Sweet work. This is actually a homemade I'd consider using, since I can use equipment from my superstock set up.

While the MTB rhinos do work on a 2s setup I find them rather lackluster at that voltage. They really want that 3s In order to really get good performance, but hey your mileage may vary.

Are you able to avoid your darts veering every which way when using a 3s setup? If so, what darts do you use?

Ahhh, ok.

I'll second what Jwasko said. I'll add that MTB Rhino motors will also work with a lower voltage setup, such as 6 or 7 cell NiMH or 2s LiPo. I also imagine this would increase the motor life, too, although we'll see how that plays out over time with my MTB Rhino-Stryfe-6-cell-NiMH setup.

A little confused on this, are you basically saying make sure that the circuit isn't going to try to draw more than the batteries are capable of out-putting?

Also, as far as the circuit is concerned, it's probably best to minimize resistance by going larger on the circuits (wire gauge, switches) than what the motors can draw/batteries can output, right? Meaning, even if 18 ga wire will work, 16 ga wire/higher amp rating components will provide a better flow... correct?

All else being equal, then yes, you are correct.

Thanks for the tip .I'm new to modifying Nerf Blasters, and electronics, and this is just what I was looking for... something that handles regular batteries better than the stock motors.

Just ordered ten of these for my various flywheel blasters.

Can anyone recommend a standout NiMH rechargeable? I'm currently into Panasonic Eneloops (Pro).

I use regular and Pro Eneloops (which are both NiMH chemistries) in my flywheels blasters (Rapidstrike and Stryfe). I prefer the regular (white) ones because they can handle higher amp draws better, i.e. lower voltage sag. I reached this conclusion looking as discharge graphs of the regular Eneloops and the first generation Eneloop Pros (these had the "X"s on the black label. However, the newer Pros could have better discharge curves than regular Eneloops, but that's just speculation.

I know there are AA NiMHs out there that can handle high amps draws even better than the Eneloops, but the only one I'm aware of has been offered by cheapbatterypacks.com and they were out of stock or discontinued last time I checked. Short of these very specialized AA NiMH cells offered by cheapbatterypacks.com or another distributor, you can't beat Eneloops, Pro or regular.

Wow that's not what I expected, at least between the regular/pro Eneloops, figured it'd be the other way around. Guess I'll have to get the standard ones out and give it a go. Double bonus as they supposedly have more recharge cycles than the pros as well.

Would you consider it necessary to upgrade anything else running these 130's with NiMH batteries? Wiring? Switches? I know thermistors/locks/etc need to go... I was wondering if, while I have them gutted, for the sake of minimizing resistance/maximizing rev speed/time, if I should open up the circuits a bit more?

Thanks!

It could be with the newest Eneloop Pros (the ones that have the word "Pro" on the black label), but I doubt it. I wouldn't call it a rule per se, but all else being equal (cell quality, cell manufacturer, cell chemistry, generation of production, etc.), the higher capacity cell will often have slightly higher resistance compared to the lower capacity cell. This may not always be true, so utilizing a battery analyzer that can graph discharge curves is the only way to know for sure.

MTB Rhinos work very well.

Great information, thanks for filling me in. More amps = bigger wires/switches, got it. Most of the mods I see are using 16 ga wiring, so I'll probably just pick up a small spool of that to work with.

Not to continue to hijack the thread but, anyone want to recommend a good soldering rig?

Check this thread out:

http://nerfhaven.com...kko#entry350168

Dude, the first APOC I went to I didn't have a "competitive" homemade. But if you got something you can work with, then work it. My first time I had an Alpha Trooper for one of the capture type game. The guys were like really? Then they saw what I could do, and were like I want you next round. Granted it was like 4 years ago, but still.

If anything, superstock is more advantageous now than 4 years ago. Advanced flywheel blasters are a huge step up over what was available 4 years ago. From the NIC perspective, I'm not aware of anything which has advanced in a similar fashion over that same 4 year span.

QED: I think if equipped correctly, a superstock setup can work just fine at Apoc.

I'm excited to end my hiatus and fight this Apocalypse! Also catch Zubats.

 

 

The collective term is a ranch of southerners.

Wrong. The correct term is "mob." The addition of the adjective "lynch" is optional, but recommended for clarity.

I am going to assume this is not the type of event I can bring my modded Stryfe that shoots only stock darts? Even if I bring enough darts for the whole day?

If you're in VERY good shape, you can do just fine with a superstock blaster, like a well modded Stryfe. I've played with a cross country runner who rocked with a Nite Finder, but that's because he was constantly running and able to flank anyone at any time.

Also, you'll need A LOT of darts. I bring about 300 to my local superstock wars and it's very adequate, but we play on pavement most of the time, so the dart sweeps we do every other round result in near perfect dart recovery. If you use your Stryfe all day at Apoc, you're gonna either spend most of your time dart sweeping or have to bring several hundred and be ok with losing at least 1/3 of them.

I am more of a super stock guy as I don't really do the homemade+stefans. I am actually a former XC runner also(tad out of shape though haha). I also do not mind bringing that many rounds as I have around 700 rounds just sitting around doing nothing. I also have 20x 18 round mags. I normally do HvZs so something like this would be a first for me. If you think I will still be ok I would happy to drive on down and check out this event.

That sounds ok, as long as you're careful about dart spamming!

I plan to attend, at least for a little bit.

Isn't it stronger also? So it could possibly be thinner and weigh the same as a stock plunger system?

It will be interesting to see how the shells hold out now that the plunger tubes supposedly won't break from springs that are too strong.

I know for sure that the kit won't fit either the AT or the Raider. It might fit the Deploy or the Long Strike but I wouldn't know for sure.

[pmed] OP

 

...

Discussion Topic:

Do you feel superstock-style blasters and ammo are viable in an NIC war, where many people are using homemade darts and blasters? Would you be more or less likely to attend an NIC war that had a few superstock rounds mixed into it?

 

...

 

 

I believe superstock blasters and ammo are perfectly viable at an NIC war. It just takes a different loadout and strategy.

Whether a war has both NIC and superstock rounds makes no difference to me. I'd probably just pick one style to play and pack for due to everything I'd have to carry; my superstock loadout requires a lot of ammo and mags.

I'm not one for homemades, but I gotta admit, that's a cool looking piece of engineering.

Practically all well-engineered designs take plenty of tweaking. It's neat to see someone showing an example of the type of tweaking that can take place.

A premade 9.6v nimh battery on a rapidstrike isn't bad, though the fit is tight. Until I got the parts to triblade it into a rapidpistol the nimh pack is how I ran my rapidstrike at dart warz. And it only required removing the battery tray and soldering a connector to the battery terminals. Quick and easy. Took more time to open the blaster than to do the actual mod. My .02¢

That's pretty much what I did, but I used a 6 AA cell (7.2v) Eneloop battery pack.

Update on my question about using 4 AA NiMH cells with C battery spacers in the Rapidstrike. After comparing this set up with 4 C alkalines, the performance was slightly less, although hardly noticeable. One definite advantage: the batteries are rechargeable and the Rapidstrike is much lighter.

I'm in SE PA and run with a few people in Bucks County. Our Nerf wars are more adult oriented in that we used modified stock blasters (aka: "superstock"); you might learn a lot (and have some fun) if you joined us. Your son might be a little too young for playing with us, however. But then again, I don't run the group, so you can talk with the leader of the group. He goes by DblDrgn on Nerfhaven. His site is: https://panerf.wordpress.com.

As for your battery situation, this is what I recommend:

1. Prechargead NiMH batteries and charger. The Duracell recommendation is a good one. I'm loyal to Eneloop, but practically speaking, Eneloop and Duracell precharged batteries are the same quality and performance: http://www.amazon.co...charged charger

2. C battery spacers/adapters: http://www.amazon.co...battery spacers

These should be a drop in replacement for C alkaline batteries and despite the lower voltage, performance will be about the same. When the batteries run down, remove them from the spacers and place them in the included charger. If you like this setup, I would get a total of 8 AA NiMH batteries so you can have pretty much all day play while the 8 batteries charge at night.

If you want to go with a 6 cell battery pack, you'll have to either buy one or build one yourself. I don't recommend building one unless you have soldering and R/C battery pack experience. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being what I just recommend and 10 being making a homemade of the likes and quality of what Aeromech produces, I'd put this battery mod at about a 3 or 4. You will need soldering experience for this more complex mod. If you don't have a soldering iron, you'll need to spend at least $40 (probably more) for the 6 NiMH cells, a soldering iron, soldering equipment, wiring supplies and a NiMH capable hobby or R/C charger.

If this blaster is for your 4 year old, I would not recommend installing a rechargeable battery with lithium chemistry, such as Lithium Polymer or Lithium Ion. This is because of the risk of damaging them if they're overdischarged (although someone can correct me if trustfire and ultrafire batteries have built in low voltage cut off) and fire hazard if they're mistreated.

Lithium Iron Phosphate might be ok, but that's probably more trouble and cost to you than it's worth.

I would recommend a rechargeable NiMH battery pack of 6 cells. I personally use a 6 cell AA pack I made myself out of Eneloops. it provides substantial performance increase (range and rate of fire), but lasts forever and is rechargeable. The only problem with this set up as applied to you is that you'll need a R/C hobby style charger and a little rewiring or rearranging of the Rapidstrike's battery compartment. If you're worried that this performance boost would be unsafe, you could use 5 NiMH cells.

I wonder if using 4 size C NiMH cells (or AA NiMH cells with C battery spacers) would provide the same performance as 4 alkaline C cells. My gut is that it would and would be a drop in replacement and a no-brainer to recharge. Anyone have any experience with this? I can probably do some testing myself in a few days.

As for jamming, I heard removing the skirt seal can help. Also, make sure your kid isn't using bent or damaged darts.

Where in PA are you?

+1 on most of what Jwasko said (assuming you eventually go that route). However, I would recommend using a different connector for the battery. Using the Tamiya style connector isn't great, but if it's a drop in mod, it's ok to leave it assuming you're using an otherwise stock Rapidstrike. However, if you're going to go through the trouble of soldering a few wires and installing new connectors, you might as well go with a low-resistance option, like Deans.

Nerf used Cs because alkaline C-sized batteries will last longer than alkaline AA-sized, and give better performance especially when shooting full auto...

Jwasko is right. However, good quality NiMH AA cells have lower internal resistance than C sized alkalines, hence my recommendation of the AA NiMH.

From what I could tell by the ABSOLUTELY PISS POOR video, the concept is legit, but it's hardly ideal.

Either way will work, although our way is less efficient (but quicker and easier).

Do some research on youtube or some high traffic R/C plane or car message board for advice on how to build battery packs and soldering basics. Like many other things in life, there are different ways to do the same thing, with some methods being better than others, but you'll find what works for you. A few universal pointers:
 
- Use the hottest soldering iron you can when building packs. Until you are proficient at soldering, it's probably more cost effective to just buy a ready made pack or order a custom pack. www.cheapbatterypacks.com is a good site for custom packs.
 
- Burning organic matter stinks, but get used to it. It's inevitable you will burn your skin, flesh and/or clothing, although if you're careful and smart, it will only happen once.

As for connectors, I'm a WS Deans guy. I use their Micro Connectors on Nerf stuff: http://www3.towerhob...?&I=LXDKA2&P=ML
 
For something that'll pull major amps, I use their Ultra Plugs: http://www3.towerhob...p?&I=LXKX39&P=7

The Stryfe is a great blaster; it's my new primary with the Rapidstrike as my backup.