This is an image-intensive page with descriptions and other text. The pictures will pop-out and automatically resize to your screen if too large. If you want to see the original pictures, right-click on the picture thumbnail and open it in a new window/tab. This should allow you to view the full size pictures.
Here's the base model marker. I purchased it in 2007 shortly after they became available. As a result it has a few factory parts that were updated over the years. However, there aren't any aftermarket parts on this page, so all you see are stock items.
Field-Strip & Firing Assembly:
Removing the firing assembly is accomplished by unscrewing the rear frame screw. The assembly is spring-loaded so it might pop out the back of the body once the screw is disengaged. Use your hand to hold it in place until you want to remove it. If it doesn't spring out on its own, lightly push it from the front and it'll come loose. There's two main groups, the endcap in rear and the bolt tip in front.
Regular maintenance involves cleaning and regreasing the bolt and occasionally cleaning the firing poppet which is located inside the bolt guide. It can be removed after unscrewing the velocity adjustment cap out the back end as shown below. The poppet is a component that has been updated a few times over the years; the v1 poppet is shown in most of these pictures until I was able to replace it with a newer version. The v2 poppet has a slightly larger air port in the side, whereas the v3 poppet added the small return spring on the back. This assists with cycling speeds and air usage. You can also see the cupseal at the front was changed to a threaded piece in the v3 poppet, compared to the old v1 poppet which had a urethane seal impregnated into the front.
When reassembling, be sure to push the firing poppet forward against the inside of the housing. This will ensure the proper seal when the marker is next pressurized. Also please note that the bolt spring is tapered, so the diameter of one end is smaller than the other. The small end faces rear and will "hook" onto the bolt tip, whereas the larger end goes into the marker body first. When reinstalling the firing assembly in the body, there is a small pin fixed into the back of the body that will align with a hole in the bolt guide housing, shown below.
Foregrip Disassembly:
The foregrip contains the battery and main circuit board. It can be opened up by removing the small screw located on the bottom of the foregrip's cover plate.
The foregrip slides onto the front of the trigger guard and is retained in place using a pair of small set screws. Once loosened, the foregrip will slide down and off. It makes a connection with the body-mounted sensor board using an 8-pin illi-grid connector which you can see on top of the circuit board.
The mainboard is held in position by a small flathead screw that is concealed within the female side of the dovetail. With the screw removed the board will come free, and can be gently guided out the open top of the foregrip.
The inside face of the board is where most of its components are located. The 3mm dual-color LED hangs inside the hole in the back of the foregrip. There's a thin sheet of foam on the frontside of the board, which allows the battery to slide up against it without causing damage or coming in contact with it. The only component located on this side of the board is a large capacitor, specifically a 10 volt 2200-µF radial capacitor for the solenoid (it operates at 5 volts).
Frame Disassembly:
To access the frame's internals, first remove the screws holding the grips in place.
The frame is separated from the body by removing the two screws holding them together. The rear frame screw also retains the firing assembly so use caution when removing it. In these pictures I already removed the rear screw in order to access the firing assembly for cleaning. With both screws removed you can gradually separate the frame. Air pressure is transferred from the bottomline regulator up to the body using the two air tubes within the grip frame. The top air tube stays with the body while the bottom air tube is screwed into the frame. You can remove it simply by unscrewing. Don't loose any o-rings.
Body Disassembly:
The solenoid and top air tube are still attached to the body underside. To remove the solenoid, first unplug it from the sensor board, then unscrew. The air tube can also be unscrewed in the same manner.
Mounted against the underside of the body is a long aluminum plate called the air transfer plate. The solenoid and air chamber are mounted to it, which is itself secured onto the body using seven(7) small cap screws. They're usually loctited in place so they may need to be "cracked" free before unscrewing.
Sunk into the bottom of the body is a convoluted pressure gasket, which is used to shunt air pressure to different parts of the marker. If leaking from the transfer plate, a portion of this gasket is likely to blame. However, unless you remove the gasket from the body, the chances of it becoming damaged just from regular use are reduced. The only other component to the body is a small check valve (aka. flow restrictor). This is a small, plastic air port that slows down pressure flow in one direction. This component is used to help control the movement of the bolt during firing; be sure to avoid loosing this small piece.
The sensor board is located on the underside of the body, however it is simply press-fitted up against it; there aren't any screws holding it on. The eye elements prevent the board from falling out while the marker is disassembled. To remove the sensor board, use a small allen wrench to gently push the eye elements out from their holes (insert the allen wrench down through the feedneck). When both eyes are out of position, the sensor board can be gently slid out from the body.
![Sensor board top side [facing body]](media/invert/sensorboard3.JPG "Sensor board top side [facing body]")
![Sensor board top side [facing body]](media/invert/sensorboard4.JPG "Sensor board top side [facing body]")
The component marked IC71 in the above picture is the trigger magnetic switch (aka. HES). Please note there's a small metal pin installed in the bottom of the body which is held in position by the sensor board (it's glued into the body in my marker, but the glue wears down over time). The pin is used along with the trigger magnet to fire the gun, so if you lose the pin you'll have to replace it. I don't suggest even bothering with this pin because it's very small and needs to be glued onto the body in the right position to function.
The marker detents are removed simply by unscrewing them. These are "piston" type detents, fitted with a spring, that are held against the body using a cover.
Solenoid Disassembly:
The solenoid is a "latching" type valve which uses magnetic fields of the surrounding material to reset it while idle. As a result, the solenoid's internal armature can get lodged in the incorrect position and prevent it from sealing up. If this happens you may have to disassemble the valve. Greasy air pressure will be shunted through the solenoid for each pressurized firing, so you may wish to clean it out after a while. This would likely be a very infrequent cleaning.
The solenoid housing is held together by three small phillips-head screws, accessed through the top. I've found that you need a perfectly-shaped screwdriver to remove these, or you may strip them out. With the cap removed, the internal armature can be pulled out. It has two small base-seat seals located on either end; these parts can be cleaned to prevent damage.
During reassembly, reinsert the solenoid armature down into the housing with the thin, brass (yellow) end facing out. You need to be able to view the top hole in the armature before reinstalling the endcap. If you can't see the port, pull the solenoid up slightly and it will "suspend" itself in position. Gently reinstall the endcap once it's set.
If the marker is pressurized with the armature in the wrong position, it'll leak and won't seal up. The solenoid is designed to reset itself after being energized, but you never know if it'll go wrong once and foul everything. The trick that's been circulating for resetting the armature is to crank the dwell setting all the way up (or to an abnormally high setting with an aftermarket board) which should smack the solenoid into the correct position. However, if that doesn't work you'll have to take the solenoid apart and reset it yourself as shown in the above picture.
Regulator Disassembly:
The regulator is attached to the bottom of the frame and isn't suggested that it be removed unless necessary. The reg isn't user-serviceable so disassembly isn't suggested for regular use.
To remove the regulator, loosen the two set screws located in the side of the frame, toward the bottom. The reg will come loose and slide down and away from the frame. This can be accomplished with the air chamber bottom installed in the frame (pictured), or not.
The front of the regulator can be removed but all this will do is expose the adjustment spring. In order to access the internals you need a special tool that can unscrew the backside of the regulator (where the tank's pin valve is opened). I might make the necessary tool in order to take it apart; if this happens I'll update the page.