Subject: QEV
From: James G.
Hey I'm balla245 from pbnation,
I've seen some of your posts in the ion forum so I'm sure you saw the thread about qevs (the one in the ultimate sticky). Well it's a thread about qevs adding efficiency and I have looked at it from many angles and still cannot see how that can be so. I figure you of all people would know this sort of thing.
Will a stock ion with a qev get more shots than a bone stock ion?
Just so you feel more inclined to answer, you have my word that if you tell me that I am right and that qev's dont add efficiency, I won't go into the thread and be all "I asked ydna and he said I was right" I will however continue to shoot down these silly explanations they're telling me. and if you tell me that qev's do add efficiency and if you can tell me why, I will eat my words and swallow my pride and post that i was wrong so the stupid disagreement can be over.
Thanks for reading and i really hope you have an answer,
regards,
James
Re: QEV
Well, actually this is one of those things that tends to vary from gun to gun. Some people have reported getting a small efficiency boost from the QEV, but personally I've not really noticed it myself. Not saying it doesn't happen...just saying it's pretty small in most cases. But it's kindof at the level where it might be some unrelated issue that just appears to be caused by the QEV, since not everybody seems to have the same results.
Back when we were first installing QEVs in the guns, doing all sorts of custom mods to get them working, etc etc....and later doing all sorts of experimentations with the performance, we were thinking that the bolt moving faster had something to do with it. The idea was, allowing the Ion's valve to open faster and create a faster rush of air was the factor that lead to a slight jump in shot count. But even if that's totally true, it wouldn't be too useful for efficiency.
I hope that at least makes a little sense. Sorry I can't be too definitive either way, but as we all know that's a pretty common thing in paintball...
Subject: Ion banjos
Re: Ion banjos
If all else fails you can get them from punisherspb.com, although they might not be on the site...might have to call them up for them. They're probably around $5 each, not sure.
Subject: Epiphany dwell
Re: Epiphany dwell
Subject: 5.1 dwell time (this e-mail was in regards to an Ion I repaired)
Re: 5.1 dwell time
Okay the thing with the eyes off is related to the firing mode. Right now it's set to "unlimited" max ROF, which basically means it tries to fire right after the dwell time ends. This basically means it tries to fire every 25 or so milliseconds...divide that into 1000 and you get the firing speed of the gun (about 40-bps...lol ) so that's what it's trying to do. Naturally the gun can't cycle that fast so the bolt just sputters around.
Anyway, I don't have a lot of experience with these boards, I've only used the Shocker one and even then not very much. It seems to work okay with the Shocker but I admit I wasn't trying to max out the hopper...only shooting it capped at 15 so I can't say what it can do above that. Unfortunately at the moment I don't have any other Ion boards available so I can't be of much help there, t-board or otherwise....but I'd suggest you look around for a used Tadao or Virtue since they're both reliable and easy to adjust. The t-boards are a bit more complex so you'd probably be more at home with something similar to the virtue board you have in the other Ion (that is, assuming you like that board). A t-board would be a lot cheaper though so I know where you're coming from with that one.
Subject: Chiu board kit
Re: Chiu board kit
Subject: Hollowpoint bolt stalk
Re: Hollowpoint bolt stalk
Subject: Ion bolt mods
Re: Ion bolt mods
Same thing goes for adding an o-ring to the bolt tail. Although it actually gets worse than that....adding an o-ring to the tail of the bolt isn't a service that I used to offer even when I had the ability since Dye owns a patent over that (it's actually the reason why there isn't an o-ring there in the first place). I only did it with my own bolts, which sometimes I would sell, but I don't have any of them available right now.
Some companies such as NDZ actually license the use of dual tail o-rings for their bolts. Some others don't license the IP in hope that Dye doesn't go after them.
Subject: Pulse connector?
Re: Pulse connector?
Subject: Ion Max'd upgrades
Re: Ion Max'd upgrades
Elsewhere, in terms of the internals....personally I don't think there are many "required" upgrades. I mean the gun will work okay with any combination of parts...you might be able to squeeze a bit of performance out of things with some upgrades but it won't be light-and-day in my opinion. The QEV is pretty much the only thing I would say is a good starting upgrade. It'll decrease kick by quite a bit, and also lengthen your battery life too (not mentioned very often). A new bolt will aid you in the marker's recoil a little more, but won't really do much in other aspects of performance, unless it just happens to get better efficiency (but not much is really "guaranteed" in regards to efficiency). I wouldn't call the bolt a required upgrade though, more like something to spend money on if you have it to burn. Although I know there are a lot of people that have such hatred for the stock bolt that they wouldn't even use the gun with one installed....lol
The regulator is a bit trickier of an issue. The stock reg is ideally VERY good, in fact better than 90% of "aftermarket" regs out there. Using the stock reg you can shoot well beyond 30-bps if it's properly greased. But sometimes people run into situations with bad quirky regs and they end up replacing them for something else. Usually after replacing it you actually end up with a reg that recharges slower than the stock one, but ends up being more reliable in the long term. (examples would be a CP reg, Hyper2, Sidewinder, Max-Flo from a Shocker/Nerve, etc).
For the laser eyes, you won't find them working any better or less than the stock ones, they're just a different color. It can sometimes be helpful when troubleshooting eye problems, but besides that there's not much point besides for the ohhs and ahhs.
Parts you definitely do not need to get unless you want to spend money....breech, fire chamber, swivel donut. Nothing will change with those parts except the color of the gun. Avoid that stuff until you desperately need something to buy.
Subject: Dwell and air use
Re: Dwell and air use
What I would suggest doing is testing it out with another reg if you have one available (stock reg, etc) but if not then you may have to see about replacing that CP one. Like I said the base seat is probably the source of the problem, but it could also be the piston. Unfortunately in situations like this you can't really do much to diagnose it without just swapping the parts and seeing what works and what doesn't.
Re: Re: Dwell and air use
Re: Re: Re: Dwell and air use
Subject: Ion dwell, do I need to "save" it?
Re: Ion dwell, do I need to "save" it?
In this case you might just be using an input pressure setting that's outside of the reach for your internal setup (by that I mean the actual parts themselves being different in ways that can't be predicted, eg. manufacturing tolerances). Often it's rare to stumble upon that pressure setting since it's different with every marker out there, but not impossible. But regardless of that, you always have the option of setting the dwell at some absurdly low number like 5 blinks and just running like that. If the marker experiences dropoff or some other performance issue, just play around with the dwell and pressure. But if there isn't a problem, then chances are you can use it just as it is. If it works then it works!
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Jonathon C.
Hey YDNA,
I have a BOB body for my Ion but I dont have the smaller banjo fitting to replace the rear banjo. I was looking at palmers pursuit's website and noticed that they had several 10-32 fittings that look like they could work. Could you tell me if any of these will work? LINKS BELOW.
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_11&products_id=53
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_11&products_id=55
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_11&products_id=56
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_11&products_id=58
Thanks in advance!
-Jon
hmmmm....actually I don't think any of those will do the job unless you've got some tricky custom things involved. They have the correct thread size, but the hose size is probably too small...what you want is a barb or push-to-connect fitting (like the stock ones) that will work with a 2.5-mm ID hose, or 5/32" OD hose if it's a PTT fitting.
The tricky thing about the fittings SP uses is that they have the little allen wrench slot in the top. I haven't seen those form any other supplier at all...I know SP has them specially made for their use. It doesn't mean they aren't out there, but they'd probably be expensive if you found em.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Stamati D.
Hey I was wondering if u could help me with an epiphany gun? What would be the best electronic settings for dwell and rof, to reach a high bps, and still be consistent and efficient.
thanks
Well, I don't have a specific guide written for the dwell setting on an Epiph, but you can follow the instructions for setting it on an Ion and it'll work out pretty much the same. I have some info for how to set dwell on this page: zdspb.com/tech/mguide/ion/adj_electronics.html
If you're using the stock board and want to reach the fastest rate of fire then all you have to do is decrease the recharge setting to the lowest (single blink red) and it'll set the marker to the max speed. It'll be limited by your hopper and by the board's electronic cap of 17-bps, but that'll do it. You only really need to mess with the recharge setting if you're trying to limit the ROF, but if you want the max then just set it once and forget it.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Eric C.
Hey Andy, first thanks for shipping that Ion back so fast. But I have a problem sorta. first, does the lucky 5.1 normally need a higher dwell? I see you set it at 25, and I noticed it won't even cycle till about 19 to 21 clicks. I assume one click is one millisecond not half increments. Even at unlimited bps with a vl-jr with nox set at max this thing is really slow. Then I tried my other ion with virtue all set to max and it rips. That one has a stock firing can and dwell is low at 12 or 13. I even turned down the eye delay to its lowest. And one more thing, with the eyes off and no paint this thing just puffs and will cycle a few shots then puff puff then cycle and so forth. Do you have any tboards you want to get rid of, I hope you can sense of the rambling as i hit you with about 10 questions. Thanks for any response. eric
hmmm, well you're definitely right about the dwell, you can probably tune that a bit and perhaps save some air consumption. I usually set the setting at a conservative amount to make sure the gun at least works, but it's usually not the "best" setting.
That's really my fault, I shouldn't have set it to "unlimited" since I knew it'd do that, but I figured it was okay since you probably won't use the eyes off much. But what I would suggest you do is go into the programming mode and change the ROF to a reasonable number, like 20-bps or something. Right now it should be set to "1" which is unlimited.
If you change the firing mode it might also reset the max ROF so be careful with that. For instance if you set it to PSP ramp it might automatically set the ROF to 15...then when you go back to the custom ramping mode it'll still be set to 15. People get mixed up with that all the time
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Floyd C.
Can you install this upgrade on my ion frame?
http://ion.chiumanfu.com/index.php?main_page=page_1
Sorry but unfortunately these days I can't offer virtually any custom machining work to markers. I moved the workshop last year and didn't have room for any machine tools, so they all went into storage.
I do know there's a few people lurking around sites like pbnation and ionowners that offer that and some other mods, although I don't know of any off the top of my head.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Brandon H.
Hi, this is New Ion? from PBNation and if you remember i asked you a few questions about ion bolts. I have another.
On the hollowpoint bolt, do the different stalk versions (Ion vs Xe) do anything for airflow? i noticed that the one for the XE is more smooth shaped and looks more like a bullet. is there a difference?
There's a theoretical difference between them, but I don't think it's actually something that affects a performance aspect to a noticeable amount. The More tapered anti-rollback is definitely more gradual for airflow, but the old ones work pretty good as they are, actually.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Michael T.
Would you have time to modify (hollow out) four stock Ion bolts? Is it possible to add another O-ring slot to the stock bolt tail for better efficiency or is the fat part of the tail too short for that?
Michael
This is a mod that I used to offer (called the "deventuri mod" if you read about it somewhere) however at the moment I'm not able to perform it since I don't have access to my regular machinery. It involves the use of a lathe which I have sitting in the storage unit....ugggh!
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Cleanworks
I have a virtued Ion and want to install a Magna RF chip on it. Just need to know where to attach it on the board/solenoid, any help or instruction would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Thomas
Yep check this page here: zdspb.com/tech/misc/pulserf.html. It's a page written for the Pulse RF system, but the Magna hardware connects up to the board by the same methods.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Eddie C.
Hi, i want to start off by saying that your site is one of the most informative sites i have seen dedicated to smart parts markers and accessories, keep up the great work. Now I'm hoping my question isn't a little out of place, if so I apologize. I recently purchased a "Smart Parts Ion Max'd" and I've been reading plenty of reviews and also have had friends tell me about various upgrades available. Now from both reviews and friends I've heard mixed suggestions (ie. get this upgrade, you don't really need this upgrade, only get it if and when it goes out on you, etc.). From what I've gathered; the "must-have" upgrades for my Ion are:
1. trigger
2. board
3. laser eyes
4. regulator
5. bolt
6. detents
Not necessarily in that order. I finally buckled and decided to e-mail you and see what your suggestions were for an intermediate player such as myself. All in all I am a bit confused on wether it's necessary to upgrade or not, this is where you come in. Thank you very much for your time.
ps. I have read the entire write-up at zdspb.com and have only concluded that the SP QEV is a must and so I've already purchased that. Other than that I need your recommended upgrades, thanks again.
Personally I think the main upgrades you want to have are the things that are generic. Things like grips, bottomline ASA, barrel, maybe the feedneck if you find it a hassle, and maybe the trigger if you don't like the stock one. There are some nice aftermarket triggers out there though and it'll feel quite different.
Some of that stuff is preference but those are the most important things to me. If you like how the gun feels in your hands then it'll be very easy to use.
I'd say if you don't like the feel of your current reg (large diameter) or if it just doesn't work good, then replacing it would be a good idea. But otherwise I wouldn't suggest it.
Anyways, I think that just about covers everything, so if you have any questions just let me know...
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Jon
Hi,
I'm new to the Ion and you've been a great help so far. I have another question. I have an ion with a cp reg. I was getting severe shootdown until the dwell was set till about 72 or so, the shootdown though wasn't just loss of pressure, the pressure would go all the way down and stop, and wouldn't allow any more air into the gun until I turned of the air, and disconnected the reg. I cleaned and lubed the reg and fired it up yesterday with the new qev and the dwell set at 16. Seemed to shoot air just fine, I did'nt try paint, was using a 48 ci tank with about 1000psi air remaining. Today I tried to shoot a few balls to see how the qev worked and to use up some air in a 72 ci tank with 1000psi air remaining and again the strange shootdown occured again. This time though air slowly leaked back into the gun. Any thoughts? Again thanks for all your info.
Jon
From the sound of it I wouldn't be surprised if the regulator were the cause. Specifically, the base seat might be worn out and causing a problem, or the piston could be seizing. It's also possible it's not reassembled correctly and causing the piston to seize up.
It's uncommon for the reg to totally "bottom out" and not let anything through, usually what happens is it slowly recharges air back into the marker like you described after trying it out again. When that happens the usual course is to clean the reg and pay good attention to the base seat, but if the problem comes back almost immediately (like you said) then it's often a damaged base seat.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: Jon
Hi, Thanks for responding. I think that the problem is the quick release on the bottom of the reg, it seems as if the macroline butts up to snugly and restricts air flow. I will inspect the base seat (I'll consult the manual). I did reassemble the reg carefully according to the directions so I can rule that out. I also have a question about the dwell. It seems that the dwell has to be set so high to avoid shootdown. With stock set up it had to be around 70+ and with a clippard qev its got to run around 30 and that's not even shooting streams of paint, that's at semi auto. I know that all ion's are different, but I'm trying to understand this one. Any thoughts?
Thanks again,
Jon
Yeah you're right, those dwell numbers are a bit on the high side. Since it was high for both QEV and non-QEV, it actually sounds like a solenoid venting issue. You may wish to clean the sol if you haven't already.
Usually the installation of a QEV will severely drop the dwell as I'm sure you've read. The middle banjo fitting can cause a constriction which would lead to a higher dwell when no QEV installed, but then when replacing it the dwell should drop back down. It could be related to the pressure if the input pressure were unusually low. Outside of that, it could be a generic problem like the battery being dead, so you should check that too just to be sure.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]
From: WH
I installed a Clippard QEV over the weekend on my otherwise stock Ion. I was following your how-to set dwell guide, problem was I didn't notice any difference between a dwell of 0 and a dwell of 12. After I change a dwell setting and exit program mode (trigger pull), do I have to save (power off/on) before it will take effect?
In other words, do I, power up, program mode, adjust dwell, trigger pull (to exit program mode), power down (to save setting), power up, disable eyes, dry fire...repeat.
Short answer is, no you don't have to change it for the setting to become in effect.
Basically, when you exit the programming mode with a trigger pull, the "new" dwell setting should be in effect from that point on, even though you're correct that it hasn't officially been saved in the board's EEPROM memory yet. When you first turn the board on, it reads the EEPROM memory and that's how it determines the dwell time, so it has to be saved in order to turn the board on again. But the setting will change in real-time as you adjust it.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]