Hey Guys, this is my first post, so any general feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I would like some feedback on my redesign of the 1/2" PVC Wye.
I am planning to take the final design to a plastic injection molding company, and from all the general feedback I have gotten, the general verdict is that people want the wyes to be clear, have a direct connection to 1/2" PVC Couplers (see image below), and have better dart feeding because of a gentler slope and a dart ramp.

This is what my first iteration with the direct connection looked like:



I then went back to my design software and I shortened the wye (to save plastic) and set out to adjust the slope and to construct the dart ramp.
I demoed the new design in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dva1EPx36Co

Any questions or feedback would be great,
Thanks

I am going to respond to as many posts as possible in this single reply:

@Tangerle: I am going to do some more testing with different angles and different ramps...

@DartSlinger: I don't know if my design will feed streamlines or silicone domes, I need to do some more tests with a more powerful blaster.

@andtheherois: I am hoping that the unit price will be about $3 per like you said, but I will most likely be taking bulk orders, which would lower the cost per unit.

@azrael: Injection molding isn't expensive if you order enough, I am planning to buy about 500-1000.

@The2ndBluesBro: I am planning to make a profit, so yes I will be charging "some extra by selling them off".

Thank You all for the excellent feedback, I will try to respond to all of the questions I get in a timely manner.

Hey guys, I was unable to post until now as an FNG

@Shanaynay: I am looking long term, 500 would sell eventually, most likely after a year or two.

@DartSlinger: I am doing more revisions to the design, this was just a test, and the hole in the dart ramp will not act as a wall in the new design due to a funnel

@mysterio: Could you elaborate on deadspace? I am new to homemades.

@Bchamp22795: Yes the hole will go all the way through, and the hole will funnel in the air.

@Goldie: I can make other couplers, in fact I have been working on a design for a universal coupler that accepts 1/2" PVC and 1/2" CPVC; Thoughts?

Also can someone give me a brief list of commonly used stefans; I know about domes and slugs, but what other types, and what specific types of domes and slugs as well? I want to test as many as I can for reliability in the wye.
Thanks once again guys!

@dartslinger: Being a pleb would be great thanks!
Also the revisions should eliminate the deadspace.

@andtheherois: I have already eliminated most of the deadspace in the design.
Also the nub does raise a very important question. I will ask for a general consensus when/if I make another post.

@lech, It would require me to redo parts of the design, and I think that the design will be able to feed silicon tips, but I am not sure yet, and it should have an easier time with long darts.
I actually don't know what the printer is called off hand, it is my friends. I have my own, but it prints big things with less detail, whereas his prints small stuff with great detail.
Also I have been thinking about making a subscription system for my designs, no official plans yet though.....

Hey guys, since my last post I made some changes to the design, and got a snapbow.
The Wye is firing much more reliably now, but I want to know about what you guys think about the stub on the back (details in the video).



So if you guys have an opinion on the PVC Stub, or any general questions, comments, etc, just leave a reply.
Thanks
Kron

Hey guys, sorry for not replying for so long, but I am trying to preserve my posts as an FNG

Anyways, the first thing to address is the stub. I think I will remove it because while it does remove one thing to worry about, I feel as though it might make the wye hard to use with certain blasters, and I want the design to be useable for as many people as possible.

As for going to a war, I live in Pittsburgh so there is less nerf action than say Philly, but this summer I am taking a road trip passing through Philly, so if anyone was planning to have a war on the weekend of July 21-22, I might be able to make an hour or two on that sunday the 22nd. The other option is always ohio, and my family is trying to set up a weekend trip to Cleveland sometime this spring, but we will most likely plan that trip at the last minute, so again that would depend on if someone was planning to have a war at the right time, so I will play it by ear.

Another thing I heard discussed was having the front accept 1/2" CPVC, and I don't think that will happen because then those who use other barrel materials like PETG of Brass wouldn't be able to use the wye, and again I want as many people as possible to be able to use my design.
However I have a design for a universal coupler that accepts both CPVC and PVC, and would most likely be able to connect with PVC couplers at the back:
This is a very rough prototype (as the dead-space is filled with hot glue)



Theoretically the universal coupler could be added to the wye, but again I want to hear from you guys about that.

Also here are some pictures of the dart ramp. It is hard to see in images, and to really understand it, one must feel it, or see it in a 3D design program, but here is my attempt to photograph it:







That's it. If you guys have any more questions feel free to leave another comment.
Thanks

@ ShaNayNay:
I hadn't noticed that, thanks, I will test it out on something else with my next iteration.

You could attach a wye to the broken magstrike assuming you still had the internals, and then make a hopper that shot slugs from the magstrike.

I agree that this is the best possible scenario* (dream, rather), but it is also one of the most impractical scenarios and not even worth suggesting. He is getting these injection molded on a scale of 500-1000 to make them cost effective (This was stated in his last thread. Kronos, correct me if I am using out of date information). Making different models would be extremely expensive with no chance of breaking even. I don't know what the problem with PVC is. For micro darts, its the best because it can house CPVC, PETG, and Brass, as well as using Sch80 PVC for a barrel material. Furthermore, its less than ten cents a foot and easily obtainable. I have read many threads where people don't have CPVC near them.

Bchamp22795, you are exactly right, I would like to make only one design for the wye, which is why the streamline wye got shot down so early. As for accepting 1/2" CPVC, I am working on the universal couper to be a standalone which could be added to the wye another PVC Coupler, and many stock nerf barrels.

Darthrambo and I also talked about making the pyragon drum firefly, but the idea never got of the ground, due to the fact that we are both very busy, but I think it could work.

@ CaptainSlug: Sounds awesome, can't wait to see the results.

Looks great slug, can't wait to see how the final product turns out.
Anyway that you can send me a copy of the design that I could print on a 3D printer?

I should be able to attend, assuming you are okay with the fact that I will be 2 days from being 15 years old on the day of the war. Also would the location of the park be something like Frick or Schenley, or something further out of town?

The date is on my calendar, and I am bringing some wyes.

Or, since the overall goal is rapid-fire streamline dart capability, perhaps a new mag system could be designed using 3d printed parts and easy to get tubing? I've got a design floating around for a belt system that would be easy to produce given some 3d printed or cast parts.

What be the concept behind this belt system?

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum, but I've been playing around with modding for a while. I was hoping to get some advice on working on my Stryfe. I've taken all of the physical locks out of it, as well as the initial resistor. I've been planning to take out the resistors attached to the motor itself, though I'm not exactly sure what benefit that will have. If anyone could tell me what that change will do, that would be appreciated. I'm also not sure how many trustfires I should be using. The thing sounds like it's about to explode with 4 so I'm guessing 2 or 3 would be better, though I'm not exactly sure how to go about using those. I can't find any dummy aa's at any store near me. Are they just not a common product sold anymore, or does everyone make them themselves?

If you remove the resistors attached to the motor you will up the voltage and the current flowing to the motors, which in turn will increase their speed. If you are careful enough, and don't run the motors continuously for too long, then removing those resistors should be okay for the motors. As for the trustfires, I haven't experimented much with those, but from my understanding most people use 3 in their stryfes (although somebody correct me if I am wrong).

As for the dummy AA batteries, I have been making my own, although they aren't extremely clean. If you need some feel free to send me a pm about it.





They aren't pretty, but they do the job.

Thanks for making the video man, really appreciate it,
Still can't believe that its feeding elite darts. I had never tried, but I had always assumed that they wouldn't work.

My fear was the possibilty of double feeding slugs. Have you had any issues with that?

I have had it happen maybe once or twice, but that was because of the weird barrel I use which had very loose dart fit, and is simply too short. I honestly don't know what material it is. Just something random that I hammered into PVC.

Hey guys, I finalized the design for the wye, and here it is: (Printed in red to show you that these can be pretty much any color there is filament for)



Close up of the back end:



And an attempt of taking a picture of the dart ramp:



And of course the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSTMum9CcY8

These should be on sale in the next month or so for about $5 each plus an almost flat shipping rate of $5 no matter how many wyes you buy, (assuming they fit in the box). The design is available from the 3D designs directory.

Thanks for reading guys!
If you have any comments, questions, critiques, and/or pieces of advice, feel free to drop a comment, or shoot me a PM.

P.S. There should be one of these at DDFD3 tomorrow. Can't wait to hear how it does in its first war test.

Just a few questions;

What's the difference between this wye and a normal wye?

For the price of one of your wyes we can buy 3 wyes from mcmaster, why should we buy yours?

How snug is the pvc in the wye?

How durable is it? Will it crack in half when used in a war? (There is a difference between tested and war proven)

Not trying to sound like a dick, but I figured these questions would be important to buyers. You did a good job on these and it's impressive that you got to this stage, but you need to sell it a bit more. My questions my or may not help.

Those are honestly good questions.

This wye has a dart ramp which helps in feeding darts. In fact it feeds so well, if you turn the hopper upsidedown, and open the top of the hopper, the darts will fall out. The other thing contributing to the more reliable feeding is that it is at a 35* angle as opposed to a 45* angle in the normal version. Also the pvc is very snug in the wye for me, but might require a bit of dremmeling for someone else, just because of tolerances.
Another reason why I think these wyes are worth the extra cost, at least for some people, is that they fire streamlines:
He starts firing the streamlines at about 1:09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iQM3zTCqi0

I have yet to have one break, (although I have very rarely seen some small cracks if the barrel is not entirely circular.) plus I am thinking about giving them this treatment to make the surface more smooth, and hopefully also add further to the structural integrity.

Had to make this a link, I have used up all the media I can.

Yeah, and don't worry about sounding like a dick. I honestly appreciate your time to ask these questions and I would agree with you that future buyers will want to know this information as well.
Also I forgot to mention this in the post, and I will update it in a second, but I will most likely be selling the design online for those who have the means to make these on their own for 99 cents. The download would be usable for as many 3D prints or whatever as one would need.

What are these made out of? PVC? ABS?

This particular one is a test in PLA but the final version will be ABS, which will allow for the most colors I think.

This is a much easier way to vapor polish: https://solidoodleti...-part-finisher/

While it will smooth your part, I don't see how dousing something in solvent will strengthen it.

In one of the earlier wyes the entire back section broke off, and while I don't think that would happen with the current version, I want to take every precaution.

I'd be interested if they could fire silicone domes. Any chance of tests with those?

I sent some to msinikas to test, but I haven't heard back yet. I am interested in getting some though, so I am trading the other wye I have for some domes.

Figured I would just throw this out there:





They are pretty ugly, but have very little resistance, as they conduct the electricity with normal wire.

What is the metal part made out of? It looks like dimes.

Well the wire is metal, and the actual battery shape is 3D printed. No metal, No dimes.

Do these work with mid-low powered blasters? It would be a pretty awesome selling point if these could be used with a a short feed tube and a BBB or even an NF.

I tested one of these on a panther, but it needed a small burst of air from the tank before I could take my shot. How many darts are you thinking with short feed tube?

You could use 3/4" PETG as it will be still clear, but won't have a tight fit

Wow me really want
The E.A.T. is just great
Ship me one right now

A haiku
Kronos

A few questions. Have you done any testing with really long darts? Anything around 3.5 to 4 inches. If it can do that it could fire even the most ridiculously long wire wrap style dart I've ever made. Also is there any difference in the amount of double feeding compared to a normal wye?

It fires streamlines fairly well, but beyond that, I don't know. I am going to make an extended version later, which should be able to feed daft that long, but that might take a bit.
As for double feeds, I have had it happen once, but it was because I was using a blaster that didn't have enough air volume for my hopper setup.

I assume you are using plumbing solder not solder for wires, but correct me if I am wrong.

Hey Guys, I felt like it would be a good idea to have a thread for 3D designs organized by their creators.

1) The File in at least two formats:
a. A format that can be directly used to create the design with the intended production type (ie: a .stl for 3D printing)
b. A format that can be edited by other designers: (ie cad .stp files, etc)
2)(Optional but recommended) An image or quick video of the design.
3) If the design has any previous threads, please provide those as well.
Just post your designs in the comments following a similar format.

 

(Side note to the mods, should someone else be running this? I rarely come on anymore.)

ALL DESIGNS COVERED BY A Noncommercial license

Download McMaster Models:
Instructable Link

My Designs (Kronos):

Wye w/ Dart Ramp, 35* Angle, no pvc Stub, Endstops, Reinforced:
First Iteration
Second Iteration
Third Iteration



Thingiverse Download


Wye w/ Dart Ramp, 35* Angle, pvc Stub:



Download (stl)

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KaneTheMediocre's designs:

Purple Catch + Handle:
Discussion Thread



Download

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Roboman's designs:

Airtech 2000 (AT2K) Turret

Discussion Thread



Back of the Turret Download

Front of the Turret Download

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Landru's Designs:

LF1 - Foam Dart Blaster

Discussion Thread



Thingiverse Download

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MrMoneybags' Designs:

Nerf N-Strike Elite 6 Dart Clip

Discussion Thread



Download (Rar file including the .sldprt and .stl files)

 

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Aeromech's Designs:

 

Google Drive for all tested products

 

Includes PCSR V2+, Pullback mk V, and ESLT upgrades

How does this compare to wearing a respirator?

I actually really like how this looks, though I doubt that it has any functional improvements over a stock Rampage. That is, unless the PETG that you replaced the barrel with has a larger inner diameter. Then your ranges might improve a little bit.

He is using 3/4 in petg, which I think is about the same, although it might be a smidge bigger.

I don't understand how to make these Kronos

Well you need to have a means of manufacturing, such as a 3D printer.

Having done just a bit of nerf warring, I was looking at the deficiencies of the guns I've used, and had a few ideas on more reliable mechanisms, and a few that would be just plain fun, if overkill, like a minigun.

I was looking at basically starting a small business on building a higher end brand of guns than Nerf, with a design intent towards modding and more power. Thing is, I'd need to get a computer that can do modeling set up, and get the 3D printer and all that jazz. I'm working on a kickstarter, but that also requires some networking, and I've not really been on long, and I'm not in a big city where I can rub elbows with a lot of guys into this stuff.

Hey man, the concept sounds cool. With homemades I think there is a small gap in that the blasters are all somewhat similar and while there is variety, there is not as much as there is in stock nerf guns. Homemades are still 100% cooler, but still, I think that the personality of blasters is something that would be cool to see, and it looks like this company could do something in that department.
If you have any questions about 3d printing and computer modeling, feel free to shoot me a PM.

This will be my first time as well.
Stupid question I know, but in general how does a dome compare to a paintball pain wise.
I'll still be there regardless (except if some crazy unseen circumstance forces me to miss) but I was just curious.

I am not clear on the EBB term. BB is barrel break I assume but the E is little unclear. and the reference just a repaint has me wondering. All I did was remove the Air restrictors and tape the hole in the side of the tube. I reassembled the blaster for the test and then broke it down again for priming and painting to show it off in the mods and paintjobs forum. taking lots of step by step pics on the painting.

He is referring to the "elite" barrel break which is really just a repaint, and probably won't get the elite ranges.

Hi everyone, I was going to put this in trading, but I felt that it didn't belong there as I am actually not selling anything with this thread, and the "Distributer Network" is only potential.

On with the actual content:
So I just came up with this, so it needs some more thinking, but I noticed that even with my flat rate shipping, it costs 70 cents to ship a wye if someone orders the most I can fit in a package. I am proposing to set up a distributer network of people who buy bulk who then distribute to those in their regions at wars and other events. This would allow for bulk packaging which is cheaper to ship flat rate via USPS. (I checked).
Obviously I would have a bulk discount as I am saving on shipping, but basically if you wanted to be a distributer, you would order a case of wyes, pay for them at the discount price, and then sell them at full price to those in your area.

If you think you would be interested, please leave a comment or send me a PM. Also if you have general feedback, please let me know.
And as a general announcement, if you have anything that you think would be beneficial to the community that you think I should make, send that in a PM, because I do want to know about it, but I don't want to clutter up this thread.
Thanks everyone, have a nice weekend,
Kronos

I will take a "case" of them.

I am not currently selling yet, but I will mark you down for when/if I do.

How many are in a case and how much is said case?

I don't know exactly how much yet, this thread is to determine if there was general interest, and if there were any problems that people saw.

This is really cool. Having CAD designs of stock parts means that we could print or machine replacement parts easily.
I will try and print these, and if they work, I will add them to the designs directory.
Thanks by the way, this kinda made my week.