See, that is what I was talking about. I never even considered using diodes. They would work perfect for this setup. Now I just need to determine the size and capability of the diodes. And see if my local Radio-shack has such diodes....

I shall see what I can find. Thanks!

1N5400 diodes are perfect for high current applications like these. Sorry, should have mentioned that model haha. Any of the diodes from that series will work well.

Use diodes in series with the power supply to reduce the voltage. Make them switchable.
http://www.reddit.co...ng_help/cdbb387

Without the AR to align the dart chambers or automatic rotation, this seems quite bothersome.
I don't know why anyone would want to manually advance the cylinder like this.

The tips of Elites are way too light to provide stable flight at what I assume are significantly fast speeds, coming from a blaster like that.

TBH, I'm surprised you're not blowing off the tips.

Printed ABS is not that strong.
I have a significant amount of experience with different filaments, and it is definitely not in any way impact resistant.

I'll second the thought that it could break.

I agree with this, 1/4 inch, 3.5mm, 2.5mm jacks are for audio applications.
As one inserts the jack, then there is a high reality that the tip and ring are briefly shorted by the internals of the socket as one inserts the plug.

Exactly my thoughts.

I assume you are talking about the sledge fire shells?
Yeah, 3D printed material will have a horrible dart seal with the barrels, but I have a way to solve that. (I am going to keep my plan to myself because I plan on selling these.)

Yes, there's a simple fix, unfortunately I have no interest in the Sledgefire haha. I understand there is a great deal of demand for them, many people steal them from stores unfortunately haha.

Unless he hacked my home computer, (in which case I will be shortly suing him) he has the old file which will certainly break. Due to apathy I had yet to upload the new version, and I am glad I didn't. I set up the "unofficial" terms for the download so that someone like our friend "NerfOverload" here couldn't sell a CHEAP KNOCKOFF of one of my designs. This is otherwise known as a Noncommercial license

As for the Sledgefire shells, it's the internet, guess what already exists?:
Linky
(This design is also covered under a noncommercial license.)

That design is very flawed still, the darts do not form a good seal with the shell.

I have currently been using beige foam and it has a tight fit in my CPVC and not giving me the best ranges. Do you know where i could get some better foam (high quality)

Funky Mother Facko sells redline CPVC which is a tiny bit looser.

You're right, I wouldn't want to overload you, given all the genitals which already reside there.

Cool dude, thanks.

Congratulations on having more free time and money than you know what to do with. How about this... You pick a flywheel blaster that we can each mod, and bring them to Armageddon in June. Then we can compare relative performance and overall cost.

More money than I know what to do with? I don't spend that much money on this hobby. You're really exaggerating.
Listen, I'm trying to have a discussion here, and I think we both have some valid points. What you're doing is called ad hominem, and it's a logical fallacy.

Wait, so you've only ever shown evidence of using LiPo packs, you confirm that you do actually use them, you extoll the virtues of equipment used on said packs... But I shouldn't jump to the conclusion? I should just wait for you to tell us again the things in this thread that you have already said in others? I apologize wholeheartedly for having the ability to remember a few things. It really is a curse. My boss totally hates when I am able to spout off the part number for the valve cover gasket set he needs to reorder, without looking it up. Finally, I wasn't attacking your system, just comparing. Freud would say that you are overly sensitive about it because you know that your logic is flawed. I think LiPo batteries are marvels of mechanical and chemical engineering, and I have great respect for the power they afford. But I don't want to buy them because I am a cheap sonofabitch. I was only attempting to compare the relative values.

Yeah, you shouldn't have just assumed and jumped down my throat, because I was asking a valid question.
While I do have LiPos, I also have Li-ions for testing, some IMRs are on the way, etc...etc...

"Freud would say that you are overly sensitive about it because you know that your logic is flawed." Projecting your own feelings, maybe?

"But I don't want to buy them because I am a cheap sonofabitch. I was only attempting to compare the relative values." There are plenty of LiPos that are cheap and have as much battery capacity as a normal lithium battery. Please stop bringing up price. There are also a lot of other options which I advocate that have superior power capabilities (NiCd, IMR, LIFePosomething, etc....) that are not that expensive.

You have a very strange threshold for perceived safety. We are not dealing with high voltage here. Some of us do what we do because we are awesome. Some because they read about what people use in miniature vehicles that sometimes cost more than full-sized vehicles and expect that it is the best idea.

I dislike how you equate connectors with wiring. Wire gauge should certainly be increased from the stock size if the voltage is increased. But even then there is no reason for us to be preparing for our plastic toys to be pulling 50+ Amps. We shouldn't encourage crap like that. Well made, properly sized automotive spade terminals are capable of safely transferring power at up to 600 Volts, with well over the current capacity of the wire gauge which they are designed to accept. Here, read about gauges.

You're kidding, right? 1A is more than enough to kill you. You have a strange threshold for safety. Our motors easily hit that at stall, I would guess, even when only overvolted to 8-9v. Spade connectors, the kind that are insulated (and thus safe) cannot be soldered. They're not even meant to be constantly disconnected - they have a high amount of motility to their connector, and thus will get bent easily, and fail. If you don't think that, you don't use spade connectors enough - I've had to replace them many spade connectors due to poor connections (Read, high resistance through poor contact). They're not designed to be disconnected several times - you set and forget. More over, if you want to use the insulated ones, you have to crimp them on. That's going to fail under high stress, too. Notice I never said that spade connectors couldn't handle current - that's stupid, of course they can. They're used in industrial applications. But they're not optimized to be used in this way.

And no, it's not like we're making these things pull 50A. That's just silly, it would melt the plastic. There's no way to dissipate that kind of heat in our system. But spade connectors are NOT as safe as something like a Deans connector. God forbid I make something safe using something that is insulated, has low resistance contacts, and contacts that are meant to be pulled apart over many cycles. F me, right?

But hey, spade connectors, cool, right. That's why people use them in applications like RC or Airsoft. Right.

No, not wrong, so much as elitist and pedantic. Unlike your mother, who is completist and tantric.

Cool dude. Your mom jokes haven't been funny in years. Like "that's what she said", it's a cliche that only people who aren't clever use. Don't be that guy.


Listen, you've got your own POV, I've got mine. If you really think your method is safe and repeatable, then cool. I don't. I disagree. And I think that's allowed on a forum. There's nothing wrong with using proper methods - embrace progress, don't shun it because it's different from what you do. I'm not trying to convince you, again, but a lot of people read this forum, and I would rather that they don't use spade terminals to connect anything in Nerf.

Super Lube at Harbor Freight. This is good for nerf mods; plungers and stuff.
White Lithium Grease from Home Depot. This is good for home-mades, it's also good for lubing triggers in flywheel blasters and the like, it's a little thicker in consistency than the silicon grease.
EDIT: Whatever you do, don't use vaseline.

That Super Lube looks really good. Might get some soon.

I use this lube for anything that doesn't need to move quickly but needs a really tight air tight seal.
http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/B005KE9976

Very cool, I would be down. for two probably.

I don't remember jumping down your throat, I remember explaining why the bundled nature of batteries make less sense to me than individual cells.

How much do you pay for LiPo packs? $20-60?

The pictures you post include LiPo batteries and never cells.
...
Congratulations. While you were wondering how long the life of the cells is, I swapped out three more and shot you in the face.

This is being snarky and putting words into my mouth, when I never mentioned LiPos and asked a very reasonable question, which had a very simple answer. Unwarranted, when I was just trying to have a discussion. I wanted to know about your system, and you immediately attack the system that I use, even I wasn't comparing or bringing mine up.
You didn't even explain it initially, you just assumed I was talking about LiPos, when I just wanted to know exactly what you meant.
What you're proposing isn't a bad idea at all, assuming you have a good end cap system (I don't like battery springs for high current applications). It is certainly easier for the average person to DIY than to make their own battery pack (which is still DIY-able FWIW), and as such is a viable system.

I'll let you know when one of my cells bursts in to flames.

Never said it would.

I'm trying to explain that flywheel blasters are not worth the effort because they are noisy and inelegant. Just because Hasbro makes them now doesn't make them any more cool than they used to be. It just makes them N-Strike clip compatible.

You're specifically saying that the way I do things is not worth it. You're saying it's not worth it to wire something that can potentially draw a lot of current properly. Why not provide motors with the current they're asking for? Why not have a battery that has high capacity? Why not use low resistance wiring? Why not use batteries that don't drop significantly in voltage when under load? If your answer is, "well because it's easier the other way", then that's your call. But it doesn't mean it's not worth the effort. If I'm enjoying the results I get, and feel comfortable with my blaster, then it's worth it.

Let us make one thing clear, here. Dean's connectors were designed to have the a maximum of contact area with the lowest mass and resistance possible for applications where it matters. That means flying RC stuff, mostly. They are not any better than spade terminals, but they certainly weigh less for a given current rating. But so what? Even if you had ten such connections in a blaster, could you reasonably tell the difference? Can you buy Dean's terminals at every hardware, department, drug, home goods, and (often times) grocery store in your town? Then why would I bother ordering online or driving to the over-priced RC hobby shop?

I find Deans to be much safer and easier to plug and unplug and a spade connector. So yes, I can tell a difference. Especially one Deans connector over two spades.
Again, performance and safety are what matters to me. If you just want something cheap that works, then by all means. Again, this discussion isn't for specifically for you - a lot of people read the forums and might get the wrong idea. It's good to provide dissenting opinions and encourage thinking about why we do what we do.

They're an RC standard for high current devices. A flywheel system or electric direct plunger can pull a non-insignificant amount of current. It's like your only argument against proper wiring is, "Well, this is easy! So you're wrong!"
You can do whatever you want, but it doesn't mean that what I'm saying is wrong.

Ohp, thanks, I missed that. Looking forward to that last bit then!

Very cool, looks pretty darned clean. What was the average weight of the darts used for the chrony test?

Think it's possible to easily attach a shotgun grip to that plunger?

Haha, okay, sure.

If you're going to really think that jumping down my throat for something I didn't mention here, but have mentioned in another topic months ago isn't personally combative, then sure, you win.
There's nothing wrong with seeking good performance. Just because you ignore certain facts about electronic blasters like voltage sag or internal resistance, and just casually brush them off doesn't mean they don't matter, and other people aren't fools for trying to working around them. Plenty of other people out there care about performance enough to choose good batteries, and they're not crazy for doing so, or "putting in too much work". Our whole hobby is technically "putting in too much work" - building home made blasters, brass breeches, pneumatic rocket launchers, etc....etc....

It's great to use common materials, but you shouldn't treat everything that is properly rated for some task as something foolish. One should always aim to use proper connectors, it's not like they cost excessive amounts of money. Deans connectors, for example, are pretty cheap. When I'm suggesting these connectors, I'm not saying YOU in particular, I'm saying it for anyone who might read this topic.

There isn't anything wrong for discussion, and I'm sorry I don't agree with your "cheap and easy" methods. Proper batteries and safety can also be achieved for cheap, if you are willing to put in the effort. Not all LiPos or IMR batteries are expensive, Deans connectors are not expensive, properly rated wiring isn't hard.

Good day, sir!

Can be built with parts from radioshack and home depot.

www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1312148525/Poor+Man%27s+Electronic+Chronograph


Your range claims are just ridiculous, considering most homemades with (presumably) much higher spring load and air volume were found to have much lower ranges in a different experiment.

I call wind hax. Please chrony and then get back to us. If it shoots over 130 fps (highly unlikely), I will eat my red mage hat.

No one will take this seriously without information about your darts.

Even then, I really don't think the Elites move enough air to get this kind of range.

The pictures you post include LiPo batteries and never cells.

But I didn't in this post. I asked a very reasonable and general question.
Additionally, I've posted one topic with that - and the reasons why I use them and why I advocate them is absolutely reasonable. There are other high current discharge alternatives, and I recognize that. LiPo is not the only answer, but it's a reasonable one, one that provides the lowest internal battery resistance and thus the lowest voltage sag under high loads. Many lithium ion cells in a 4s or 16.8V configuration may drop to something as low as 6-7V under high current loads like our needs - which then becomes very little overvolting and thus, low performance increase.
I'm not gonna get more into it, I didn't bring up Lithium Polymer batteries here, nor did I intend to.

Great, lump me in with THAT guy. The tube style was clipping directly to the N-Strike rail, and retained the ability to charge or discard individual cells. Packs require a specialized charger for that voltage, which are far more expensive than the basic individual cell chargers.

Cool, see this is the answer I was looking for. Easy as hell to just answer it instead of getting overly defensive about something that wasn't even an issue.
Now I have a clear idea about the modification you were outlining.
One could just as easily do the same thing with an external battery holder and a proper high current connector, like a Deans.

I'm concerned about possible short circuits with headphone or 1/4" jack power setups like these. It's very easily possible - and I'm betting there is a relatively high resistance across the contact for this setup, too.

Congratulations. While you were wondering how long the life of the cells is, I swapped out three more and shot you in the face. Seriously, if it gives up or performs poorly, recycle it! Use one of the myriad others available. The reason that most laptop batteries fail is that there is one bank of cells which is not in balance with the others, so the circuit stops charging it. That means the other two or three banks have perfectly good cells.

That's a super mature response. Again, I bring up a completely valid and reasonable concern - I don't think there's anything wrong with it.
Measuring battery performance is something commonly done among people who try and keep batteries safe and working well. "Performs poorly" may not be something that you can easily notice without measuring.

FWIW, batteries in laptops are also often not high current discharge cells, or high burst. High discharge current is something we want in battery cells to keep up with the stall current needs of overvolted motors. You might be able to figure it out if you find the model number and measure the discharge cycle, I believe. In a mostly stock system, in terms of voltage, they're probably okay - but I can't say for sure.

I'm trying to have a discussion here, and just because I don't have the same stature as you on YouTube or within the NIC doesn't mean that my opinion is invalid, or that my concerns are unreasonable. Safety and performance are what matters to me, and my questions reflected this.

Your picture links are not working, I just see a a picture of a little boy saying "sorry"

That is the writeup.

Protected cells have a PCB that limits the the current.

You can actually rip it off, and it will be fine.

?
Paintballs and BBs seem to fly just fine, despite being evenly distributed weight.

I never said LiPo. There is a certain incendiary tone you have in your post, and I don't understand why.
There are plenty of people who use 18650 packs, and the question I asked was applicable to them.

I just didn't understand the tubular method, as opposed to something like this:

18650s, I believe, and a deans connector. Courtesy of torukmakto4.

EDIT: FWIW, Though I applaud your effort to recycle, it is reasonable to wonder how much life is left in a battery rescued from a discarded laptop battery. It is entirely possible that your 18650s no longer have that much current capacity. A battery's life is finite. I would suggest attempting to measure them during a discharge cycle.

ON TOPIC: I have been working on building multiple cell Li-Ion tubes using a similar method. That way, you could move it from your Stryfe to your Stampede to your Rapidstrike.

Care to explain? I don't see how this is different a dedicated battery pack and easily removable connector, like a Deans.

People have done with with 1/4" jacks, but I don't recommend it.
It's better to use something made for connecting batteries, like a Deans connector. It's an RC standard for high drain devices.

The 9V has poor current supply so this is probably fine. It probably cannot discharge enough current, nor do the motors demand that much at 9v.

For sealing situations like this, I use POly Si Technologies silicone lube.
It's ideal for air seal situations where you don't need something to move or move fast. I say this because it's a bit tacky, but seals really really.

Open it up and take pictures of all the internals. This will help us help you.

Based off this info, though, I would say perhaps the lube in the front of the tank has dried up.
Use some kind of silicone lube the inside. Try to get past entrace, using a Q-tip or something, so that way it helps the o-ring seal.

I would say that 1.5V is not a significant different between the two, most likely.

I'm going to throw my hat in the ring on this one, because this is a topic worthy of discussion.

I've been playing HvZ for 5 years now in the midwest. I've played multiple times at Penn State, Bowling Green, Ball State, Purdue, Western Michigan, Ohio University (Athens), and in my hometown at Ohio State.

The rules of each of these regions varies wildly; from simple regulations of "Don't be an idiot" to heavy regulation such as socks and completely stock blasters only.

From all of these years of play, there has never been an issue with the power or "danger" of a blaster used during the game. Singled Titans, +Bows, etc. The only issues I have ever run across are those involving the appearance of a blaster, in which case those blasters were either a.) banned or b.) covered in bright tape to mark them as a toy.

Most of the HvZ community is comprised of college-aged players. These players know how to follow rules and act responsibly.

My point in saying all of this? You don't play HvZ and you don't understand how these rules are quite sound in that niche of the nerfing community. I urge you to consider that next time you deem it necessary to flame a user who is simply informing you of his ruleset.

I understand what you're saying, but Kane brings up a reasonable point, whereas the OP has openly said they don't ban blasters like that. So while you are making a general statement, I believe that in this case, Kane's concerns are not something to be dismissed.

He's not flaming, Kane just always pushes for safety within our hobby and related hobbies. Since when did expressing an opinion becoming flaming?

I think data from a chrony, when collected in a reliable manner, is much more useful than the average range tests. Now, there are people out there who conduct meaningful range tests. I don't see them often. I don't see people taping levels to their blasters, etc, etc.

In any case, I think that a chrony can be a useful tool for anyone wanted to see the effects of their modding. You can see meaningful data, instead of just estimating results, or blindly following popular modding practices.


But that particular Madbull chrony is probably not a good one to buy. Even if Duke has had no problems with it, there are enough people on the internet who DO have problems with it to make me consider not buying one. And if the real deal 100+ dollar one has problems, then I would say that a Chinese knockoff is just as prone to having potential problems, if not more.

These work, my school has these. You just need to not be unintelligent.

http://www.alibaba.c...Sensor_for.html

Or you can build one? It's just IR emitters and detectors.
I just posted a homemade chrony on reddit.

Researched it, I recommend reading reviews. There seems to be a significant amount of people with problems. The same problems between different users - I think that speaks volumes for their QC.

some of my test data

NO mod Stryfe/6V : 10M~15M = 30ft~50ft
NO mod Stryfe/13V ：15M~25M = 50ft~80ft
Stryfe with Ranson/16V : 30M~38M = 100ft~125ft

So, 75ft/20M on the package is a Data on Paper, I think it is count in vacuum.

***RapidStrike mod is the most complex and the most valid ！
Fps/Range is all level up!!!

Sorry, I find that 125 foot claim to be ridiculous hahah. Not possible.

I would rather see chronometer data (fps). There is too much possible interpretation with ranges.

infamous and I have put PN motors in a Rayven, don't go with more than a 2s system, it spins fast enough to make the flywheels spin off and melt.

EDIT: TBH, if you wanna wait, may do a Rapidstrike guide this weekend. Have some cool ideas to implement.

Ideally, one should use a diode drop to lower the voltage for the pusher mech, to make it slower, and still use one battery. Not too hard of a mod.

Okay, here's a question. How come Coop's RS is working great on 12ish volts (Ultrafires) on his YouTube video's (and I believe the new motors) and mine wouldn't work on my 8ish volts? (besides the decreased voltage) Would the decreased voltage make a huge difference in the recovery time for the motors?

You can use them, but the rate of fire is lower, since they aren't supplying the current that blaster needs at stall.
It's not about decreased voltage, it's that batteries literally cannot supply the current - there is a limitation. As you increase voltage, motors demand more current. That's the thought process behind overvolting. But if you exceed the limitation, recovery and rev time will be slower.

Check out Torukmakto's Rapidstrike, his RoF is noticeably higher than Trustfire equipped RS mods I have seen.

FWIW, just so you know, threads created solely for showcasing are generally extremely erotic. Don't want to backseat mod too much, just letting you know.

I assume you've increased the spring's strength? If so, you may want to also upgrade the catch spring.


EDIT: I approve of this mod edit to my post. Lawl.

The Stryfe's flywheels are not heavy at all, kind of a light flexible plastic.
The Rayven's are significantly harder and heavier.

I think the flex is better for darts, myself.

Yes, they are a part of Xplorer Blaster Developments, so the dart tips and foam at the survivor fbu and xplorer websites are most likely the exact same, just different quantities.

I personally use(d) pak d stefans, which work incredibly well with their 12 dart clip. I would recommend the full length darts for you, but pak d seems to have gone missing multiple months ago, hence use(d). My friend has a couple of the xplorer darts, but I haven't been able to use them firsthand yet. I have a order from xplorer which includes their darts, and I am assuming they are very similar to pak d darts. If you want, PM me around late October and I should have them and be able to tell you about how well they work in the RM kit.

Yes, PAK D went missing. I think, just by inspection, the PAK D adhere better to foam due to their ribbed stem, as compared to the Xplorer, so I started working on a silicone dome dart mold for the DIYers.

one more question, are the darts from that place full length or?

Yes, full length.

Use a multimeter's connectivity function to find out.