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#364142 Nerf Variance

Posted by shandsgator8 on 21 August 2019 - 10:20 AM in Homemades

Very neat!




#363956 Next gen nerf. Or not.

Posted by shandsgator8 on 02 June 2019 - 05:30 PM in Modifications

 

 

are the flywheel blasters annoyingly loud?

In my opinion yes, but you can get used to them.




#363667 Quick jam (quick 16)

Posted by shandsgator8 on 17 February 2019 - 01:22 PM in Modifications

What darts do you use?




#363644 Tennessee and Kentucky area Nerf Rival War

Posted by shandsgator8 on 14 January 2019 - 10:58 PM in Nerf Wars

I'm in Western, KY, about 1.5 hours away from Clarksville, TN.




#363619 Understanding batteries?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 03 January 2019 - 03:45 PM in Modifications

Just swapping to a pack on stock motors/wheels/cage will max out at 130 FPS, and IIRC it wont hit much harder than 100-110 without new wheels and new motors.

Current is demanded by the motors, you cant supply more than theyll ask for. Meanwhile, supplying *less* than they want is bad for your batteries, and doing bad things to some kinds of batteries is what leads to fire and explosion.

You might consider swapping for a dartzone or adventure force fly wheeler, those hit 80-100 OOTB with AAs. The AF double trouble is $20 and theres a file on thingiverse to make it side-mag fed.

Ed: RE Voltage: if the setup is designed for 7.4ish, supplying 7.4ish shouldnt hurt things. Voltage *is* pushed from the pack to the motors, and upping it can burn stuff out. That said, I use a 20v pack on my nominally-3s motor builds and it hasnt caused immediate problems.

 

This. So no worries about using that Sub-C 6 cell R/C style battery pack.




#363611 Rival Khaos to elite dart conversion?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 02 January 2019 - 11:07 PM in Modifications

Someone already did. Needs to use short mags because it's got a short stroke.

 

The Nerf Khaos and Kronos are two different blasters, right?




#363609 Understanding batteries?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 02 January 2019 - 07:34 PM in Modifications

What about something like this Tenergy NiMH Receiver RX Battery with Hitec Connectors 6V 2000mAh High Capacity Rechargeable Battery Pack for RC Airplanes/RC Aircrafts and More https://www.amazon.c...i_GXtlCbA1SHYHE

 

No, a "hitec" connector is not suited for high current applications. That's basically a receiver pack that powers solid state electronics, not multiple motors lauching foam darts.

 

As for the cells themselves, I have no idea if they're any good. They're probably not Eneloop quality, and because they're intended for use in slow drain applications, I doubt they would be that much better than alkalines.

 

If you want a ready made pack that uses NiMH cells, you'll need to find something other than AA. In the R/C hobby, AA cells aren't used much beyond powering radio systems, so they'll be hard to find. SC (Sub-C) will be much easier to find.




#363607 Understanding batteries?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 02 January 2019 - 03:39 PM in Modifications

Yeah I don't want to mess with lithium batteries due to my children using the blasters.  I will maybe mess around with adding aa (cell) rechargeable NIMH batteries if 4 is not enough.  I was just curious because I see some NiMH say sub c so that just means more available current due to the larger cells.  I know Lipos use the c rating which is nice but NiMH don't use any rating like that that I have seen.  

 

And yes all of my blasters are stock motors, stocks switches, not wanting to burn too much up.  I just removed some of the resistance by using larger wire, removing some safeties, and removing as many circuit boards as possible and more direct wire the blasters.  And I did notice some slight improvements in the blasters.  

 

Thanks for the help, I will maybe just do something similar and make a RC style pack just using my rechargeable AA batteries.  I am running energizer ones that are rated at I think 2100mAH and have high reviews and they seem to be pretty decent.  

 

A few years ago, Energizer NiMH AA were notoriously awful in capacity and internal resistance (i.e. can't hand high current draw). Maybe they've gotten better recently, but if not, you could definitely do better.




#363605 Understanding batteries?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 02 January 2019 - 12:06 PM in Modifications

Forget the IMRs and other commonly used lithium ion batteries in the Nerf realm. If you don't want mess with lithium based batteries like lithium polymers, you also don't want to mess with lithium ion cells.

 

As for NiMH cells, that's what I used. I've use both a re-purposed R/C 6 cell Sub-C battery pack (7.2v nominal) for use in some flywheel blasters, but I currently use Eneloop AA cells (I use 6 of them to get 7.2 v) in my flywheelers (Stryfe with MTB Rhino motors and Rapidstrike with stock motors).

 

As a general rule (and all else being equal), the larger the cell is in size, the better it will be able to deliver more current. So a AA cell won't be able to delivery the same current load as efficiently as a C or D cell. However, for a stock flywheeler as in your case, using a AA cell will be just fine, as long as it's a high quality cell, such as an Eneloop. With 6 AA Eneloops, you will notice a slight bump in ROF and can avoid having to buy alkaline cells. But keep in mind that you'll need a charger (an R/C type) to charge your battery pack.

 

Here's a link to my Rapidstrike: http://nerfhaven.com...ke-battery-mod/

 

And Stryfe: http://nerfhaven.com...odified-stryfe/

 

EDIT: You might find this thread useful: http://nerfhaven.com...rent-discharge/




#363573 Is selling Hybrid-Shelled Blaster profitable?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 December 2018 - 08:39 AM in Modifications

It might be possible to to earn "beer money" or make enough money to support your hobby , but don't expect to be able to quit your day job.




#363535 Nashville, TN? Anyone?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 29 November 2018 - 02:00 PM in Nerf Wars

I'm about 2 hours away in Western KY. If there are enough people for a war, I might be able to justify a drive over there.




#363498 Best guns/ammo when purchasing for a large group

Posted by shandsgator8 on 18 November 2018 - 10:01 AM in General Nerf

+1 on the Kronos and Artemis. These are nice in that users don't need to lug around extra mags. Some big pockets or a simple belt pouch/bag should suffice (except for ball spammers who like to slamfire the Artemis...)




#363442 Springers or Flywheels?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 27 October 2018 - 12:30 PM in General Nerf

I'm an older nerfer, and I'll never stray from the springers and air blasters. That said, the flywheel revolution that has occurred has its benefits. Flywheels are fairly easy to modify if you have a soldering iron and know how to use it, parts like motors, batteries, and wire will need to be ordered, but there's many options available now. Springers are easier to upgrade with a basic set of tools and parts from the hobby or hardware store.

The other thing to consider is the difference of play style. High rof flywheel blasters work well for getting in to action and dumping foam in mass. This means you're going to require a lot of mags, and some way of holding them on your person.

Springers are generally slower in rof, this requires a bigger focus on accuracy, and making your shots count. This is offset by usually having a lighter load as spare mags aren't as critical, or not needed at all, depending on the blaster.

It sounds like you've got a good choice of entry level blasters, so now it's a matter of getting to games and learning what works for you.

 

Blackhawk Down put it best:

 

https://getyarn.io/y...1f-e94fce36bd7f




#363440 Worth it to replace wheels/cage on a stryfe?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 26 October 2018 - 04:24 PM in Modifications

16 gauge is "better" in that it'll be more efficient than 18 gauge (all else being equal). Depending on your set up, you probably won't notice much of a difference between the two gauges, although you seem to have a build where going 16 gauge may be worth it.




#363423 Springers or Flywheels?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 19 October 2018 - 11:39 AM in General Nerf

Another advantage of springers is that they're not as adversely affected by wet darts (which can slip in flywheels).




#363390 Why a 2s 7.4v Lipo Charges to 8.4v?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 07 October 2018 - 03:49 PM in General Nerf

snakerbot is exactly right. I'd like to add that the voltage during a discharge will also depend on the rate of discharge. Under high loads, batteries will experience "voltage sag" which can sometimes lower the voltage of the battery past its nominal voltage rating. Batteries with high internal resistance will tend to do this more (and get warm/hot).




#362653 how profitable would selling modified blasters on Ebay be?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 05 March 2018 - 08:38 AM in Modifications

And don't forget, eBay is VERY buyer friendly. You sell something the buyer isn't happy with, be prepared to pay for them to return the item (on your dime) and for you to refund the money.

 

Then there's the 10% (or so) cut eBay gets on your sale. 




#362474 Do Tamiya motors work better if the batteries are in Parallel?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 05 February 2018 - 08:30 AM in Modifications

The answer depends on the type of AAA batteries you're using, but even with lithium primaries or Eneloop AAA, 3-6 amps is a lot of current draw for such a small cell. So if it works, you won't be getting the best performance and will be reducing the life of your battery (if rechargeable).




#361967 Rechargeable Batteries in Nemesis

Posted by shandsgator8 on 14 November 2017 - 08:39 PM in Modifications

While I know little about nerf modding (I'm still a newbie) I do know quite a bit about batteries and such from my flashlight addiction :-)  What I have are "real" d-cell 10000 Mah batteries. There are stupidly expensive so I wouldn't even consider using them except for the fact I already have them for an led mag-lite.  

 

They should work, as long as you do a good job soldering them into a pack and use high quality components to handle the current draw.




#361707 Rival series flywheels and Magnus Effect?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 02 October 2017 - 04:18 PM in Modifications

It would work in theory. I think some Rivals blasters (the Zeus?)  already have this "hop up" ability, but I could be wrong.




#361640 Nerf Mega CycloneShock cylinder drop mod

Posted by shandsgator8 on 24 September 2017 - 09:22 AM in Modifications

Still, neat work!




#361632 PSA: Nerf Guns May Cause Eye Injuries!

Posted by shandsgator8 on 21 September 2017 - 09:02 AM in General Nerf

Definitely don't put poo on the darts because then they can cause pinkeye

 

I didn't know people did that. This is such a dangerous hobby. Maybe we should quit doing it?




#361476 Anyone Play MLB: The Show on the PS Vita?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 01 September 2017 - 03:03 PM in Off Topic

I just have 1 question, why did you ask this on nerg hayven? Sony or the maker of the game could help serverly, or you could look up the problem on google or youtube, but nerf hayven is probably not the place to start looking for answers.

 

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that the off topic section was limited to NIC related questions only.

 

Forgive my assumption that playing with foam shooting toys and the PS Vita was mutually exclusive.




#361434 Anyone Play MLB: The Show on the PS Vita?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 29 August 2017 - 09:46 PM in Off Topic

If the title applies to you, have you ever experienced freezing issues on load screens or error messages while watching replays of a particular play, such as a home run? I'm playing the 2014 version of the game, but I'm asking if anyone has this problem in any version, given how rare this console is.

 

Anyone have freezing issues in general on their Vita and if so, how did you fix it?

 

Thanks!




#361235 APOCALYPSE 2017 - Saturday August 5th in Ocean Township, NJ

Posted by shandsgator8 on 08 August 2017 - 05:52 PM in Nerf Wars

Thanks for posting those pics, Deadshooter. Glad to see how it went, since I couldn't make it this year.

 

I noticed the guy with the Zing Bow and wearing a fluorescent shirt: anyone know how he fared with that set up?




#361217 MTB Wolverine MK2 (180 size) 6 volt

Posted by shandsgator8 on 07 August 2017 - 06:06 AM in Modifications

You run any brushed motor at spec and it will eventually burn out. So the more you overvolt it, the faster it'll burn out.




#361202 my new favorite darts

Posted by shandsgator8 on 05 August 2017 - 06:23 PM in Modifications

How much did the 100 pack from Walmart cost?




#360899 Nerfers around Southern Illinois? Let's host some games.

Posted by shandsgator8 on 03 July 2017 - 06:24 PM in Nerf Wars

I'm moving soon to Western Kentucky, which is very close to you.




#360865 Flywheel and Cage Questions

Posted by shandsgator8 on 30 June 2017 - 03:50 PM in Modifications

And by "high crush," that means less space b/w the flywheels, so the dart gets deformed more as it passes through the flywheels?




#360856 Flywheel and Cage Questions

Posted by shandsgator8 on 30 June 2017 - 09:43 AM in Modifications

What affect do flywheels and cages have on precision and accuracy of the darts?




#360772 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 24 June 2017 - 08:36 PM in Modifications

3s motors on 2s voltage asking for less amps makes a little sense to me now, but wouldn't 2s voltage keep 3s motors from hitting its ideal critical rpm? Just trying to learn.

 

Yes, but THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WHY I RUN 2s voltages - to avoid too high flywheel RPMS, which create inconsistent dart patterns.




#360767 n-strike vs elite firefly clip

Posted by shandsgator8 on 24 June 2017 - 10:32 AM in Darts and Barrels

I use the original grey one and I've had no problems with it.




#360764 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 24 June 2017 - 04:32 AM in Modifications

Its not so much that I'm afraid of the outcome of overdrawing the batteries, I just want to be able to supply the amps the motors demand for best performance (I know it sounds funny after saying I don't want lipo)

 

Eneloops can supply the amps for MTB Rhino motors. 




#360752 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 June 2017 - 08:03 PM in Modifications

I'm def not trying to put down your setup, or say you are wrong in anyway. Its just that on my quest to try to find a power supply for a 2s motor setup that fits in stock location (aside from lipo, including setups that require an expanded battery tray: 2-3 imr, 4,6,8 nimh aa) I've been told multiple times it will not provide the current or amps needed to run correctly without overdrawing the batteries and just looking for clarification and suggestions.

I really really want a battery setup that fits the stock battery tray (2-3 imr) or fits stock tray with expanded cover/door (6-8 nimh aa) that can supply the amp current needed to run 2s motors (honey badgers, meishel 2.0 etc) without overdrawing my battery setup

 

Assuming you're running MTB Rhinos or equivalent motors, what you've been told is wrong. If you don't believe me, fine, but my setup works very well and there's no disputing that. If you're curious about using Eneloops with Honeybadgers, I can't say, since I don't use those motors and don't know what their specs are.




#360750 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 June 2017 - 06:24 PM in Modifications

Only reason I ask about current/amperage is due to always reading that imr batteries can't supply enough current/amps to run any 130 motor (besides stock) effectively, causing slow spin up of flywheels which I want to avoid which is why I'm looking for options besides imr (and lipo packs) but I'm not sure 6 eneloop aa's can deliver enough current leading me to think ill need to use big r/c sub-c nimh packs...

 

I use Eneloops and get perfect performance with MTB Rhinos. Will you get "better" performance with SC NiMH packs than a AA Eneloop pack? Probably, but will it be noticeable? I doubt it (I couldn't tell the difference when I compared the two types of packs) and even if you can tell the difference, it won't be much. If it's that important to you, by all means, use SC packs.




#360748 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 June 2017 - 06:08 PM in Modifications

 

I'm pretty sure this is why most people will recommend possibly over-specc'd batteries. It's better to spend an extra $1-2 and get a battery that is way to big than to save the cash and burn your blaster up. My pack is like 1000 mah 25-35 C for a total of 25-25 amps continuous,  way more than the burst rating of the rhino's I'm using.

 

I'll need to spend some time looking at this stuff. Sounds like soldering batteries is something I might be able to do, if my iron is up to it.

 

You should. It's well worth the internet deep dive as knowing how to solder is very useful for a variety of hobbies. I learned how to do it years ago when I was into R/C cars. I've used it with my other hobbies, including video games, Nerf and other R/C vehicles (boats, subs, helis, etc.)




#360747 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 June 2017 - 06:05 PM in Modifications

 

I'm pretty sure this is why most people will recommend possibly over-specc'd batteries. It's better to spend an extra $1-2 and get a battery that is way to big than to save the cash and burn your blaster up. My pack is like 1000 mah 25-35 C for a total of 25-25 amps continuous,  way more than the burst rating of the rhino's I'm using.

 

I'll need to spend some time looking at this stuff. Sounds like soldering batteries is something I might be able to do, if my iron is up to it.

 

If you have a 1,000mah LiPo that's rated for 30C and you pull 35 amps worth of current from it, it's not like it will spontaneous explode or catch fire like you just reached critical mass with fissionable material and started a runaway nuclear reaction. You probably have at least a few seconds before anything really bad will happen; you might damage your pack, though.




#360746 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 June 2017 - 06:02 PM in Modifications

Do you happen to know the "c rating" or current/amperage availability of your 7.2v 6 eneloop aa pack?

Last thing I want is to deliver enough voltage but not deliver the current/amps needed and overdrawing the batteries, like I would most likely do with imr's

 

There is no "C" rating because like I said before there is no "cut off" unless the battery pack has some built in safety mechanism and most don't. And I have no idea how LiPo manufacturers decide what their "C" rating should be. I mean, what's the cutoff for deciding the battery pack can't handle a given current? The temperature of the pack rises 5 degrees within 60 seconds? 120 seconds? How about 15 degrees in 2 minutes? Or maybe it's that the cells will catch fire within 90 second? Or to be more serious, maybe it's a certain amount of of voltage sag under load? If they don't tell us, who knows? I'm not aware of some industry standard, but if there is one, someone can feel free to enlighten me.

 

As for your limiting the current but not the voltage, you're going to have to deal with some sort of regulation or fancy bit of electronics that I know nothing about. I suppose some cells will have some sort of safety shut off, where the cells will self-shut down if you pull too much current from them, but I understand those trustfire/IMR cells with that sort of protection (assuming it exists) will constantly shut down if you pull more than a few amps from them.




#360742 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 June 2017 - 04:14 PM in Modifications

 

Meishel Motors

 

Re: Other post:

 

Thanks for the charger links, it's tough to figure out what works/doesn't in the crazy diverse world of hobby RC power systems.

 

My read on current vs. voltage was that you can pull whatever current (within reason; always within reason though that's never really explained and I feel it could be important when we're talking about drawing potentially 25x the given rating) you want out, but that it just diminishes your runtime. As you say, runtime isn't really that long in our case, so NBD, but it is my main concern.

 

How do you build packs? Solder wire and heatshrink, probably, but do you have good examples of how it'd be done?

 

I suppose your way of wording it is correct, or at least in the ballpark. Yes, as long as the batteries can handle it, they will provide whatever current the motors need. If the motors are asking for more current than the cells can handle, they will fail. How they fail depends on the type of cells you use and the speed at which the "overdraw in current" takes place. If it's gradual, you simply diminish the overall life of the cells. If it's fast, you risk fire (at least in lithium cells), meltdown or leakage. I've destroyed nickel based cells (on accident and including Eneloops) by accidentally shorting them out and they didn't catch fire, only got really hot.

 

As for building your own packs, doing a search on youtube should give you plenty of info. But yes, heatshrink, solder and r/c quality wire and plugs will get it done. You'll need a powerful-enough soldering iron, though. I recommend at least 40W when building battery packs. Hakko and Weller are great solder iron brands.




#360740 eneloop aa nimh pack current discharge?

Posted by shandsgator8 on 23 June 2017 - 03:04 PM in Modifications

I'm interested in going to an enloop-style setup for ease of charging and battery care, but I've got a question that I haven't found a good answer to that you might know.

The Lipo packs peopl use usually have current ratings in the 10-50 amp range. The AA enloops appear to have them in the 2-4 amp range. Without doing a *massive* parallel pack, how do they compensate? Are the stats wrong? Sounds like you're getting decent performance, what's the deal?

Can you link batteries and a charger you'd use? Do you build packs or keep them as AA format in cell-holders?

 

There's more to picking a battery than it can "handle" a certain number of amps. It's not like a battery pack will work a certain way up to a certain current draw, then suddenly stop working - it's more of a continuum of gradually decreasing performance as the current draw increases. That's why discharge curves from a battery analyzer (such as the CBA IV; I have the CBA III and love it, but I don't have the time to analyze loose cells or packs right now) are so important. The discharge curve I referenced in an earlier post in this thread is really helpful because you can see how the voltage sags as the current increases.

 

So to answer your question, when you compare a "10-50" amp draw 2s LiPo to a 6 cell AA Eneloop self-made pack, it's not like LiPo pack will appear to be much more powerful or more durable. First of all, a pair of MTB Rhinos is not pulling as much current as you think. I don't have the specs handy, but I know the stall current per motor is about 8 amps. So the most your're going to need from your battery pack is 16 amps and that's only for a split second when the flywheels start up. When the motors are running between shots, the current will be far less, probably under 8 amps for both motors (my guesstimate).

 

Second of all, Eneloops can handle more than 2-4 amps. Sure, you'll get voltage sag (see the reference chart for exact numbers), but that doesn't mean they won't work. I wouldn't push Eneloops past about 10 amps, continuous, though. And don't forget that you're not running your batteries at full tilt all the time. Most matches end after 5-20 minutes (in my experience) and during that time, you're not running your flywheels at full speed (or shooting) that whole time. So even if you were pushing your Eneloops too hard (which in our case would only reduce their life from 1,000 or so cycles to a few hundred, which is still a long life), the pack has plenty of down time to cool off. And even if your game lasts much longer (like HVz), again, you're not revving your flywheels continuously. 

 

As for the cells I use, I use the white 2,000mah Eneloop AA cells you can get from Amazon. As long as you buy them from a reputable seller, you're getting good cells (generation 3 or later). I'd avoid the black Eneloops Pros since they have higher internal resistance. Yes, the Pros have more capacity, but 2,000mah is more than enough for a day's worth of Nerfing so there's no need to boost capacity by 25% at the expense of higher internal resistance, i.e. less ability to handle higher current draws.

 

As for my charger, I use a peak charger that can handle a various number of nickel cells. I use this:

 

http://www.electrifl...d/gpmm3152.html

 

It's been discontinued and there are other options out there. You need to have an external power supply to use it; I use a CPU power supply.

 

I also build my own packs. Do not use a battery holder like you'd get from Radio Shack. Those things are very inefficient and could melt in our application. I wouldn't use those holders if I needed to pull more than a few hundred mah from my cells.