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A couple Hardly Ideal Rayven Improvements

Rayven battery voltage underbarrel

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#1 Hardly Ideal

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Posted 10 November 2017 - 07:29 PM

I love my Rayven, but I hate to admit it isn't doing as well as it should. Its range could be better, and an underbarrel add-on would help keep me safe during reloads. But last I checked, the blaster's been discontinued, so I thought I'd ask before doing something drastic and/or irreversible.
 
1) I understand that a voltage increase is a quick and easy way to get more range and speed. From what I understand, the most common solutions are higher voltage AAs (i.e. TrustFire 3.7v with dummy cells), or a dedicated 12v battery pack. Are there any alternatives I'm missing?
1a) I wonder if there's a way to use more conventional 1.5v batteries to reach 12 volts, like adding a second pack on the side somewhere. I'm just a little reluctant to buy a whole new charger just for a Nerf gun.
 
2) As far as underbarrel blasters go, there's almost too many to choose from. I'm leaning towards one of those Barrel Strikes but I have no idea if it'd fit onto the Rayven's mounting lug. Has anyone put those two together? If that won't work, I'll probably go with a Recon Barrel with something attached with 3D-printed rail-to-rail adapters; it'd give me an excuse to get a Rough Cut, at least.

Edited by Hardly Ideal, 06 March 2018 - 06:20 PM.

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#2 Maniacal Coyote

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Posted 10 November 2017 - 08:50 PM

1) No, you've covered the two options: Stronger AA-size cells or a dedicated power cell

 

2) The Barrelstrike could work, or a Recon/Retaliator barrel with Roughcut underneath. Or, if you want to have compact firepower, you could slap an XBZ on top, and rig up an absolver barrel for it that you can swap out for a grenade launcher or pipe barrel for longer-range potshots. Need a shotgun blast while reloading? Just slap the big, orange button.


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#3 Meaker VI

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Posted 10 November 2017 - 09:52 PM

ugh. Just lost a big post.

TLDR (because the internet deleted it for you):

Dont use ***fires
Hobby/rc/airsoft packs in 2-3s (~6-14v) configurations are typical, but there are other options: big bricks o batteries are basically just packs without wrappers and drill/power tool batteries should be capable of supplying the demand we have.
Dont forget that voltage mods should also include new wires, motors, and switches; look up MTBs stryfe modguide
The Rayvans barrel lug is the same standard since the LS as far as I can tell, most accessories should work with it just fine.
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#4 Hardly Ideal

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Posted 13 November 2017 - 03:53 PM

2) The Barrelstrike could work, or a Recon/Retaliator barrel with Roughcut underneath. Or, if you want to have compact firepower, you could slap an XBZ on top, and rig up an absolver barrel for it that you can swap out for a grenade launcher or pipe barrel for longer-range potshots. Need a shotgun blast while reloading? Just slap the big, orange button.

Adding a Roughcut seems to be a pretty popular option, which I might spring for if I get access to a 3D printer again. I've already got a rail-to-rail adapter model ready.

But I notice that pretty much everyone cuts the handle off theirs when they use it as an underbarrel. Is it not possible to keep it intact?
 

Dont use ***fires
Hobby/rc/airsoft packs in 2-3s (~6-14v) configurations are typical, but there are other options: big bricks o batteries are basically just packs without wrappers and drill/power tool batteries should be capable of supplying the demand we have.
Dont forget that voltage mods should also include new wires, motors, and switches; look up MTBs stryfe modguide
The Rayvans barrel lug is the same standard since the LS as far as I can tell, most accessories should work with it just fine.

I would like to give it an overhaul someday, but I'd like to take it slow. That's a lot of stuff to do, and I'm a bit short on time and electronics skill to just dive in.


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#5 Meaker VI

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Posted 13 November 2017 - 05:43 PM

I would like to give it an overhaul someday, but I'd like to take it slow. That's a lot of stuff to do, and I'm a bit short on time and electronics skill to just dive in.

 

Just don't use ***Fires, they may actually set the blaster on fire. Use IMR's if you must use cells like that.

 

Do you have, or have a friend/relative/school who has, a soldering iron? My first rewire was my Strayvan, Nerf soldering is really about as easy to do as it gets. Watch MTB's video and IIRC FDS has a video on soldering; if not find one.


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#6 Hardly Ideal

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Posted 06 March 2018 - 03:55 PM

Not dead yet! Just moving very slowly.

 

Finally made a 12v battery case. I'd rather use regular batteries I already have than buy something I'm not used to. Finding that 8-cell case was a pain in the butt, but it was worth it.

 

g3Vsr4M.jpg

 

It was supposed to have a retaining clip on top, but that broke pretty much the second I touched it.

 

OOHR1ab.jpg

 

It looks a little janky, but I wasn't using that side rail for anything, anyway. What, am I actually going to use a laser sight?

 

gUNyT2l.jpg

 

Not shown: printed dummy cells bridging the gap in the battery compartment.

Shown: embroidery floss covering up those nasty wires.

 

tpEWTJX.jpg

 

It looks kind of crummy, but the difference is like night and day. Compared to the range I'd get before, it feels rather commanding now. Not exactly a stealthy blaster now, but hopefully it won't need to be.

 

But that's just the start. I've got some other things in mind. Some rather questionable other things. Some questionable other things I have questions about.

 

I've been wondering about the possibility of making a more compact HAMP, possibly as an underbarrel add-on. The full-sized versions are pretty well established; powerful, but also stupidly easy to make. But they're also a little too full-sized to be anything other than a primary weapon. There seem to be a good number of manual blasters in the official line-up these days. The Demolisher, ThunderBlast, and Tri-Strike all basically use smaller HAMPS for back-up blasters, but I haven't really seen anything like that reproduced in the modding community.

 

So I started thinking... the HAMP relies on volume, so shouldn't I be able to split that volume up into a more compact package? Shouldn't a 12in pump attached to one barrel have the same performance as a pair of 6in pumps ganged together? These are dangerous questions to ask while I'm sitting in front of a CAD-capable computer with a 3D printer sitting nearby.

 

uNIXaWr.jpg

 

It makes sense in my head, but if I had a nickle for every time I stood before some figurative or literal smoldering heap and said "but it looked good on the computer..."

 

A bit of clarification since it's still kind of a cartoon instead of a finished model. Both pumps would lead to the same barrel via tubing; I know that creates dead space that can hinder performance, but I'm counting on it not being big enough in this case. The dark barrel part on top shows two barrels (Elite and Mega sizes), but I'm either going to use just one or try and devise some kind of idiot-proof plug; I've dabbled in toggles before, but with mixed results at best... actually, now that I think of it, I remember my earlier Elite +bow barrel part could fit neatly into the whole Mega barrel. Could I just use that as an adapter? Hm, tests...

 

Less important are the white pump foregrip and the red barrel. I still need to finalize the foregrip; no use picking drapes before I find out if the plumbing even works. The red barrel, outside of serving as an attachment point for the top barrel(s), is pretty much cosmetic. I wanted something more square, and the stock Nerf barrels seem to make my darts tumble if they graze the inside in the slightest.

 

So anyway, my big question is: Can I get away with splitting a larger HAMP into a pair of smaller parallel pumps?


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#7 Meaker VI

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Posted 06 March 2018 - 06:04 PM

Not dead yet! Just moving very slowly.
 
Finally made a 12v battery case. I'd rather use regular batteries I already have than buy something I'm not used to. Finding that 8-cell case was a pain in the butt, but it was worth it.
 
g3Vsr4M.jpg
 
...



I... I uh... Boy. I have no idea whether that's a good idea or not, update if acid starts getting on things. Are you using printed dummy cells to bridge between your aftermarket wireing and ... 12v... battery? You should just rewire all the way to the motors so you actually harness the FULL POWER of a small car battery.
 

So anyway, my big question is: Can I get away with splitting a larger HAMP into a pair of smaller parallel pumps?


Your tubing should probably be larger, I think that length and size will be more of a hinderance vs. the dead space of larger tubing.

 

There's no reason two 6 square inch plungers wouldn't perform the same as a single 12 square inch plunger. Two 6" diameter plungers are significantly less area than one 12" diameter plunger though (~113 sq.in vs ~56 sq.in; in this case you're talking about half the volume).

 

I hope you're using some kind of manufactured tubing for the hamp plunger tubes; printing them will not work well.


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#8 Hardly Ideal

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Posted 06 March 2018 - 06:54 PM

I... I uh... Boy. I have no idea whether that's a good idea or not, update if acid starts getting on things. Are you using printed dummy cells to bridge between your aftermarket wireing and ... 12v... battery? You should just rewire all the way to the motors so you actually harness the FULL POWER of a small car battery.

Is it really that dangerous? It's just eight rechargeable AA batteries in the blue casing, not a car battery or anything crazy. Unless I really blew it on the math, that adds up to about 12 volts. Aside from being a good-sized barnacle on the side, I didn't think it was anything particularly fancy and/or risky.

 

And the dummy cells are just these things: (https://www.thingive...m/thing:1872669) They're pretty much just holding the leads from the battery case, otherwise I'd have to clip or wrap them onto the existing battery terminals. I know it's not as great as a total rewire, but it gets my man in space soonest. That can come when a) I decide I want more, or b) the thing bursts into flames and kills my dog and ruins my marriage.

 

I hope you're using some kind of manufactured tubing for the hamp plunger tubes; printing them will not work well.

I'm going to use plain ol' PVC, just as usual. Printed tubes would bind too much and probably snap before long.


Edited by Hardly Ideal, 06 March 2018 - 07:02 PM.

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#9 Meaker VI

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Posted 06 March 2018 - 11:14 PM

Is it really that dangerous? It's just eight rechargeable AA batteries in the blue casing, not a car battery or anything crazy. Unless I really blew it on the math, that adds up to about 12 volts. Aside from being a good-sized barnacle on the side, I didn't think it was anything particularly fancy and/or risky.


OOHH, now I understand, you've built a big pack. Looked like a big ol' 12v battery like you'd use in one of those old ineffective giant utility flashlights. Regular AA-size cells aren't great in any case, you could be overdrawing them depending on the chemistry you're using. In my tool pack the batteries appear to be C/D sized (18500 I think?), apparently that's better.
 

And the dummy cells are just these things: (https://www.thingive...m/thing:1872669) They're pretty much just holding the leads from the battery case, otherwise I'd have to clip or wrap them onto the existing battery terminals. I know it's not as great as a total rewire, but it gets my man in space soonest. That can come when a) I decide I want more, or B) the thing bursts into flames and kills my dog and ruins my marriage.


Since you were doing soldering work anyway, it'd have been better to at least wire direct into the blaster's harness. The contacts inside the stock battery tray will hamper your performance. As will the stock wiring; IIRC it only took me a couple hours to do a total rewire and having 16/18ga from motor to battery, a better switch, and no superfluous extras will be better than the ??/22+ ga and weak switches you've got.
 

I'm going to use plain ol' PVC, just as usual. Printed tubes would bind too much and probably snap before long.

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#10 Silly

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Posted 07 March 2018 - 08:23 AM

Could you by any chance provide a link to that battery pack online? I have an air compressor that also takes 12V, but I dont have a big enough battery tray.
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#11 Hardly Ideal

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Posted 07 March 2018 - 08:14 PM

One more thing before I get printing: Does anyone have the inner diameter for the Elite Missile like the Demolisher et al fires? I don't think I or any of my friends actually have anything that uses that ammo, but it's always good to be prepared and I'm feelin' lucky with this thing.

 

Could you by any chance provide a link to that battery pack online? I have an air compressor that also takes 12V, but I dont have a big enough battery tray.

 

It's just an eight-cell AA battery holder like this: (https://www.supercir...y-holder-bp12aa) I got one from a local store, but there are a few places on the Internet where you can get one. I just have a weird thing against ordering online for stuff I can find in brick-and-mortars.


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#12 natmat

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Posted 08 March 2018 - 11:30 AM

[quote name="Hardly Ideal" post="362668" timestamp="1520471648"]One more thing before I get printing: Does anyone have the inner diameter for the Elite Missile like the Demolisher et al fires? I don't think I or any of my friends actually have anything that uses that ammo, but it's always good to be prepared and I'm feelin' lucky with this thing

I believe, correct me if I am wrong, elite missiles can fit snuggly over cpvc with a wrap or two of masking or e-tape, so it is probably a little larger than the OD of 1/2 cpvc. I also am 90% that it fits snugly over 1/2 EMT conduit. Emt has an OD of .706 inches or 17.9 mm.
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#13 Silly

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Posted 08 March 2018 - 03:25 PM

This is indeed correct.
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#14 Hardly Ideal

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Posted 13 March 2018 - 05:05 PM

Welp, so much for that. All the printed parts more-or-less fitted together well enough; there was a fair amount of sanding in some spots, but that's the fault of the printer and it being less than user-friendly. But the HAMP parts aren't working. After fussing with the seal, the tubing I have on hand, and pounding on the plunger like it owed me money... well, I'll just say I could probably get my son to throw it further. I knew going in that there was a chance it wouldn't work, but I had to try anyway; nothing more painful than an itch you can't scratch.

 

Still, it's not all a complete waste. I like how the cosmetic barrel came out, so at the very least it's probably going to get a proper mounting lug and a rail or two.

 

I'd take a rail-mounted inline blaster just as readily as a HAMP. I thought while walking the dog last night that I should look into salvaging some tired old Nite Finders for that purpose. I think I have the internals at least mocked up already, so it'd only be a matter of making a housing. If that doesn't work, I might use this as an excuse to buy and cut down a SnapFire instead.


Edited by Hardly Ideal, 13 March 2018 - 09:50 PM.

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