The Velcro Blaster - Micro Select-Fire Brushless Nerf Airzone 2021-08-07 | Introducing the Velcro Blaster. It's a micro brushless Nerf blaster in a pistol format. Similar to the Mackrel blaster, but with a Talon magwell and select-fire switchGet the files here: thingiverse.com/thing:4927680Velcro is the name of one of the local community tomcats. He's a bit of a boofhead.
Rapid Decay Solenoid Driver Demo - Velcro @ 42dps Airzone 2022-09-01 | The latest hotness in solenoid pusher tech... The Rapid Decay Driver.. Originally pioneered for Nerfing by torukmakto4, here is a practical demonstration of just how fast this is... Dumping a full Tachi mag @ 42dps... That's 0.64 seconds.Voltage is 4s without any additional boosting, but the solenoid has a custom rewound coil and draws an irresponsible level of current.Measurement is performed using the onboard software in the Narfduino Brushless Compleat as my chrono can't reliably read above around 30dps, with a cross reference against the peaks in recorded audio of this video.
FJ-Z05 Solenoid Mod Guide Part 1 Airzone 2021-12-15 | FJ-Z05 solenoid is the mini solenoid used in a couple of ultra compact blasters, such as the Velcro and Mackrel. It's OK, but it could use a bit of extra throw and more power.Here I'll show you how to modify the solenoid to give it more throw and get it prepared for a power boost. The power mod will be in a different video.The extra throw gained was 4.4mm, which is an extra nearly 1/3 of the 13mm they come with.
Ultra Sonic Screamers in an FDL? Airzone 2021-10-18 | Answering the questions that nobody wanted answered..
Narfduino Brushless Compleat first production batch has arrived. Airzone 2021-10-15 | That's right! The hills are alive, with the sound of Narfduino Brushless Compleat!Due to the current state of the semiconductor market, units are strictly limited.. It is unlikely I will be able to run any more for at least 6 months. Prices are $75 USD each, with a volume discount available for 10+ units. As much as I tried to get the price lower, unfortunately the chips are really expensive at the moment. However the price is similar in magnitude to a Narfduino classic and a pair of good quality, in-stock blheli32 esc's off getfpv.comRetail partners TBA, however they will be listed on my webstore (blastersbyairzone.com) as soon as I flash the ESC firmware and install the bus bars.Narfduino Brushless Compleat is an all-in-one board for Nerf brushless select-fire blasters, incorporating the latest Flyshot ESC tech, a robust half bridge, efficient switch mode power supplies, LiPO voltage sensing, and an optional on/off power switch. It's the only electronics you need for a lightning fast, single stage, select-fire brushless build. It can power blasters such as Velcro, Mackrel, Hummingbird, Brushless Lamia, FDL3, Ultrastryfe, and similar blasters.
Brushless Auto Lamia Airzone 2021-10-04 | So I liked the Lamia's look from day 1. But it didn't have the things that make a truly great blaster - flywheels.And so I fixed that.The blaster features a Narfduino Brushless Compleat (and about 50 lines of code), ebay solenoid, Diatone Mamba motors, and Wurstwerfer machined flywheels. It runs on 4s, and achieves ~150fps at 10dps on virgin flywheels.
The Mackrel Blaster - Micro Brushless Nerf Airzone 2021-07-22 | Introducing the Mackrel Blaster. It's a micro brushless Nerf blaster in a pistol format.Get the files here: thingiverse.com/thing:4913806Yes, I know "Mackrel" is not how you spell the type of a fish.. But it's how you spell one of my cat's names. lol
Ultra FDL-3 vs Major Pain (feat: Sir Petals) Airzone 2021-05-22 | Sir Petals wasn't able to resist the allure of the Ultra FDL3, and somehow conned Major Pain to take a walk down range.This blaster did score a battle tag today against a HPA user, and it's victim was mightily embarrassed. lol
Ultra FDL3 | The Worlds Most Hated FDL Airzone 2021-05-13 | The most hated ammo in the most loved brushless blaster. What could possibly go wrong?The Ultra FDL3
I made a FLAK for the lols Airzone 2021-04-29 | So I made a FLAK. I got a hardware kit, printed some parts, and put it all together.. But why? Lever Action :)I will say that the design needs a little bit of work, but in order to get a similar result, you will spend the time tweaking your models, making up a metal lever linkage, and for the love of all things holy, cleaning up aluminium parts..
Closed Loop Solenoid Control Airzone 2021-01-27 | I spent an hour or so earlier today helping a customer with open loop solenoid control. I use both open and closed loop solenoid control, but it seems to be an unknown concept for many. I thought I would take the opportunity to cover the subject.There are so many different ways to skin this cat. I use IR gates and Hall Effect Sensors. I suppose you could use limit switches too. It doesn't matter too much - it's the concept I'm trying to demonstrate here.00:00 Intro and Open Loop Solenoids07:10 Closed Loop with Single IR Gate13:46 Closed Loop with Dual Hall Effect Sensors20:50 Demonstration24:03 Waffling on about stuff and Conclusion
FDL3 - Can it take a K26? Airzone 2021-01-04 | The FDL3 is a good blaster... But in the words of Captain Xavier, can it take a K26? Let's find out.Thanks to a number of people including:- Spectre- Meaker- Captain Xavier- Northeast Designs- Nir0hda- Mr Heath Pants- torukmakto4- Ansuzalgiz- And P-FDL of course for the awesome blaster I kinda mutilated(and others if I forgot!)Index:0:00 Intro0:47 Blaster porn1:27 Blaster design and waffling on18:01 Chrony testing19:06 Questions and thoughts
Sydney Nerf Dec 2020 Airzone 2020-12-19 | The after-lunch games for the Sydney Nerf December 2020 war. Games were Quikflag, VIP, and Meatgrinder with variations to support the CQB nature of the day.Due to the weather, we played the December game at an indoor basketball stadium. Therefore a 180fps cap was in effect. Also please note that Australia currently has COVID-19 under control and therefore games have resumed (with the exception of HvZ).0:00 Intro and Quickflag rules0:41 Quickflag Match 12:23 Quickflag Match 23:29 Quickflag Match 34:30 VIP rules5:00 VIP Match 16:20 VIP Match 27:21 Meatgrinder rules7:45 Meatgrinder
Hummingbird - Working through some geometry changes Airzone 2020-12-07 | If you recall my last video, I had some instances where the darts were crashing into the dart ramp. So I thought I would try and see what would happen if I made some changes to the ramp to lower the angle of incidence. I think it'll help to improve the feed reliability under high rates of fire.Sorry about the mic quality.. It's kinda shit.
Hummingbird Demo and Diagnostics Airzone 2020-12-06 | A demo of the Hummingbird tuned for 150 fps (but in actual fact just a bit over 160 lol).However a short video became a long video when I got some pusher jams at 11dps and started diving into why, plus a bit of theory on pusher design :pMusic by Wintergatan
Brushless Hummingbird Blaster with Narfduino Brushless Compleat Airzone 2020-12-04 | I built myself a Hummingbird blaster, and modified it to suit some extra large flywheels on more powerful motors, an IR gate for pusher feedback, and a semi / full auto select fire mechanism.The build is based on the Narfduino Brushless Compleat platform.
Flyshot: Another high ROF / low DPS test Airzone 2020-11-22 | You can see the FPS spread is tight, except for an outlier.. The absolute max DPS should be around 31 assuming a perfectly efficient pusher (which isn't possible, so more likely around that 28-29dps)So why do I care about these tests? Because it shows the raw power of brushless motors when combined with a closed loop control. At this velocity, there's not a lot of inertia in the flywheels, and it's primarily all motor power. And yet even under this stressful situation, the performance is still within expectation.
28 DPS FDL3 Airzone 2020-11-15 | Dart hose anyone?Flywheels were set to 200 fps. Actual average was 199.9. Close enough.
FDL3 Dual Stage | Closed Loop | FPS selector Airzone 2020-11-15 | So I've made a few firmware tweaks and now for this blaster, instead of selecting a power % or high/med/low (like brushed and most brushless), or a specific RPM, you now select what FPS you want.Works fairly well between about 50 and 260fps. To get more I would need faster motors or a higher S pack.
Mah Accuracy - FDL3 Dual-Stage Flyshot Airzone 2020-11-13 | The most common question - can I hit the side of a barn? Let's see. Aiming for a 30x30cm target at approx 14m
How slow can it go? - FDL3 Dual-Stage Flyshot Airzone 2020-11-13 | I had the question about how soft can this beast shoot. And rather than scoff at the notion, I set up a full mag-dump at max ROF through a slow setting. It shows a few things:- It can get reliable sub-jolt performance.- My chrony had trouble with the ROF calculation at such a low velocity- The ESC's and motors generate so much torque that basically idling, they are able to sustain the same ROF at a consistent FPS as a fully critical velocity. This is not just a powerful motor, but an ESC that is actively adjusting current to keep the wheels locked to their velocity.
FDL3 - Dualstage with Narfduino ESCs. 260fps @ 20dps. Airzone 2020-11-12 | When enough is not enough. My FDL3-DS got an electronics upgrade, and now it sings the songs of the dart reaper.
Narfduino Brushless Compleat with Brotherhobby R6 2205 2700kv motors Airzone 2020-10-22 | Speed is set for 32k rpm, plus there is a solenoid pumping away outside the camera frame. 4s pack. the board is slightly warm, but the motors are normal operating temperature.This setup consumes a lot more current than the earlier demonstrated 1404 motors, and is the category of motor you'd find in a Ultrastryfe, Ultrasonic blaster, T19 and FDL-3.
Narfduino Brushless Compleat - Solenoid Demo Airzone 2020-10-21 | A demonstration of the Narfduino Brushless Compleat with a FTW Hyperdrive Solenoid (with an incredibly rough tune... but whatever lol). A select fire switch is installed to demonstrate the single-board functionality - i.e. all electronics are together in a single board for brushless use.
Narfduino Brushless Compleat 32k RPM trial Airzone 2020-10-21 | Running the wheels up to 32k RPM. Now while I can't capture this on camera (my hands are in the way), it does run in the 190's.
Narfduino Brushless Compleat introduction Airzone 2020-10-21 | Introducing Narfduino Brushless Compleat.. An all-in-one brushless control system for flywheelers.This single board features:- Narfduino (with a smaller half-bridge)- High-efficiency power supply- Dual closed-loop ESC's- Flywheel RPM monitoring pins- Can easily upload your own firmware for the Narfduino or ESC's with the integrated USB port- 3s and 4s battery support with voltage monitorESC is based on the SimonK design with a modern mosfet driver chip, with firmware based on Torukmakto4's ACE2 system.Simply wire your motors, pusher, switches, and whatever other accoutrements you desire to the board, then upload the relevant firmware, and you're done. Brushless made easy :pThis is a prototype unit, and the current firmware is set to run the motors at around 5000 rpm.
HPA FDL-3 with Narfduino, Select Fire, and software controlled core pressure Airzone 2020-09-19 | I had a Super Core lying about collecting dust, but I really felt in the mood to build myself a new FDL-3... The problem is that FDL's are flywheelers, and to be honest, I already have 4 of them.. And so what would any self respecting Nerfer do in my position? Mod. And mod I did...It has the following features:- Narfduino with OLED console- Software controlled air pressure (i.e. turn the dial for more or less power)- Variable FPS configured separately for Auto and Burst- Select fire - Semi-auto, burst, full auto, binary trigger, and ramped (you map the modes you want to the buttons in the config screen) and a range of configuration options for each- Dual profile settings- Ammo counter with reset on mag change- Tournament lock to cap the maximum air pressure- Auto jam detection / air out, and battery protection- Open-bolt configuration- Spectre composite barrel and acetal scar
How to fill HPA bottles for Nerf Airzone 2020-09-18 | I don't recall all that much in the way of demonstrating how to fill a HPA bottle for Nerf. The first time for me, I wasn't sure what fittings or whatever are needed.Anyway, I just filmed myself using my compressor.. Hand PCP pumps are the same process, just with a lot more sweat.
FDL3 Flyshot Demonstration - Rate of Fire Airzone 2020-07-28 | This FDL3 is sporting Flyshot ESC's. They allow for specific RPM targets to be configured, and will feed back to the Narfduino the actual running speed. Therefore the darts are fired the millisecond that the flywheels are up to speed.Because all this is decoupled from the battery voltage, that means we can run a higher bus voltage (i.e. 4S pack) without affecting the flywheel's performance. So... 18dps anyone?
FDL3 Flyshot Demonstration - Flywheel Monitoring Airzone 2020-07-28 | This FDL3 is sporting Flyshot ESC's. They allow for specific RPM targets to be configured, and will feed back to the Narfduino the actual running speed. Therefore the darts are fired the millisecond that the flywheels are up to speed.So what happens if something cocks up? The blaster is able to detect, adjust, and if necessary, abort firing before running darts into the stationary pusher.
FDL3 - Pusher jam detection and self-correction Airzone 2020-07-25 | In the quest for the unstoppable FDL3 control system, I wondered about all the times the system may have a jam. All control systems will detect this error state and will handle it by stopping the pusher to prevent damage to the motor / gearbox / yoke mechanism. Unfortunately this normally leaves the pusher jammed in the extended position. This makes removing the mag impossible since the mag lips (at least on a Talon) will not fit around the pusher. Field servicing is impossible as a partial disassembly is required. I have "modified" the Narfduino to include a second half-bridge, giving it the capability to reverse the pusher mechanism. This allows for the pusher to be retracted in a jam condition, clearing up the magwell to allow for the mag to be removed and field cleared. The other type of jam (being the pusher cannot retract) is a much more serious problem, usually involving mechanical failure or foreign objects in the yoke, and will unfortunately require disassembly to clear.The Narfduino "mods" in my case are to simple include an additional h-bridge board (that I have a few of), but this can also be easily accomplished by using a few extra discrete mosfets and resistors.
FDL3 Flyshot Demonstration - Response Airzone 2020-07-23 | This FDL3 is sporting Flyshot ESC's. They allow for specific RPM targets to be configured, and will feed back to the Narfduino the actual running speed. Therefore the darts are fired the millisecond that the flywheels are up to speed.Which is this blaster is on average 92 milliseconds for a 25k RPM running speed.In comparison, my FDL3 with blHeli_32 ESC's is set to a flat 220ms delay with some logic to try and sharpen up warm-start timing.
Airzone vs Drum Blasters [Nerf Ultra Two] Airzone 2020-04-20 | The horror. Some corrections might need to be made.
Fearless Fire Brushless Demo Airzone 2020-04-13 | Yeah yeah, I haven't put up the last build video yet. This is a demo of the Brushless Fearless Fire. It runs fine, and on 3s will hit in the vicinity of 150 on elites and accufakes. The geometry is optimised more for the lower FPS range and those awful z-tip darts that the local HvZ group uses..
Nerf Solenoids: 35mm eBay vs FTW Hyperdrive Airzone 2020-04-12 | So I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable about solenoids in Nerfing applications. I've been using them for about 18 months now and have installed them into things like Stryfe, Dominator, Swordfish, Jolt, Rapidstrike, Caliburn, and Retailator/Recon (using the FTW models). I've used 35mm, FTW Hyperdrive, and 25mm solenoids in pusher applications, and have a selection of other sizes, and air solenoids.So when people compare them along the lines of "get 35mm, it's just as good but 1/4 the price", they say this because they don't actually know the difference. They probably don't have both, and unlikely to have tested them extensively. Because if they had, they wouldn't say that.And so for an apples to apples comparison, I got a piece of big-arse Recon mainspring and did a bit of testing. If they really are the same, you'd expect the same result, right? Let's see.
Fearless Fire Brushless Conversion - ep 3: CAD Prototyping 2 Airzone 2020-04-10 | Now it's printed, I had a chance to see all the things that were wrong with it, and adjust the models. Because this is an iterative process, I'm not going to film all the back and forth shaving a mm off here and there and test fitting, etc. But I'll explain it after the pieces are complete.The results of this session were printed and it was quite close.. Just a little bit of adjustment.
Fearless Fire Brushless Conversion - ep 2: CAD Prototyping Airzone 2020-04-09 | Initial prototype of the flywheel system. Roughly based on HyCon..It was getting pretty late, and I was starting to get too tired to provide useful commentary. However we got to the point of first printing... Where we could fit the flywheels in the cage with the motor, and try and fir the cage in the blaster.
Fearless Fire Brushless Conversion - ep 1: Planning Airzone 2020-04-08 | So I decided to pull my thumb out and do a brushless conversion on my Fearless Fire for Sydney HvZ purposes. Normally I'd just get it done, but this time, I thought I'd record the process of doing a totally brand new conversion.Aiming to have a reliable system to operate at the 120fps limit of the game, with the ability to tone it down to 100fps for Zombigong..A bit of a poke around indicates that I can have quite large flywheels in this beast. And with a HyCon profile, I suspect that the blaster might have a bit more potential.... Ok, a -lot- more potential.
Worlds Largest Mod Day - Brushless Represent! Airzone 2020-04-02 | Worlds Largest Mod Day is coming up this weekend, and I have a streaming spot Saturday 4 April @ 9pm Sydney time. Let's mine a pile of crap and see what gold we can find.
3d Printed Super Core Internals and Working Principle Airzone 2020-04-02 | I've had a few requests to share more details on the 3d printed super core. This is a quick disassembly of the core and demonstration of the working principles. If you know how HPA systems work, it will be immediately evident what I've done.
3d Printed HPA Supercore - HPA on the cheap!! Airzone 2020-04-01 | Internals: youtu.be/oeLmV-SSLEk (and yes, this was an April fools joke)So after spending all my cash on brushless motors, I needed an economical solution for my HPA build... And so I 3d printed it. After all, it's only a simple cylinder with a spring and some pipes, and my 3d prints are strong enough to be 400+ fps flywheels.All up this build cost around $25, including the air solenoid for Narfduino use, all supercore parts, and the single-use air tank.
Brushless Dual Stage Hurricane - Mk2 Airzone 2020-03-28 | Here we have a nice clear Hurricane with a dual-stage brushless upgrade. The flywheels are a little different than my previous model, with an additional 1mm diameter. In order to have such large wheels fit, they have been custom machined by WurstWerfer out of acetal.The electronics have been compressed by using a Narfduino Brushless Micro and a 4-in-1 blheli32 ESC
FDL3 Zerg mode on 4S LiPO Airzone 2020-03-15 | Now we're just being silly. How quickly can we get the ammo counter up to 255?This feature combines both binary trigger and ramping to create a mag emptying monster. This FDL is powered by a Narfduino control system.
FDL3 Zerg mode Airzone 2020-03-15 | For when you need to use ammo faster than toilet paper in a flu pandemic. This feature combines both binary trigger and ramping to create a mag emptying monster. This FDL is powered by a Narfduino control system.
FDL3 Ramping Trigger Demo Airzone 2020-03-15 | Demonstrating the Ramping Trigger functionality within my FDL3. In this case the blaster will automatically switch to Full Auto when it detects you're pulling the trigger quickly, and will drop back into Semi Auto mode when you start slowing down.This FDL is powered by a Narfduino control system.
FDL3 Binary Trigger Demo Airzone 2020-03-14 | Demonstrating the Binary Trigger functionality within my FDL3. Basically the objective is to see how quickly I can dump a magazine without using auto or burst modes.This FDL is powered by a Narfduino control system.
FDL3 - Prototype Binary Trigger mod Airzone 2020-03-13 | Shitty video demonstrating something that is apparently common in Airsoft / Gelball / Paintball... Basically it's semi-auto, and it will fire when you pull the trigger and when you release the trigger. There is a time-out for the release so that you can change your mind about the shot if you still have your trigger pulled. Stupidly impractical, but it is technically semi-auto, if you ever find yourself tournament-locked :)
Worker Hurricane 415fps | Worlds most powerful Nerf flywheel blaster Airzone 2020-03-11 | So this is currently the most powerful flywheel "Nerf" blaster in the world. And it's a Worker Hurricane. This is about 10 times more powerful than the stock blaster. The Nerf darts were cracking through the blackboard target lol. But enough patting myself on the back, I'm getting a sprain.It's a Worker Hurricane with a quad-stage brushless flywheel system. The first 2 stages are inside the blaster shell and are running 5400kv Emax motors on 4s. The final 2 stages are outside the shell (as each flywheel is as big as the entire interior portion of the cage) and are running 3400kv Brotherhobby motors on 6s. If you pay attention to the sound, you'll hear the 6s battery deplete. The running current for the final stages are in the order of about 160-180 amps, and probably another ~100 amps for the first 2 stages. In case it's not already stupidly obvious, headphone warning!
Testing ROF on Narfduino Dual Stage FDL3 with a 4s LiPO Airzone 2020-03-07 | Running a normal FDL3 on 4s isn't recommended by P-FDL, nor does it give any performance gains. But what happens if you had a modified FDL3 that could take advantage of it? Such as dual-stage flywheels, and electronics that were designed to run 4s all day, every day.Let's test the ROF to see what the pusher can deliver.Spoiler alert: the Pololu pusher motor handles it well, and the Narfduino cycle control can keep it tame without any overrun.Bonus Derp moment at the end..
