197 replies to this topic

[Split]

Don't worry FA. I understand each stupid little piece intimately. I'll have a color coded digram or 12 up soon. Not a fun project. I might run out of colors.

[Galaxy613]

...I might run out of colors.

That's a scary idea.

Good luck to all pioneers!

[Split]

Looks like I won't be fixing this piece. It's small and ridiculous. It gets put under a ton of stress. Epoxy just won't cut it, so until I find a really small metal rod to loop through it, it's staying as it.

On a better note, I officially don't care about breaking my $40 toy, since it broke itself! As such, I will be proceeding with putting 14.4 volts of power in rechargeable rc battery beefiness into it. And a beefier spring.

And working on my secret monster piece addition..

[Retiate]

Somehow I doubt that piece would just break from normal use after a couple days.
That piece rotates the chain through, correct? If you were using your 50 link chain, then that would possibly add extra stress to that piece. And if the 50 link chain was just dangling then that would add even more stress to it.

[KBarker]

I would really like to see a firing video with two chains hooked together.

[Split]

Somehow I doubt that piece would just break from normal use after a couple days.
That piece rotates the chain through, correct? If you were using your 50 link chain, then that would possibly add extra stress to that piece. And if the 50 link chain was just dangling then that would add even more stress to it.

Doubt all you want. Your theory is bs. I was holding the chain in my left arm. The rotation mech isn't strong enough to lift 50 links on its own. It wasn't a couple days of normal use, it was the first time. I do think I rotated the gear train about 5 degrees out of sync, but I have yet to confirm that.

I don't care for a replacement. I personally think the chain idea is stupid, and by removing it the motor puts all of its power into firing, and not at all into moving the chain. This should allow for a stronger spring.

You really can't reinforce the piece. The top is about 1mm long by .5 mm wide by .5mm thick. If you add any dimension onto it at all it starts rubbing on other parts, which would just make it not rotate at all.

I ended up going out last night and wasn't in any condition to drive home, so I didn't get much done. Going out again tomorrow, but I do hope to get some more done.

[Commander Cody]

ON the topic of AR removal, I removed mine today (without taking the gun apart)

The removal greatly increases the ranges you get, before I would have some darts going as little as 2' but now all darts consistently hit in the low 30's, 40's slightly angled.

[Dayko]

How did you take out the AR with out opening the blaster apart? Please explain.

[mrcrouse1]

Are your ranges with stefans or stock sonics? Also did you remove the barrel pegs in the chains?

[Commander Cody]

I used a power drill to go through the initial white cover in front on the air restrictor, then i pulled the AR out with a pocket knife. The issue is one of space. The drill has to go in from either side of the removed hatch (that covers the top of the belt holding it in place). A would suggest caution if doing this because you have to drill a hole big enough to pull the AR out but not get it stuck in there.


Also, I did not remove the pegs in the chain. Will do that tonight and post ranges.

[poorrecon]

Why is everyone so exited about 1-3 rounds per second ROF? My stock magstrike can make 11 per second easy.

[mrcrouse1]

Ya, but it holds 25 darts per chain before reloading, and no need to pump, does your magstrike do that?

[Commander Cody]

ranges basically same with peg removal, my stefans get less range also than when I used the stock micros.

-CC

[GMD]

Why is everyone so exited about 1-3 rounds per second ROF? My stock magstrike can make 11 per second easy.

How do u get 11 per sec it only holds 10????

[slowguitarman]

Why is everyone so exited about 1-3 rounds per second ROF? My stock magstrike can make 11 per second easy.

How do u get 11 per sec it only holds 10????

I am an idiot. Either way, you can find rounds per second without having that many rounds in the magazine.

Edited by slowguitarman, 27 July 2008 - 08:59 PM.

[Quilan Fett]

Why is everyone so exited about 1-3 rounds per second ROF? My stock magstrike can make 11 per second easy.

How do u get 11 per sec it only holds 10????

The navy's version of the Thompson SMG shot 600rpm, which would be 60 rounds per second. Did it have a 60rd magazine? No. If you fire 10 shots in 0.9 seconds, that would be about 11 rounds per second. By the way, you should also read the CoC, since you obviously didn't do it like you were supposed to when you signed up.

1 min = 60 sec. 600 / 60= 10.

[slowguitarman]

Oh my gosh. I have been through two calculus classes and numerous engineering classes....and I can't divide, aparently. Original post edited.

[Kid Flash]

Just adding to the whole magstrike thing: I'm pretty sure mine can't get off all 10 shots in a second... maybe 3-4.

Now on the whole vulcan: I'm now really excited about the search for them. I'll be looking out for them.

[mintee]

^ An inner tube mod will fix that. Two or three layers and maybe 20-30 pumps will give you insane ROF. I can guarantee you my old Magstrike can clear a clip in less than a second, with ranges around 30-40 feet.

I wonder why that part broke... I'd like to take a peek inside one myself and try to fix it or figure out why it happens in the first place.

[wespelarno]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but following this thread i haven't seen it. The gun relies on a motor to make it fire. The limiting factor so far has been the power of the motor. To increase this, two things can be done.

I am yet to see a clear picture of the motor inside, but odds are it is a mabucchi silver can motor. These are designed to take up to about 25V without arcing (the inside gets burnt). So, overvolt the motor, run it at a higher voltage by connecting up two or three rechrgeable battery packs from an RC car in series, giving 14.4 V/21.6V etc. The number of cells can be altered to find what works best. Experiment in steps so as to not cook the motor. And keep it lubricated, otherwise it won't be happy. If you want to go over the top, hook up a lithium polymer rechargeable (lighter weight, higher potential current draw.) You are talking 20 bucks for a reasonable NiMH battery which will last for hundreds of recharges and hundreds of hours of shooting.Should reduce weight too.
NiMH batteries: http://www3.towerhob...wti0093p?&C=CGD

Alternatively, try using a more powerful motor. If it is any vaguely standard size you can by motors that are more powerful (less turns, higher current draw) that will increase the rate of fire significantly. I have a motor for my RC car that turns 50,000 rpm. That is excessive, but something similair could be done.
Motors: http://www3.towerhob...K&MANUFACTURER=

If the motor is too fast, could a gear box be put in to reduce the RPM? This would allow extra torque to be created, improving way the chain feeds through the gun allowing full rate of fire while pulling the chain.

Some parts may need reinforcing and if there are any gears that are made of weak plastic you are very likely to strip them. But again, the gears could be replaced with ones from and RC car that are designed to take loads that will propel the car at 40mph.

Check out towerhobbies for all the supplies. I have dealt with them over many years and always had exactly what I want at the best price.

If anybody wants anymore info on the above stuff give me a buzz.

I would try it myself but I don't have access to the vulcan in australia.

Edited by wespelarno, 28 July 2008 - 07:39 AM.

[Kazimir]

Some parts may need reinforcing and if there are any gears that are made of weak plastic you are very likely to strip them. But again, the gears could be replaced with ones from and RC car that are designed to take loads that will propel the car at 40mph.

Given that the stock motor at stock speeds is breaking the feed pawls, more torque and a higher speed is probably a bad idea.

It is important to remember that something like this is engineered for cheapness rather than resilience. Good RC cars and such aren't - they're made to be tough and modifiable and long-lasting. But this thing is designed to last from Christmas through the Summer and into the following Autumn until hasbro can sell another forty-dollar piece of gear to the purchaser.

I'm speaking mostly from what we've seen here in this thread, rather than from experience as I haven't yet held a Vulcan in my hot little hands. And of course, all of this aside, it doesn't prevent it from being a fun piece of kit.

SplitLip, or anybody who's got one: any chance we can get a good look at the electronics? Maybe some current-draw numbers?

Edit: nevermind. My coworker's Vulcan just arrived at the office, we'll get some goof information on the electronics.

Edited by Kazimir, 28 July 2008 - 10:23 AM.

[CaptainSlug]

Ya, but it holds 25 darts per chain before reloading, and no need to pump, does your magstrike do that?

If you reduce that dart count to 20, then mine does. But don't listen to me because I'm the only person that has one.

[Split]

Alright guys. More mods.
So what I did was several things.

First, a spring replacement.
To replace the spring, unscrew this little screw, and slide the plunger head out to the side (you have to pull the spring out; this picture already has the replaced spring)


I used a first generation Firefly spring. First gen because it's stronger than second gen, and Firefly because the plunger tube is too small for an AR-15, bbb or longshot spring. I tested it out, and it makes a very satisfying pop. The gun shoots a bit slower, and the new spring is so strong that it actually moves the plunger tube forward (as if it was going to seal - this is only possible because I had removed the rotation mechanism. This would not be possible (and therefore not matter) if it was not removed).

It was strong enough to warrant needing some foam at the end, so I promptly added some firm pipe insulation foam to the plunger head.


Here's a comparison of springs:
On the plunger is the first gen FF spring, next to the right is a very weak compression spring I bought at Lowes for another project (comes in a pack of two), and lastly is the Vulcan spring. The spring is about 1/8th inch shorter than the Lowes spring, but it seems to have the same thickness of wire and same coil sizes and diameter. Interesting.


This next part, do not do unless you are doing the rest of my overhaul (yet to be posted, just a forewarning). This mod forces the pin, the one that locks the sealed plunger tube in place, to stay in the locked position. If you do this while the rotation mechanism is there, the gun will never unseal, and the chain will not be able to rotate.
What I did was unscrew all of the slider pieces and what not, and undo all of the pin's caps. I had already taken the safeties off of the sides of the plunger tube (more on these later, unimportant as of right now), and they each have 1 little beast of a spring in them. I took both of these springs, put them behind the pin I want to stay locked, and put the cap back on with its two screws.
Here's what it looks like:

In this picture you can also see that I took out the hatch switch (that only lets the gun fire if the hatch is closed) and straight wired it. Few instructions are probably needed for this, so I'll just give a basic outline.
The switch is held on with two screws, take them out, and rip out the two wires. Take your razor and shave off about 1/4" of insulation (red plastic stuff around the metal) from each of the ends of the two wires. Twist the exposed metal ends around each other, then wrap tightly and liberally with electrical tape. Route the wires wherever you want to. I put mine under the internals.

Here's an overall shot of what I removed:

In this you can see the following:
Hatch (top left/middle)
Rotation mechanism (right below hatch)
Hatch switch (bottom left - small)
Cocking handle
Ar
Pin lock mech slider (next to yellow piece on right)
Misc caps for springs and such
Plunger safeties (half off screen to the right)

These are all for sale. Check out my Trading Thread.

More to come guys!

[imaseoulman]

So how did this affect performance? What are ranges now? Have you tried BB weighed stefans or just hot-glue tipped steffans?

[Alfonso]

A video of this would be fantastic.