[Fome]

This fun little mod can be done with a magstrike, some electrical tools, a dremel, a battery holder, and the electrical components of a nightfinder.

Start with the nightfinder innards:


And chop it so it looks like this:




Now, cut off the OVRP at the end of the bladder (the green nub). I used a sharp razor blade to make it flush with the white plastiic. Then, affix the switch from the nightfinder's electrical stuff onto the back of the MS bladder with hot glue, like this:



I also had to build up a small wall of hot glue on top of the white plastic end cap.

Now dremel/drill a hole through your MS shell, wherever you want the indicator light to be:



Now, add more wiring as necessary, make sure everything works, put your light through the hole, lightly glue or tape everything in like so:



Close up the shell and pump up the magstrike. As the bladder expands towards the rear of the shell, it will press against the switch, completing the circuit and causing the LED to illuminate. This is your semi-finished product, note the convenient placement of the battery holder:



I didn't like how ineffective the magstrike's semi-auto fire was so I integrated two hornet barrels, this is the end result:





Internals:







I call it the Cyborg.

A T-splitter is used between the MS pump and bladder. This then connects to another MS trigger (fills the hornet tanks) which connects to a homemade blast button with a built in check valve, and then to the two hornet tanks. The bottom tank is gooped to a 1/2" pvc endcap with a hole drilled through the center. This provides a much easier alternative to cutting a coupler in half if you want a flat surface and minimal deadspace. The top tank is gooped to a 3/4"-1/2" reducing slip coupler. The barrels are CPVC hammered into 1/2" PVC.

I cut apart a recon shell and epoxy puttied it to the plastic wall of the magstrike, minimal dremeling was required to fit the hornet assembly into the recon shell. The paint is used to unify the two shells and cover up the putty. I also added a dollop of hot glue over the indicator light to both diffuse the light and protect the LED.

35 pumps required to trigger the bladder indicator light. 40 to fire 2 clips. The hornet tanks can be filled after only 6 pumps, at 40 pumps, the hornets can be filled and fired 15 times before the bladder is empty.

I'm going to experiment with banding the MS bladder later.

I hope you all enjoyed my first semi-writeup! Thanks for reading.
-Fome

Qs/Cs/Fs?

This post has been edited by Fome: 04 July 2010 - 12:26 PM

[stuck by stefan]

Nice. It does look like a cyborg. my suggestion, paint it black, green, and silver And make it look like a borg drone.

[cheesypiza001]

The bladder indicator light is ingenious.

[Salmon]

Excellent mod, and cool gun. And to think all this time, I'd been ripping out those little lasers in NFs, thinking they were useless...
Also, I have to ask, is that a Dremel 200 I spy in those pictures? If so, I would NOT recommend using them for cutting plastic. Their lowest speed is 15,000 RPM, which in my experience makes plastic melt and fume like crazy.

[Fome]

Salmon, on Jun 16 2009, 08:29 AM, said:

Excellent mod, and cool gun. And to think all this time, I'd been ripping out those little lasers in NFs, thinking they were useless...
Also, I have to ask, is that a Dremel 200 I spy in those pictures? If so, I would NOT recommend using them for cutting plastic. Their lowest speed is 15,000 RPM, which in my experience makes plastic melt and fume like crazy.

Thanks. It's a Dremel 100 actually. It has a single speed and it does make plastic fume a bit with the cut-off wheel and quite a bit more with the sanding drum. I thought this was normal. What do you recommend? I try to always work in a well ventilated area but I suppose if my kids come out with 6 eyeballs and webbed feet, I know what to blame it on...

Elwood: Semi-auto is like tapping the trigger so only a few darts shoot out at a time. The magstrike doesn't seem to be designed for this. The clip falls back down (even with E-tape), the darts don't shoot as far, and all that hard earned air pressure is wasted.

This post has been edited by Fome: 16 June 2009 - 11:05 AM

[Elwood]

Semi-auto fire? Is that when you hold the trigger and pump? Wow, that thing looks kickass. I'm doing this no doubt.

[lazer371]

Wow, its such a simple device that can help your gun in the long run, you won't over pump and ruin the bladder's memory quickly, it makes me think, " Wow why the hell didn't I think of that?"

[Possemhunter]

Very nice. So simple yet practical. Good job

[white moonlight]

I did think the Nitefinder lights were useless but I haven't been throwing them out.

It looks reallly good.

This mod will help many from blowing magstrike tanks.

[Salmon]

Fome, on Jun 16 2009, 11:37 AM, said:

Salmon, on Jun 16 2009, 08:29 AM, said:

Excellent mod, and cool gun. And to think all this time, I'd been ripping out those little lasers in NFs, thinking they were useless...
Also, I have to ask, is that a Dremel 200 I spy in those pictures? If so, I would NOT recommend using them for cutting plastic. Their lowest speed is 15,000 RPM, which in my experience makes plastic melt and fume like crazy.

Thanks. It's a Dremel 100 actually. It has a single speed and it does make plastic fume a bit with the cut-off wheel and quite a bit more with the sanding drum. I thought this was normal. What do you recommend? I try to always work in a well ventilated area but I suppose if my kids come out with 6 eyeballs and webbed feet, I know what to blame it on...

Yeah, I used a Dremel 200 for the longest time, simply assuming fumes came along with cutting plastic. Then I discovered it was actually melting the plastic slightly, and quickly switched to a 300 model. They go from 5,000-35,000 RPM, and can cut plastic with little-to-no fumes until you get past setting 4, which is supposed to be ~12,000 RPM. Since you say your Dremel is a single speed, that single speed is probably as high as the highest speed on other Dremels, which makes it even worse of an idea to cut plastic with one.
A Dremel 400 should work to, as will a Dremel Stylus, but a 400 is really expensive and cordless Dremels like the Stylus suck.

This post has been edited by Salmon: 16 June 2009 - 02:28 PM

[TantumBull]

Me likey. Someone already did this exact thing, but that doesn't really matter unless you're claiming originality (not sure if you are or not, didn't read whole thing).

But the cool thing about yours is that it uses materials common for modders (NF light set-up). The other guy had a much more complex system (or at least used actual components from an electronics store).

[anon. dude]

Nice job...I might just have to do that...

[Fome]

TantumBull, on Jun 16 2009, 03:53 PM, said:

Me likey. Someone already did this exact thing, but that doesn't really matter unless you're claiming originality (not sure if you are or not, didn't read whole thing).

But the cool thing about yours is that it uses materials common for modders (NF light set-up). The other guy had a much more complex system (or at least used actual components from an electronics store).

Yeah, I remember looking at something similar a long time ago. If we're talking about the same guy, he used a very different and much rarer switch however, I think it was from some toy from some theme park. Almost every nerfer has a nitefinder.

I also did not like his LED placement, being butted up against your shoulder. My method provides perfect visibility for someone who's righthanded, whether you're pumping or shooting.

It's important to note that this concept can be applied to any nerf gun that uses a bladder and a disabled OPRV.

[Just Some Bob]

Salmon, on Jun 16 2009, 03:26 PM, said:

A Dremel 400 should work to, as will a Dremel Stylus, but a 400 is really expensive and cordless Dremels like the Stylus suck.

I have the Dremel Stylus, and, on the contrary, it rocks.
However, I am sure I would feel differently if it were the only Dremel I had. There certainly are tasks for which it is not powerful enough, but then I just get out one of my corded models. But when I just want to do a few little things, or when I want to work outside on the patio without bringing extension cords ... at those times it is terriffic.



Back on the indicator light topic - this is a cool idea. I had thought of it before, but I don't believe that I ever wrote it down or mentioned it to anyone, and I definitely never got around to doing it - so when it comes to credit, I lose. I didn't even get to inspire it. But I'm glad to learn that it really can work. I definitely would have put the light in a different location, but that's just a matter of taste.

This post has been edited by Just Some Bob: 16 June 2009 - 04:51 PM

[Fome]

Just Some Bob, on Jun 16 2009, 05:48 PM, said:

I definitely would have put the light in a different location, but that's just a matter of taste.

Out of curiosity, where would you put it?

Also, I'm a bit confused. Slower RPMs on a dremel = better for cutting plastics?

Thanks.