12 replies to this topic

[CROW]

Well, this is my first homemade I've built before, but there are a couple things that need to be done to it for it to work right. My set up for this is (air tank>ball valve>small air tank>sprinkler valve>barrel) The large air tank works good, and so does the ball valve. However, I cant get the sprinkler valve to work. I tried using the Orbit 3/4" Watermaster valve used in one gun in the homemade section. It is unmodded, because in the writeup, I thought that all I would have to do to realease the air was to flip the small black switch. Instead, air will either leak out the front, or will be realeased the moment I turn the ball valve. Moving the switch to ON makes no difference in the amount of airflow. I have some pictures down below of how the gun looks and my current setup.

http://i85.photobuck...21/000_0062.jpg
ttp://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k62/CROW921/000_0061.jpg
http://i85.photobuck...21/000_0060.jpg

Any advice, comments, criticism would be cool. Thanks

[KBarker]

I have no experience with these, but I think sprinkler valves are electrically powered, so you'll need a battery to power the valve.

[Pineapple]

I THINK you might have your sprinker valve on backwards.

If I remember, they DO have an "inlet" and an "outlet", and it is not reversible. The diaphragm that regulates the air won't hold if you've got the thing on backwards.

I hope you didn't glue everything up.

Couple questions...

**Why do you have a ball valve placed before the sprinkler valve? Were you going to try for multiple shots off of one fill? It's possible to do so without a ball valve in between there, but you need a quick "trigger finger".

**What's with the electrical tape on some of the joints? You're not banking on that holding pressure, I hope.

I don't see any purple or other primer/glue system bonding anything. What kind of adhesive are you using to bond everything together? Don't depend on pipe friction to hold even 10psi of pressure (which, by the way, we use to get 80-100 foot consistent shots off of our homemade).


Lookin' good so far. Try turning that valve around.


-Piney-

[FromAbove]

Crow, I'm going to assume that your set-up is designed to create multiple shot capability. Your problems stem from the inherent flaw in diafragm valves like the sprinkler valve: They need to reseal themselves.

To solve your problem you do not have to change a single thing for it to work properly, you only need to change your firing sequence. Let me demonstrate in steps to make it simple to follow.

*edit* I checked my valve to make sure, and yours is definately on backwards, follow the arrows man.

Piney mentioned this but i'll second what he's saying. Lose the e-tape and get some solvent cement and primer. it is the only way to fuse the 2 halves in a way which makes 1 piece. Solvent cementing holds better than anything from superglue to epoxy and no substitutes should never be used when pressurizing PVC pipe. I know it may sound silly to only use one product, but in this case using an alternative may hurt you, or kill you or someone else. Shrapnel is shrapnel and when building a homemade you need to recognise that because Nerf guns are built as toys, and therefore the pressures and tolerances in modding are nowhere near as dangerous as when building homemades. Just be careful and do your research, there is never a rush more important than your life.


Step 1: Before firing, make sure you pressurize your large air tank, with the ball valve closed.

Step 2: Open the ball valve. This will either reseal the sprinkler valve and fill your junction (small tank) or only fill the small tank if the sprinkler valve is already resealed.

Step 3: Close the ball valve

Step 4: Load your dart

Step 5: Switch on the sprinkler valve with the small black handle. Turn it off immediately after firing so you dont forget to and lose all the air in your large tank.

Step 6: Load another dart

Step 7: Open the ball valve, which will reseal the piston as well you won't waste any air because it will be used firing the next dart.

From steps 1-7 you will be able to get off 2 darts and is about as simple as remembering to open and close the valves in the right order.

I hope this helps.

FA

Edited by FromAbove, 25 January 2007 - 10:18 PM.

[CROW]

Ok, just as an update, yeah, my valve was on backwards...I feel like a total idiot Ah well. I just got that fixed, to now the valve works fine. The only problem left is this. I am trying to achieve multiple shots off one fill, so I did the process that FromAbove described, except that after i pressurize the main tank, and flip the ball valve to let air through to the smaller tank, the sprinkler valve doesnt hold the air inside the small tank. I was curious to see if it was the sprinkler valve that was the problem, so I emptied both tanks, switched the ball valve to open, and pressurized the entire thing. It held in the air fine, and realeased it well when I switched the black trigger on the sprinkler. I dont know what the problem is, so anything at this point would help. Thanks

Edit - Sorry, forgot to include this, but I am using PVC cement to hold everything together. Its just the clear kind.

Edited by CROW, 26 January 2007 - 01:46 AM.

[CROW]

Well, its done. Just finished smoothing out most of the problems with the valves so it works fine now. Im not shooting stefans though; what I'm using are those orange darts with the velcro ends, with a small piece of tissue on the end to make a good fit. They fit surprisingly well in my 1/2" pipe. The paintjob is done too, along with my improvised silencer that works pretty well. Heres the pics:

http://i85.photobuck...21/000_0063.jpg

http://i85.photobuck...21/000_0064.jpg

As for ranges...This thing can shoot very hard, just because of the huge air tank that I'm using. I dont know the exact amount of feet this gun can achieve, but after shhoting this gun a long ways down the street, I can reasonably guess its capaple of 110+ feet.

If you have any questions you'd like answered, I'll check this thread a few times over the weekend. Enjoy.

[nerfboi]

This is of topic, but what does a sprinkler solinoid do?
As for the homemade, looks very well put together

[Carbon]

This is of topic, but what does a sprinkler solinoid do?

To be perfectly accurate, in this case the sprinkler solenoid isn't doing anything. A solenoid is an electromagnet. A sprinkler solenoid valve is a water valve which is opened and closed by an electromagnet. Most people either mod them to open with air pressure using a blowgun trigger, or just use the manual bleed valve. It's possible to use the solenoid with three 9 volt batteries, but it's the slowest way to use the valve.

In this case, the sprinkler valve is being used where a ball valve would be used.

Edited by Carbon, 27 January 2007 - 11:26 AM.

[nerfboi]

So it is intended to hold air pressure?

[CROW]

Yes, the sprinkler valve does hold air pressure. I was originally intending to get multiple shots off the big tank, but I couldn't get that to work To fire the gun now, I have to open the ball valve, pressurise the entire gun, then shoot.

[nerfboi]

Oh ok then. thanks for answering my question.
And Nice paint job on it.
Is there a name? Or did I miss it?

[CROW]

Never though of naming it...how about...Mactabilis? Yeah, that will work.

[Ka Boom]

Crow you gun is everything i wanted mine to be. i to like your paint job
i envy your scope to, i live in australia so it's hard/impossible to find bb gun and paintball parts

Carbon i think you just might of just answered my proplem, but pm or talk in my thread so not to take crows

Edited by Ka_Boom, 28 January 2007 - 02:05 AM.