Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Practical A.E.G Upgrade Methods, Tricks and Myths 2006 Edition Release 4.0 Updated on Feb 27, 2006. Page 1 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................................2 END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT.........................................................................................................9 PREFACE......................................................................................................................................................14 INTRODUCTION ...........
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF A HIGH FPS SETUP?.............................................................................38 VERSION 2 MECHBOX VERSUS VERSION 3 MECHBOX: ANY DIFFERENCE IN STOCK PERFORMANCE? .....39 TM METAL MECHBOX VERSUS CYBERGUN PLASTIC MECHBOX?...............................................................39 ARE CA/ICS GUNS CRAPPY FOR UPGRADE?................................................................................................
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 HOW TO FACILITATE SPRING SPINNING?......................................................................................................63 WHAT IS A VARIABLE PITCH SPRING? IS IT ALWAYS BETTER FOR AEG?....................................................64 USE OF SPACERS FOR SPRING COMPRESSION: TRICKS AND POTENTIAL DANGER......................................66 WHAT IS WRONG WITH A CUSTOM MADE SPRING? ...............................................................................
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 WHY (AND WHY NOT) IS IT NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE STOCK TAMIYA CONNECTOR? ........................91 ARE NICD BATTERIES SUPERIOR TO NIMH BATTERIES FOR DRIVING UPGRADED AEG?........................92 HOW DO I OPTIMIZE THE OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF THE STOCK MOTOR? ..........................................93 IS IT POSSIBLE TO INCREASE THE TORQUE OF THE STOCK MOTOR? IF SO, HOW? ....................................94 WHAT ELSE SHOULD I BUY FOR A HIGH FPS CONFIGURATION?................
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 HOW CAN I INCREASE THE ROF WHILE KEEPING THE FPS AT NEAR-THE-STOCK-LEVEL? ................... 111 WHAT IS THE RIGHT TYPE OF SPRING AND BATTERY TO USE FOR THIS PURPOSE? .................................. 111 IS ROF OVER 30/SEC POSSIBLE? ................................................................................................................112 WHAT IS THE MAJOR ROF BOTTLENECK? ................................................................................................
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 MY EG1000 WAS OVERHEATED. WHAT SHOULD I DO?.............................................................................130 WHAT SHOULD I DO FOR PROPER MOTOR MAINTENANCE?......................................................................131 WHAT CAUSE THE STRANGE NOISE FROM THE MOTOR AND/OR THE MOTOR GEAR?..............................132 THE TWO SCREWS THAT ATTACH THE MECHBOX TO THE LOWER RECEIVER ARE COMPLETELY STRIPPED. WHAT SHOULD I DO?...................................
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 IS SPRINGER-TO-AEG CONVERSION POSSIBLE?........................................................................................149 WHAT ARE THE STEPS INVOLVED? .............................................................................................................149 Page 8 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 End User License Agreement This e-Book (the "Book") is a product provided by the AirsoftPRESS (being referred to as “AirsoftPRESS” in this document), subject to your compliance with the terms and conditions set forth below. PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THE BOOK. BY ACCESSING OR USING THE BOOK, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH BELOW.
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Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Preface Airsoft has been well established in Asia for over 20 years, but only in recent years has there been much interest in the Western world. Most professional literature on Airsoft were written in Japanese, with very few translated works available. Even though we are seeing more and more tech tips (in English) popping up on the internet these days, too many of them were written by newcomers who don’t really know what they are talking about.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Introduction Short for automatic electric gun, AEG is a type of battery powered air gun capable of full & semi auto firing. An electric motor inside the AEG rotates a series of gears sequentially to drive the piston, which in turn compresses the spring. When the spring is released, the piston is being pushed forward to produce compressed air and propel the bullets. Due to such a complex internal structure, power upgrade is never easy.
Practical A.E.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Getting Ready Below are the components that deserve your attention. These components are often named differently by different authorities. Although it does not really matter how they are named, for illustrative purpose we use the “most popular” names whenever possible. Mechbox shells Version 2: Version 3: Page 17 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Different ways of “holding” the motor Holding the motor via a detachable metal frame (available only for version 3 mechbox or above, examples: G36, AK, and AUG): Page 18 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Holding the motor via the grip and the bottom motor plate (MP5, G3, SIG, M4 …etc): Wiring (and fuse holder) Page 19 15A Fuse Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Spur Gear Sector Gear Bevel Gear Back: Front: Anti-reversal latch kit Page 20 Bushings Shim washers Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Piston Head Assembly Nozzle The TM type Piston Head uses the following metal spacer unit to affix the head to the piston. The stock spring is also attached to this unit. Piston Piston Gear Spring Guide Spring Version 2 (stock): A “regular” type spring: Version 3 (w/ ball bearing): A Systema type spring (notice the length and the pitch): Page 21 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 * Notice the difference between a V2 spring guide and a V3 spring guide. Cylinder Tappet Plate Hop Up Rubber and Spacer Page 22 Inner Barrel Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Hop Up Units Lever style (MP5 excluding the K) : Dialer style (M4): Rotary style (G36, G3, SIG, AUG …etc): Push Lever style (MP5K, AK): Page 23 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Tools you’re going to need The two basic types of screwdrivers are standard (slot / flat head) screwdrivers and Philips screwdrivers. Do note that using a screwdriver of the wrong type or size may damage the screw, which may give you unexpected troubles. TM mechboxes use plenty of Torx screws. Torx is the trademark for a type of screw head characterized by a 6-point star-shaped pattern. Torx head screws generally resist slipping better than Phillips Head or Slot Head screws.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 as T5, T10, T15 and T25. TM mechboxes use T10 screws. You therefore need to have the corresponding driver handy. You may consider to use screwholders for hanging onto screws that have to fit into tiny space. Many screwholders have magnets to hold the screw. Some special screwholders have a little gizmo built-in for grabbing the screw. Screws with a centre hole that is hexagonal require the use of Allen wrenches or Hex drivers.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 You shall need needle-nosed pliers (the one on the left) when handling smaller screws and nuts. Combination slip-joint pliers (the one on the right) are usually needed for handling relatively larger screws and nuts, even though they can be adjusted to several widths with a sliding pin. You use the razor knife for task that needs a very sharp edge, such as trimming plastic and decals, cutting wire and stripping wire ends.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 You use the "E" Ring Clip Tool to effortlessly remove or insert "E" Rings. Some AEGs use "E" rings a lot while some do not. You may need to use nut drivers to set or remove hexheaded shaped screws, nuts and bolts. You may need to use a pen shape soldering iron for rewiring the mechbox and the battery connection. Of course, you are expected to know the basics of soldering. Page 27 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Page 28 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Proper handling of the screws Most amateurs tend to screw things very tightly in hopes that the parts will not fly off later. This is in fact a deadly mistake because some screws, bolts and nuts are NOT supposed to be tightened too securely or the threads would be stripped. If you find yourself confronted with a screw that is extremely difficult to get unscrewed, don’t use brute force (or you risk stripping the threads).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 • Drill a hole in the screw, then scoop out the old screw. On the other hand, to prevent certain critical screws from getting loose, apply threadlock/locktite - a glue type of compound that makes screws more secure. Loctite usually won't bite into plastic very well. It can sometimes soften the plastic, but most of the time it won't really be permanently stuck on there.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 The proper ways of taking things apart and putting them back together To avoid getting into chaotic situation when doing your assembly and disassembly works, try to be as organized as possible. Do your work on a clean, dry and flat surface which is close enough to reach without having to walk back and forth to access the necessary tools. In fact, it is best to work things out on a big white towel.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Your Upgrade Objectives Friends in the US ever heard of the rumor that the 55 miles-per-hour freeway speed limit was set partly for energy conservation? At this speed level, maximum fuel economy and engine lifespan can be achieved. If you go faster, however, the gas mileage will become un-proportionately poorer and your engine will require maintenance work much sooner. In the world of airsoft, it is now possible to push the limit to well over 500 fps.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Your number one weapon in getting free help from the airsoft store guys is Pizza :> The guys at the local airsoft stores are often at the center of the airsoft scene in your town. Since you are going to be making lots of trips down there, you should get to know these guys and treat them well. Most of the time a free pizza is good enough to make them happy. You will be thrilled at how much a little kindness and a pizza can do for you at the store.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 TM AEG: a baseline for measurement If the FPS performance of a stock TM gun is used as the baseline for measurement (let’s say 100%): a SRC AEG is roughly at 105% due to the use of a harder spring. a CA AEG is roughly at 110% due to the use of a harder spring. an ICS AEG is also roughly at 110% due to the use of a harder spring. an AE AEG is roughly at 115% due to small improvement over the ICS AEG.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 ACX versus Cybergun ICS versus AE SRC Guns ACM Guns Since ACX has been out of the market equation for quite awhile already, we are not going to waste time on its’ products. Technical information provided in this book does apply to Cybergun’s AEG. In fact, Cybergun uses ACX to custom make the DPMS AR15 (which is based on the ACX XM177 with improvements in parts, finishing and workmanship), which shows quite a significant improvement over the ACX counterparts.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 of the o-ring and the o-ring space in the piston head. • imprecise inner barrel – the relatively lower level of manufacturing capability makes it generally more difficult for the Chinese manufacturers to produce tighter inner barrels.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What is proper usage? Proper usage means when you pull the trigger in full auto mode, you don’t release it until after 2 to 3 seconds, and that you don’t hold it till the entire high cap magazine is emptied. We have heard people complaining that a stock TM gun can break within 3000 shots. Frankly, when a stock TM gun can be ruined this fast, it has to be a serious user problem.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 High FPS Upgrade What are the key elements of a high FPS setup? High FPS is achieved when: enough air is being sucked into the cylinder. the cylinder is large enough to accommodate the required amount of air. the spring can move forward fast and powerful enough to create the necessary air pressure. the compressed air does not escape. the hopup unit does not introduce too much friction on the bullets.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Version 2 mechbox versus Version 3 mechbox: any difference in stock performance? TM metal mechbox versus Cybergun plastic mechbox? We have heard people saying that due to a better design, guns running on the Version 3 mechbox (such as the AK and the SIG) can offer better FPS by default. Frankly, this is quite untrue. Both mechboxes share the same internals (gears, piston, cylinder and spring), therefore it is not likely that one can outperform the other without modifications.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Are CA/ICS guns crappy for upgrade? Although it is believed by many that AEGs produced by CA and ICS are crap, based on our experience and observation this is not really the case. Most importantly, their mechboxes and gears are built strong and solid material (even stronger than the TMs). Their stock mechboxes and gears can sustain M130 ~ M140 without problem when under proper usage. However, they do have certain problems in their lineups.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 FPS increase in meter readings VS performance increase in a practical sense: the law of diminishing marginal gain in performance. Generally speaking, FPS in between 360~380 and ROF in between 22~25 should keep your AEG very usable and durable for years without the need for major expensive maintenance.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 0.20g BBs versus 0.25g BBs versus 0.30g BBs: the heavier the better? Does FPS always go hand in hand with Joule? What is the difference between the FPS system and the Joule system? How do you use FPS to measure Joule? How do you use FPS to give an estimate of the range? If you plan to upgrade to 400FPS+, you may better also move to 0.25g BBs. 0.20g BBs are way too light at this power level and will not deliver the accuracy you need.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 BTW, the formula for calculating Joules uses MPS (meters per second) rather than FPS as the unit for representing velocity - as you know, the US uses non-SI (Système Internationale) units such as feet, gallons and miles, while most other parts of the world use SI units such as meters, liters and kilometers. To translate FPS into Joule, you will need to first convert FPS to MPS. The conversion rate is (roughly) 3.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Higher FPS = lower ROF? Softer spring = Higher ROF? Harder spring = Lower ROF? In many cases, the answer is YES. The harder the spring, the more horsepower it takes for the motor to pull the gears, which may reduce the ROF. However, this problem can usually be solved by using a higher voltage battery. Remember, a higher voltage battery is dangerous only if your spring is too soft for it. With an upgraded spring, a higher voltage battery doesn’t hurt as much.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is 8.4V insufficient for an upgraded mechbox? Does battery size matter? Is battery power important for semi-auto firing? The correct voltage on which a motor is required to operate is critical. Every motor model is unique. Different models have different operating characteristics. In general, a 5% decrease in voltage can often translate into a 10% decrease in motor torque.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is EG560 too weak and fragile to power an upgraded mechbox? Can I use EG560 on my MP5? EG560 offers very high speed and is one of the most durable motors we have seen. The thing is, it needs higher voltage to efficiently drive an upgraded mechbox (one that has a stiff spring). When an EG1000 works fine with 8.4V 2000 mah for a M120, an EG560 needs 9.6V 3000mah. However, at this power level it rocks. We have a FAMAS under this configuration for over 2 years without any problem.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 More about EG-560, EG-700, EG-1000 and ICS Turbo 2000: It is quite true that a properly shimmed mechbox can run perfectly fine with 7.2V. We upgraded a MP5 (we put in a spring which is almost one inch shorter but a little harder than the TM stock one) and have it driven by an EG1000 + a non-name branded 1800mah 7.2V battery and managed to achieve a consistent ROF of 24~26 at FPS of 298~302. However, there is one exception - if you are using EG-560, the "7.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 More about the new Cybergun GPX 5000 motor The new Cybergun GPX 5000 motor (which comes with the A15 Evolution, available in long form only) has two ball bearings and based on our test results it gives a 8~10% ROF improvement over a EG1000 on a M100 equipped TM MP5K PDW. Torque-wise, it works fine up to M130 but at this level the ROF advantage seems to have diminished. Page 48 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) should I buy the high torque gear set? Why (and why not) should I use helical gears? In its simplest form, the term "gear ratio" in the context of AEG mechbox defines the relationship between the pinion gear and the spur gear. It addresses the concern of how many times the pinion gear has to turn in order to make the spur gear turn once. Therefore, gear ratio equals the number of teeth on the spur gear divided by the number of teeth on the pinion gear.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 gear ratio, which is capable of delivering higher ROF (but less torque) than the standard TM gear ratio. Because at this gear ratio the gears are quite easy to break, Cybergun has switched to the standard ratio in the A15 R2 and in the forthcoming M4. The high torque gear set has a different gear ratio than the stock gear set. It does produce higher torque without increasing the burden of the motor, but ROF is jeopardized.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 better compression (enhanced air sealing through more precise part sizing and the use of better O rings) and higher air flow volume (through enlarging the inner size of parts such as cylinder head and air nozzle). Since most FTK parts have their unique customized features, it is NOT a good idea to mix and match certain FTK parts with other parts from a different manufacturer. Page 51 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) should I keep the stock plastic bushings? Why (and why not) should I replace the stock plastic bushings with metal bushings? The plastic bushings should do just fine under the following conditions: they are adequately lubed your gun runs at less than 330~340FPS the spring in use is not the hard & short type you do not push the gun with high power battery (a GP 3300 8.4V or a Sanyo 1300 9.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Apply thin layer of glue FYI, on the left is a 7mm bushing, on the right is a standard 6mm bushing: 7mm VS 6mm In theory, a 7mm bushing due to its larger diameter allows the spreading of radial loads out on a slightly larger area of the mechbox shell. Simply put, it offers a relatively higher level of tolerance for radial and axial loads. Going 7mm does not seem to be necessary unless you are using a very hard spring or that you want to use ball bearings in a high FPS setup.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What is an easy way to (more accurately) shim? The goal of shimming is to keep the spacing of gears correct. Marui has a set of “official shimming standards” for the V3 mechbox: These “standards” were devised based on the assumption that you use solely TM stock gears with stock plastic bushings inside a V3 mechbox. Therefore, they serve as good references but NOT absolute standards. Most shim washers in the market have sizes of 0.2mm, 0.3mm and 0.5mm. There are 0.15mm and 0.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 When inserting the “next gear”, always make sure that it aligns correctly with the previous one. Keep in mind that: the teeth of the piston must be correctly aligned with the teeth of the sector gear, or the piston teeth will be unevenly stripped. there should almost be no gap between the sector gear and the spur gear, or the teeth of the sector gear will break within 600 rounds at the time the spring is compressed.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 use is too hard (the impact generated on the gears is too high) or too soft (the gears run way too fast) for your configuration. Sector gear breakage: If two of the inner teeth on the sector gear break in a row, do whatever you can to minimize the gap between the spur gear and the replacement sector gear. One quick and easy way is to swap one or two shim washer(s) (depending on their thicknesses) from the bottom side of the sector gear to the top.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 How do I tell if shimming has been done correctly? Anything special about shimming the AR-15 mechbox? What is the recommended order of gear insertion? If you have difficulties putting the two halves of the mechbox back together, chance is that you have put too many shims somewhere. One extra needless shim on either side of any one gear will usually make it impossible for the two halves to perfectly close.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Longer spring versus shorter spring: the longer the better? What are the major parameters of a spring? Is a harder spring more harmful for the internals? There has been a myth around saying that a very long spring is needed for delivering higher FPS. No, that is not always true. As an example, a PDI 130% spring is about an inch longer than the 140% one. On every compression spring there are several parameters. The “free length” is the length of a spring with no load applied.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 A short stiff spring, a ball bearing spring guide and several ball bearing spacers. Stock TM spring, piston and spring guide. The shorter spring shown above is basically a M120 with one third of it chopped away. It is now much shorter than the “normal” TM spring. 3 ball bearing spacers are to be placed in the piston – the inner diameter of these bearings is large enough to avoid crashing with the spring guide.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 A softer but longer spring does have an advantage over a shorter but harder spring. A softer spring imposes less initial load on the motor and should work gently at 8.4V most of the time. A harder spring may require a very powerful battery (such as a GP 3300 8.4V or a Sanyo 2000 9.6V) just to get started. A very hard spring has the potential of breaking the internals.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Installing a long spring: tricks and potential danger. Installing a short spring: tricks and potential danger. A M100 spring is considerably longer than a stock TM spring: Let’s refer to the picture below. The sector gear keeps rotating anti-clockwise, and the piston is being driven to (almost) the leftmost position.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 the stock one, keep in mind that: when installed, both ends of the spring (without compression) should not have any gap left. If there are gaps on either side, you may need to use spacers. HOWEVER, the need for many spacers may simply indicate that the spring you selected is too short. Refer to the section on the use of spacers for further information. note the diameter of the spring wire. If the spring wire has a large diameter, the compressed length may still be too long.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) should the spring be ground? How to facilitate spring spinning? Grinding is the process of grounding the ends of a spring. Springs found in TM / ICS / Cybergun AEGs are properly grounded, which look highly professional. It is a bit disappointing to see that many of the springs found in the CA guns have not been grounded. Generally speaking, when a spring is ground on both ends, it can spin more freely during compression.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What is a variable pitch spring? Is it always better for AEG? The pitch of a spring refers to the distance, center to center, between two coils. A variable-pitch spring is one that starts out "soft" and after a certain load is placed on it, becomes stiffer. This kind of design is good when you do not have the horse power to start the initial load.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 As recommended by the manufacturer, the tighter coils are to be fitted to the rear of the mechbox (i.e. the side of the spring guide) for the best possible performance. Page 65 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Use of spacers for spring compression: tricks and potential danger. When you want to put spacer on the spring guide to increase the compression effect, first look for spacer of suitable diameter. Referring back to this picture: The sector gear keeps rotating anti-clockwise, and the piston is being driven all the way to the leftmost position.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Spring Guide Piston Spacer We found that using spacer for better FPS is effective and safe only for harder and shorter springs. On softer springs (like the default TM ones) the small increase in FPS has no real world significance at all. We have had a case where a G36C was equipped with a very hard but short (about one third shorter than a stock TM spring) custom-made spring capable of 450 FPS. By removing the 0.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What is wrong with a custom made spring? Systema Springs versus PDI Springs Many people believe that custom made springs are no good for AEGs. In fact, the quality of a spring depends largely on the built material as well as the workmanship of the spring shop. If you go to a good spring shop, chance is that you can get a tailor made spring as good as those offered by Systema and PDI.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 M140 Page 69 240% 455~470 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can stainless steel spring offer better FPS? Can Telfon Coated spring offer better FPS? Stainless steels will not rust, making them ideal for environments containing water or steam. Power-wise, being stainless or not doesn’t seem to be relevant. Telfon Coated finishing provides a smoother surface and can avoid electric shortening that causes sparks.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 The long variable-pitch spring is very difficult to install. What should I do? What can I do to reduce stress on the gears? On most Version 2 mechboxes you can find a hole at the back of the mechbox which allows you to see through to the spring guide. You may insert a long and thin screwdriver, through the hole, into the butt of the spring guide. Just push downwards on the front of the screwdriver to keep the long spring in check while you close the mechbox.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can an EG1000 increase FPS (through higher torgue) over an EG700? EG1000 offers higher throughput than EG700 on paper. In reality, there are many factors to consider for determining the actual throughput, and the difference on paper may produce benefits that are too marginal to be of any significance.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) should I use a Bore-Up Cylinder? Why should I replace the stock cylinder on my MP5K / G3 SAS? A Bore-Up cylinder is a cylinder with extra capacity for storing pre-compressed air. You may consider the use of a Bore-Up cylinder if: you have switched to a very long barrel (refer to the high accuracy upgrade section). you are going way beyond 400FPS.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Different guns use different cylinders that have different number and position of openings. Why’s that? Is it useful to block the cylinder opening altogether? Let’s look into the number and position issues separately. Talking about the number of openings (also known as auxiliary ports), there are many arguments supporting the use of multiple evenly distributed openings (such as smoother compression, stabilized air flow …etc).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 this is when compressed air is produced. With an opening available, certain amount of air actually escapes out of the cylinder. The closer the opening towards the cylinder head, the easier it is for air to escape. Shorter barrel requires less compressed air to move the bullets away; therefore it does not hurt to have a cylinder opening closer to the cylinder head. Longer barrel needs greater power to kick out the bullets; therefore it cannot afford severe air leakage.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 In fact, there have been debates all over the airsoft communities regarding the issue of air volume balancing. It is believed by many that the volume of the barrel should not exceed the volume of the cylinder if FPS drop is to be avoided. It has also been said that the more appropriate cylinder-volume-to-barrel-volume ratio is around 1.5:1 (or 2:1 for type-0 cylinder).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 We have also heard from someone on the internet saying that by blocking the opening with a tape one can increase FPS by 10% or so. We tried this out on a stock XM177 and found that the FPS actually drops. It is suspected that the performance gain is really on a case-by-case basis. BTW, it doesn’t hurt for you to test it out on your gun as it costs you almost nothing. Page 77 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why is it useful to put holes on the piston head? Any alternative? Why (and why not) should I use a metallic piston head? How about a silent head set? Upgraded piston heads usually have holes on the front face of the head. When the piston is moving forward, air goes through these holes and forces the surrounding O-ring outwards to create a seal for preventing air leakage. On a stock TM piston, it is quite difficult to take the piston head apart.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 We do not see any reason why you should use a “metallic” piston head. The stock piston head is good at absorbing much of the impact generated by the spring on the mechbox shell. You should not need to replace the piston head unless the stock one breaks or that a bore-up cylinder is to be used. The replacement piston head does not have to be a metallic one though. A silent head set has a bumper-rubber installed in both the cylinder head and piston head.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is aluminum piston more durable? Is version 2 mechbox too fragile for M130 or above? Aluminum is a light elemental metal notable for its relative lightness and resistance to corrosion. It is a soft metal which is easy to shape and is highly susceptible to impact damage. Therefore, even though it is stronger than resin, it is not of a mighty strength. Frankly, if you do not go beyond 400FPS, an aluminum piston doesn’t make any significant difference in durability.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Some newer V2 mechbox implementations have wide openings near the butt of the mechbox (such as the Cybergun M4 mechbox). These openings will NOT bring you any performance benefit. They do make your life easier during mechbox assembly – you may now directly press down the spring with one of your fingers when the other fingers are working hard to close the mechbox halves together.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 is highly inelastic in this regard. As a side note, it appears that the CA Version 2 mechboxes have been reinforced and are stronger than the TM counterparts. Stock version 3 mechbox does have a more intact design and can afford higher impact (all the way up to M140 if kept under proper usage, as experienced by some of the experienced technicians).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Do I need a heatsink motor plate on upgrade that involves M140 or above? How do I effectively reduce heat on the motor? ICS offers so-called heat sink motor plates. As we all know, heat is one thing that can kill the motor easily. Heat gets accumulated mostly on the metal frame of the motor, but it is the plastic cap of the motor which is in direct contact with the motor plate. Without direct contact the usefulness of the heat sink is doubtful.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) is the one o’clock gear timing an issue? It is widely believed that you need to set your sector gear with the tappet plate post at the one o'clock position when reassembling your mechbox. Although doing it this way doesn’t hurt, it does not have to be strictly "one o'clocked". Think about it, the sector gear is a half-toothed gear which has multiple teeth partially formed on the periphery and an idle area formed on the remainder of the periphery.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can I still use the smaller batteries to power my upgraded mechbox? I want to hide my battery inside the grip and the stock but the battery cells are too big. What should I do? Chaining up your batteries: Parallel VS Serial configurations. Smaller batteries have higher internal resistance and can get heated up easily. If you really want to use smaller batteries for fitting into the grip or the stock, you may need to go up to 10.8V or 12V.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Parallel Connection (doubled capacity) 9.6V 9.6V + - Serial Connection (doubled voltage) 9.6V 9.6V + - Wiring can become complicated, but the power of two joining forces together can produce the horse power required by an upgraded mechbox. Do note that once they are connected together, you should never have them charged and discharged separately. Always treat them as a single entity. Page 86 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Should I use Sanyo battery cells for maximum performance? How safe is it to remove the fuse? Any alternative? Based on our experience, Sanyo and Panasonic have good Nicds, while GP has good NiMHs. Be very careful when buying Sanyo cells, as there are many fake Sanyo cells in the market nowadays. Frankly, it is not easy to tell from the outside whether a Sanyo cell is authentic or not.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Do I need a metal body to sustain the upgraded power? No you do not. In fact, we have heard too many complaints about the various metal body kits being offered in the market. Most complaints were about proper fitting with the internals. If you want to switch to a metal body, be prepared to also change the hopup unit and some other internal parts. Page 88 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) is it necessary to replace the stock wires? Why is it necessary to shorten the wires? Can I use stereo wires instead? Yes and no. The stock wires found in most TM guns are of very high quality in terms of shielding – they are very difficult to tear. However, they are also very thin, meaning their ability to dissipate heat (generated due to current flow) is not as good. Always remember, the larger the wire cross section the better able it is to dissipate heat.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 come with any power upgrade, and there has been no problem running with he stereo wires so far. However, we have been warned that stereo wires were not designed to sustain high current draw and therefore should be avoided on upgraded guns. Page 90 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) is it necessary to replace the stock Tamiya connector? The Tamiya connector is a popular connector for battery packs. Since it can afford at the max 15 amp, it may not work for high power configuration. We have seen these connectors being melted down by excessive heat from a 12V M140 combo. If you want connectors that can sustain high current, use Deans connector instead (see the picture below).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Are NiCd batteries superior to NiMH batteries for driving upgraded AEG? Ni-Cds have good performance in high-discharge and low-temperature applications, but are subject to the problem of “memory effect” (the cell remembers and maintains the characteristics of the previous cycle). They will also self-discharge at a rate of about 1% a day. Sanyo and Panasonic offer good quality NiCds.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 How do I optimize the overall performance of the stock motor? The best way to gain power from your stock motor is to properly break-in the motor brushes and the bronze bushings (all TM/ICS/CA motors use bronze bushings rather than ball bearings). You want to first break-in the brush/commutator interface so that the brushes can conform better to the shape of the commutator. To do so is easy – just run the motor on 4 cells (1.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is it possible to increase the torque of the stock motor? If so, how? One quick and cheap way to increase the torque of your stock motor is to replace the stock motor springs (the springs that hold the brushes up against the commutator). Harder springs produce more tension and more amp draw, thus resulting in more torque but less RPM. On the other hand, if you want less torque but more RPM, a pair of softer spring is the way to go.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What else should I buy for a high FPS configuration? The stock tappet plate can break easily if you go over 400FPS. A reinforced tappet plate is worth the $. An air seal nozzle is also a good option. It has an o’ring inside to prevent air leakage. Although it can improve the FPS a bit, to save $ we suggest that you buy one as a replacement only after the stock one is broken (yes, the stock nozzle can break under a high FPS / ROF configuration).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What is wrong with the soda can test? What is right with the soda can test? The soda can test is not for measuring muzzle velocity in an accurate manner. It may produce inconsistent results under the use of different BBs and different hopup settings. If you really use it, keep in mind that the degree of error is about +- 25~30 FPS. In fact, the soda can test is best for measuring the impact energy generated by a gun.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What is the most accurate way to measure FPS? Frankly, there is no single best way to measure FPS. It is believed by many that the more accurate yet cheap way to measure FPS is through the use of a chronograph. The problem with this method is that rarely will the chronographed speed correlate to the actual bullet velocities of your setup. Without proper calibration, no two chronographs will clock the same velocity.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 High ROF Upgrade What are the key elements of a high ROF setup? Generally speaking, a high ROF setup features fast piston movement as facilitated by: a powerful motor. an appropriate spring. smooth surfaces of the internal moving parts. light weight material used by the internal moving parts. Additionally, a smooth running bullet feeding mechanism makes a high ROF setup usable and practical.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can I increase the ROF while keeping the FPS at the stock level by using 9.6V battery? Voltage VS mah – which one matters the most? Many people prefer to classify batteries based on voltage and mah. They like to look into these two factors separately. Without going into the complicated dynamics of battery and electric motor, we wanna tell you that battery performance is a function of both voltage AND mah COMBINED. When we say 9.6V is dangerous, we usually mean 9.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can I increase the ROF by replacing the mechanical contact switch with a solid state switching mechanism based on MOSFET? The rationale behind the use of metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) is straight forward. The open contact switch used in the AEG mechbox is itself a major source of resistance along the current flow path.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can I increase the ROF by using capacitors at the power source? The rationale behind the use of capacitors is simple. Along the process of spring compression, there is an uneven load demand on the motor and on the current supply. This can result in voltage fluctuations and may affect motor performance quite negatively. A capacitor is like a temporary storage buffer for electric power. When connected, the current first goes into the capacitor and then to the motor.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is high ROF a major cause of tappet plate breakage? With a stock spring, a mechbox that runs too fast will lead to tappet plate breakage: If you want to increase ROF a bit, using a 9.6V small battery (600 ~ 1100mah) shouldn’t hurt. Stock ICS / CA guns have higher tolerance on battery power due to the harder springs they use, so 9.6V is less threatening for them. Page 102 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 ROF-wise, why (and why not) should I replace the stock plastic bushings with ball bearings? A bushing is simply a round tube that reduces sliding friction. The shaft rotates by sliding on the inside of the tube. On the other hand, a ball bearing allows the shaft to rotate by rolling. Ball bearings allow smoother gear rotation and can save energy (15% better energy efficiency). You will also see a small increase in ROF.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 ROF-wise, why (and why not) should I replace the stock plastic bushings with metal bushings? How about oil channel bushings? If you plan to significantly increase the ROF (such as a 25~30% improvement), the stock plastic bushings may get worn out very fast. Switching to metal bushings is therefore recommended. Metal bushings by themselves won’t improve the ROF. They will make your gun last longer though.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Why (and why not) should I buy the high speed gear set? Changing the gear ratio is the most effective way to increase ROF. However, the load on your motor will increase, and the gears will get striped easily (gear stripping happens when they run too fast). You must keep in mind that the risk of gear striping often grows hand in hand with ROF improvement. There is nothing you can do about this sad relationship.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Should I upgrade to a Teflon Cylinder? How about a high speed cylinder set? Teflon coated cylinder has a smoother internal surface and is thought to be good for a high speed configuration due to less friction with the piston head. Although small performance gain is possible, we would recommend that you spend the money on something else. A Teflon Cylinder is, frankly, quite expensive.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What makes a ball bearing spring guide meaningless for a stock TM gun? How to work around? Remember we talked about the metal spacer unit that is used to attach the piston head to the piston? With a stock TM piston set, the spring is fixed to the piston through that metal spacer unit. What this means is that free spinning of the spring is made impossible. Spring rotation can increase ROF, but is possible only if both ends of the spring are free for spinning.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is there any cheaper alternative to ball bearing spring guide? Why a ball bearing spring guide alone may not increase the ROF? Take your stock spring guide and the piston to a local bearing shop and find a ball bearing that is large enough to fit into the spring guide without blocking the movement of the piston. This kind of larger ball bearing can be found in R/C hobby shops or professional bearing shops.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can I use a Version 2 spring guide in a Version 3 mechbox? It depends. We have been using the ICS version 2 ball bearing spring guides on a TM MP5 PDW and a G36C for years without problems. They can fit into the Ver. 3 mechbox space holders without problems. One thing for sure though – a Version 3 spring guide won’t fit into a Version 2 mechbox. Page 109 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Should I upgrade to an EG1000 for higher ROF? How do I optimize the stock motor’s RPM without spending major $? Frankly, the difference in speed between an EG700 and an EG1000 is not significant. If you really want to see some visible differences, spend more $ on a Systema high speed motor, which has much higher RPM (37,400) than an EG1000 (27,552).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 How can I increase the ROF while keeping the FPS at near-the-stock-level? What is the right type of spring and battery to use for this purpose? As previously mentioned, a softer spring is usually less responsive in terms of its “pushing back” movement. A harder spring is harder to compress, but when it is released it extends much faster. High ROF is possible only when movement in BOTH directions is fast.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is ROF over 30/sec possible? What is the major ROF bottleneck? The true bottle neck on ROF is not the mechbox, but the BBs feeding mechanism. Fast firing needs a fast and reliable bullet feeding mechanism. How fast can your magazine feed? Our experience shows that low-cap mags feed very fast but can be easily emptied in less than two seconds. Hi-cap mags feed slower and tend to be less reliable.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is aluminum piston better off for a high ROF configuration? Are lighter gears better off for a high ROF configuration? What else should I buy for a high ROF configuration? Can I increase ROF by cutting off some teeth from the piston and the gears? An aluminum piston, which is made of light metal (aluminum alloy), is about 1.5 to 2 times the weight of a regular resin piston.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 remove involves professional judgment based on years of gun-smithing experience. You do not want to risk disrupting the gear timing. Thirdly, you lose some FPS for each tooth removed. Page 114 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 High Accuracy Upgrade What are the key elements of a high accuracy setup? Does a V-HopUp help? High accuracy in semi-auto mode requires that you have a long and tight barrel plus a good hopup unit (!) for stabilizing the bullet’s flight path. High accuracy in full-auto mode ALSO requires that the FPS and ROF performance of the gun be highly CONSISTENT. A good quality spring driven with stable horse power and the resulting smooth piston movement are essential.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 However, sometimes a poorly built V-Hop Up unit can produce unexpected left spinning or right spinning effect. V-Hop Implementation Type I (The Cybergun A15 Evolution AEG uses this kind of V-Hop): Refer to the illustration below: The “cut” in the middle is produced by pressing down the arc shaped spacer onto Page 116 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 the hop up rubber. If for some reasons the two ends of the spacer are not evenly worn out (or if one end breaks while the other one remains intact), unexpected spinning effect will be produced. Regularly perform visual check (by looking through the barrel) to ensure that the spacer is in good shape.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 How to improve accuracy with short barrel? Can a long barrel deliver higher accuracy and range? Why (and why not) should I replace the stock cylinder when using a longer inner barrel? With a short inner barrel, the only way to achieve better bullet stability is to use heavier BBs such as 0.25g. At the stock power level, you should not use anything heavier than this. You will also need to use a slightly stronger spring to compensate for the drop in FPS due to the heavier BBs.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 caused by having a barrel volume that exceeds the cylinder volume). There are other people who think that suck-back is simply BS. Think about it, if the piston is pulled back before the bullet is out of the barrel, there is a possibility for a “drag-back” effect to occur. The degree and extent to which the FPS of the current bullet is affected is something we cannot tell without going through a lab experiment.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What is good about a high precision barrel? How to maximize the effectiveness of a high precision barrel? What is the drawback of using a high precision barrel? High precision barrel helps increase both the muzzle velocity and the accuracy of an AEG by downsizing the inner diameter from the stock 6.08mm to 6.04mm or less. Most high precision barrels are highly polished on the inside (nickel-plated and teflon coated) for minimizing wear and tear.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 approximately 10% gain in performance. Improvement in accuracy is also visible. The 6.03mm Prometheus tightbore barrel is way too tight – absolutely no tolerance on dust and dirt, and is not recommended for outdoor use. In fact, high precision barrel in general has an inner diameter too small to accommodate dirt and poor quality BBs. To avoid jamming, you must do whatever you can do to keep the barrel completely clean and properly lubed.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Can the one-piece type hopup increase accuracy? Does it worth the $? According to the Bernoulli's principle, if a bullet is given a backspin an overpressure is formed under the bullet and an underpressure is formed on the top of the bullet. The bullet is therefore sucked up - this is why it can fly farther.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 How do I hide the longer inner barrel? The easiest way is to use a mock suppressor to hide the extended barrel. Do remember that with a longer barrel, you need an inner barrel alignment adaptor to reinforce the setup. The Q Project was well known for supplying custom made barrel alignment adaptors. Page 123 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Troubleshooting My stock TM gun is dead after 3000 shots. Why? TM has the best QA and QC practice, so if your stock TM gun breaks in 3000 shots, it has to be a user problem. If you cannot keep a stock TM gun alive for a year or so, an upgraded gun will break in your hands within weeks. Do NOT upgrade your gun unless you know how to properly use it. Page 124 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What will happen with improper shimming? And what should I do to remedy the problem? With incorrect shimming (being too loose), at least one of your gears (the sector gear in particular) will break within one or two rounds of hi-cap. If shimming has been overly done (too tight), the gears will not break but your motor and your battery will get hot quickly. You will also experience frequent lock up and will run out of battery power very fast.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 How do I prolong the life of the mechbox? Both proper usage and proper upgrade are essential. One ugly situation is when the bushing holders can no longer hold the bushings tight, that the bushings themselves are rotating together with the gears. Use of epoxy to firmly affix the metal bushings is one viable measure for early prevention. Proper shimming is another (less accurate shimming is a major cause of this problem. Make sure nothing is too tight or too loose!).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 When the mechbox is running, the nozzle does not move at all. What is wrong? My mechbox got stalled after replacing the tappet plate. What’s wrong? It is highly likely that the tappet plate has been broken. If your mechbox is a heavily upgraded one, consider getting yourself a reinforced tappet plate. Even though most tappet plates look identical, different makes do have small difference that can introduce big problems. Take for example the tappet plate made by ICS.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 My gun stopped working in semi-auto mode. What’s wrong? In fact, experienced airsofter will tell you that firing semi-auto frequently is no good for the gun. Inside your mechbox there is a switch comprising a movable block and a stationary block. Movable block, with one metal block on it. Stationary block, with two metal plates on it. When you pull the trigger, the movable block is pushed towards the stationary block.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What cause the piston gear to break prematurely? Let’s recall what we have talked about regarding the installation of long spring. The sector gear keeps rotating anti-clockwise, and the piston is being driven to (almost) the leftmost position.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 My EG1000 was overheated. What should I do? Keep in mind that excessive heat will weaken the magnets of the motor. It is not uncommon for EG1000s to get overheated and stop working. First you should find out why your EG1000 is overheated. Most of the time improper shimming is the problem. Remember, with proper shimming, you do not need a super powerful battery pack to kick start the motor.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What should I do for proper motor maintenance? With proper maintenance, your stock motor should be able to run with maximum power and speed. Below are what you should proactively do: Every time after a one-day game, use a high quality motor spray to clean out the dirt and the carbon deposits. Replace the motor brushes regularly (refer to the last section of this book on regular parts replacement). For guns running at 400FPS+, always check the brushes.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What cause the strange noise from the motor and/or the motor gear? Most AEGs have their motors being held inside the hand grip. Instead of affixing the motor with screws, the typical approach is to use a motor plate to get the motor in the appropriate position. Since the hand grip has very limited space, sometimes it can be very tough to accommodate the motor and also the two wires (one red wire and one black wire).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 The two screws that attach the mechbox to the lower receiver are completely stripped. What should I do? This kind of problem always happens with MP5s and G3s. To tell you the truth, you do NOT need these screws. Even without them your mechbox won’t go loose UNLESS you also break the receivers. If they are stripped, just do whatever you can to get rid of them. Page 133 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What causes gear stripping? The gears can strip easily if: you go full auto all the way until an entire hi-cap mag is emptied your mechbox is running way too fast misaligned gears and improper shimming broken bushings Gear stripping is a fact of live. Every mechbox will come across this problem – it is just a matter of time. Proper usage together with proactive maintenance measures can delay stripping. Open up your mechbox regularly (like every 10000 shots) and do a check up.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What can cause the hopup rubber to break? I have to wind my hop almost all the way up just to get flat flight. What is wrong? Extreme cold weather can cause the hopup rubber to get hardened and break. Release the hopup rubber after every game and apply sufficient silicon oil spray to the rubber surface. If it is snowing outside, the weather is cold enough to justify staying home rather than airsofting.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Regardless of what you do with the hop spacer, always perform a visual check by looking through the inside of the barrel. If the hop bucking sticks too far into the barrel, your gun will shoot the sky. You don’t want this to happen. Also note the following: Slippery when wet? Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 good. Quality of the rubber surface is one factor. Humidity is another. The quality of the BBs you use also has a role in this equation. And this is why fixed hopup is not desirable - we need to adjust the hopup according to different humidity levels. Page 137 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 How to prolong the life of my battery? Heat is the largest enemy of your battery as it causes the separator and seals to weaken and accelerates changes in the plate material, which in turn causes the dreaded memory effect. Overcharging abuse is one easy way to overheat your battery. In theory, most battery cells have incorporated a protection mechanism against overcharging through increasing their ability to resist venting.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is slow charging always good for my battery? How to safely charge a battery? One major reason why slow charging is good is because it is less likely to overheat the battery. However, very slow charging (those over a day) may also not be as good. Under moderate charging currents, the cadmium that is deposited inside the battery pack are very small crystals. Given time, these crystals tend to coalesce and form larger crystals.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Is NiMH battery free from the memory effect problem? Should I fully discharge the battery every time after use? How do I fix the battery memory effect problem? With memory effect taking place, the battery retains the characteristics of the previous charge cycle. This can happen when the battery is recharged without being fully discharged, and can result in the temporary loss of capacity. The memory effect was once thought to be absent from NiMH battery.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 My gun keeps mis-firing. How do I tell if this is a magazine problem or a mechbox problem? I suspect that the hi-cap magazine is not working. What should I do to fix it? Generally speaking, mis-firing has nothing to do with the gears of the mechbox. To find out whether or not this is a magazine problem, simply test fire with another magazine. If problem persists, try to test fire with a low-cap mag.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 mag. If full-auto doesn't work, try out Solution 1 with the standard cap mag. The worst case scenario is that you need to modify the nozzle AND replace the high cap mag. * If mis-fire happens in semi as well, it is likely that the Hop Up chamber is seriously deformed or that there is a magazine wobble problem. In any case, after each outdoor game you should clean the magazine inside and out. Take out the internal, release the spring and remove all the dirt and dust.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What causes double feeding? My gun makes an unwinding noise after full auto firing. What’s wrong? Double feeding refers to the feeding of two (or more) BBs at once. Double feeding may result in both BBs breaking or serious jamming in the barrel. Even if the BBs do not break, their range and accuracy may be greatly reduced. Double feeding may occur when the feeding mechanism is over lubricated or when the nozzle is seriously deformed.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 What causes air leakage? Most of the time air leakage occurs due to problems with the cylinder. With air leakage you will see a sudden drop in FPS and range (NOT ROF). On heavily upgraded gun this tubing can eventually turn loose and shaky (which will then require replacement). It is recommended that you apply grease around here to help stop air leakage. Page 144 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Special Topic: BE Tech plastic mechbox series Are the stock plastic gears durable enough? Should I replace the plastic gears with metal gears? Should I replace the stock cylinder set? Can I mix and match TM piston with the stock cylinder? How do I fix the fore grip wobble problem? Can I use the TM high cap on it? The BE Tech AUG somehow reassembles the architecture of the TM AUG. The new XM8, on the other, is a G36C replica with a futuristic skin.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 I do not have anything against plastic gears. Remember, gears used in the RC cars are almost entirely plastic, and they run just fine most of the time. The BE Tech mechbox is special though – it is of a bushing-less setting. Based on our experience, stay at the 300 FPS +- 10% power level using a softer spring (such as the PDI spring or a Guarder SP series spring) and the gears will do just fine. I do not recommend replacing the plastic gears with metal gears.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 you want to use metal gears, you will need to drill holes on the mechbox to accommodate bushings. This process is likely to be imprecise. Mixing and matching plastic gears with metal gears is a real bad idea – it can accelerate the killing of the plastic gears dramatically. Staying with the stock plastic gears is your best bet. The stock cylinder is a plastic made one-piece cylinder. It is good at air sealing.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Special Topic: Springer-to-AEG conversion Is springer-to-AEG conversion possible? What are the steps involved? At present there is no ready-made conversion kit in the market. However, the trend is for the manufacturer to produce parts that are compatible with the popular AEGs. Two examples are Monica (Korean) and Cybergun (Academy as the OEM manufacturer). This is a smart move.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Converting a springer to an AEG has been possible but impractical due to the extensive efforts involved. However, with the introduction of the Cybergun M4 series springers, the story is destined to change. Look at the pictures below, we have successfully fitted a Version 2 mechbox into a Cybergun Kitty Kat. The whole process took less than an hour to complete (assuming you have the AEG mechbox ready to go).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 • The Cybergun springer stock pistol grip can ONLY be used with the Cybergun V2 mechbox. It is not compatible with any of the TM V2 mechboxes. It can use TM motor plate but cutting works are necessary. • You cannot use the stock springer plastic cover plate to do the conversion.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Left: a TM compatible motor plate (they call it Low Noise Grip End). Right: the stock Cybergun springer cover plate. It is smaller than the TM compatible one (the left one), meaning cutting work on the stock pistol grip is necessary for the TM cover plate to fit into it. Page 152 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 The stock Cybergun Springer lower receiver: Note: If you are using Cybergun V2 mechbox, since there is a spring release lever at the back, we need to accordingly make room in the lower receiver for accommodating it: The original piston assembly on the upper half of the receiver has to be removed (keep only the hopup unit and the barrel and almost nothing else).
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 The CA safety switch unit (you can also use the Cybergun A15 AEG safety switch if you have one handy) Safety switch installed: As you put everything together, you will notice that some minor cuttings on the receiver are necessary for things to fit well. Page 154 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Battery has to be hosted externally due to the lack of space in the foregrip. Putting everything back together, and a full blown Kitty Kat AEG is born. Page 155 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 Note: The stock springer hopup unit (a V-Hop) works great. However, if frequent mis-fires in full auto mode are encountered, you may need to shorten the air nozzle by 1 to 2mm minimum. This will for sure fix the problem. Page 156 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Practical A.E.G Upgrade 2006 For the latest content update, please visit: http://www.airsoftpress.com/free_updates.htm Please email your questions and comments to editor@airsoftpress.com. Page 157 Copyright 2005,06 The AirsoftPRESS (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
