gets lost or dies.

As a last resort, if you've got somebody on hand who's a little more adept at circuit board rework, you could have them remove the Russian connector and solder in a more standard one.

Thanks for all your help, Dave. Much appreciated...