The main part of the Ion's electronics are housed within a single circuit board located vertically in the grip frame. The board carries out multiple functions. Firstly and most importantly, it houses the main part of the marker's electronics, encompassing the microcontroller and all related components. This means it's the circuit that is "programmed" to operate the marker. The mainboard connects to the battery by a standard 9v battery connector.
When the frame is removed, you have view of the entire mainboard package, as well as the solenoid and internal hose system as well.
Other characteristics of the mainboard:
· Trigger switch: This sticks out the front of the board, facing the trigger right in front of it. This is the switch that fires the gun when it gets compressed by the trigger. The stock switch weight on the board is 25 grams (this is the lowest available return weight).
· Capacitor: The large cylinder on the front of the board is a power capacitor, which is required for the Ion solenoid to function correctly. Please note that it is suggested that you remove the battery when you aren't playing (ie. overnight or longer). The capacitor will slowly drain the battery strength over time. On some boards this will be several weeks, but on others it might drain more quickly.
· Solenoid: Attached to the rear of the mainboard is the Ion's solenoid valve. This is wrapped with red wire (known as the coil) and has a yellowish brass bracket around the back. The solenoid is attached to the rest of the marker via the system of hoses, visible leading to different parts of the gun. For more information about the solenoid and hoses, check the Related Links section at the bottom of the page.
· Wire harness: At the top of the board is a small connector which is where the wire harness attaches. This leads to the other part of the electronics, the Vision daughterboard. Again, refer to the Related Links section for more details.
Board Adjustment:
One of the other more important features of the mainboard is that it is the platform by which the marker's electronic settings (dwell, ROF, etc) are adjusted. For instructions on how to adjust the board's settings, follow the link at the bottom of the page to the adjusting and maintaining section of the site.
Aftermarket Boards:
The following lists all of the current drop-in boards for the Ion, and a list of their features. For a complete list you can consult the manuals & documentation page for manuals on the board function. A drop-in board is one that replaces the stock electronics without requiring any soldering or otherwise modification. Some boards are available without the solenoid so you can swap it on your own, however soldering skills are required for this.
So...which board is best? The answer is none of them. As you can see, most of the boards have relatively the same programming features and other characteristics. They all improve the reflective eye performance. They all fire faster than the stock. None of them are "faster" than any others. Take a look at the features for each board, how they are adjusted, and make your choice from there.
Board Type: |
stock |
Blackheart |
T-board |
Ion |
Ion (M7) |
Ion |
Predator Ion |
| Adjustable debounce? | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Adjustable ramp activation speed? |
no | yes | yes | yes | yes | unknown | yes |
| Adjustable ramp activation count? |
no | yes | yes | no | no | unknown | yes |
| Adjustable eye holdoff? | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Adjustable ABS dwell? | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | unknown | yes |
| Adjustable AMB: | no | no | no | yes | yes | no | no |
| Delayed eye mode? | no | no | yes | yes | yes | unknown | no |
| Adjustable CPF? | no | no | no | no | yes | no | no |
| Adjustable full dwell time? | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | no |
| Adjustable dwell pulse? | no | no | no | no | yes | no | no |
| Tournament lock? | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Battery indicator? | no | yes | no | yes | yes | unknown | no |
| Auto shutdown: | no | 10 min | no | no | 15 min | 6-60 min | no |
| Simulate mode? | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | no |
| Breakout mode(s)? | no | no | yes | yes | yes | no | yes |
| Package comes with hoses? |
no | yes | no | yes | yes | unknown | no |
| Price with solenoid: | $70 | $100 | $80 | $130 | $150 | $130 | TBD |
| Price without solenoid: | $35 | n/a | $55 | n/a | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Smart parts stock Ion board:
· Semiauto and rebound capped at 17-bps.
· Programmable via push-button switches on the surface of the board.
· Firing modes: semiauto, rebound (PSP ramp), three-shot burst at 10-bps, fullyauto at 10-bps
· $70 for the board with solenoid instaled, or $35 for just the board.
Smart Parts Blackheart board:
· All modes capped at 20-bps.
· Programmable via push-button switches on the surface of the board.
· Firing modes: Semiauto, rebound, PSP ramp, NXL fullyauto (additional fire modes can be obtained using the ramp adjustments).
· Speaker for adjusting and board status, also functions as a low battery indicator.
· Package includes Ion solenoid, main board, daughterboard, wire harness, and microline hoses.
· Price: $99 from SP retailers
Scenario Dreams Ion T-Board: Scenariodreams.com
· All modes capped at 30-bps.
· Multicolor LED pixel for programming.
· Firing modes: Semiauto, autoresponse, three-shot burst, fullyauto, Nitro (breakout mode), PSP ramp, NXL fullyauto.
· Eye alignment feature to verify eye functionality.
· Available with or without the solenoid.
· Price: $80
Virtue Ion board: Virtuepaintball.com
· All modes capped at 20-bps with eyes off, or unlimited with eyes on.
· Programmable by holding the trigger while turning the marker on.
· Push-button switch on the surface of the board toggles between locked and unlocked (tournament lock).
· Multicolor LED pixel for programming.
· Lifetime software upgrades for the original owner.
· Firing modes: semiuato, PSP ramping, autoresponse, NXL fullyauto, fullyauto, ramping percentage ramp mode.
· Price: $130
Tadao Ion board: Coming soon. Tadaotechnologies.com
· All modes capped at 20-bps with eyes off, or unlimited with eyes on.
· Programmable by holding the trigger while turning the marker on.
· Push-button switch on the surface of the board toggles between locked and unlocked (tournament lock).
· Adjustable cycle percentage filter (CPF) controls the length of time for the shot buffer in response to the firing cycle (used to control bounce).
· Additional features planned, which will be disclosed once the board becomes available.
· Multicolor LED pixel for programming.
· Firing modes: semiauto, mild ramping, max ramping, PSP two shot burst, autoresponse, fullyauto, NXL fullyauto, and all firing modes available with PSP default settings (ramping modes, burst modes, etc).
· Simulate firing mode to test users' trigger speed.
· Available with or without the solenoid.
· Price: $140
APE Ion board: Coming soon. Goapeonline.com
· Rate of fire adjustable and can be set to uncapped.
· Includes special membrane keypad for the rear of the frame to operate and adjust the board. This keypad includes power, eye mode, and programming buttons as well as status LEDs that are also used for adjustments.
· Tournament lock DIP switch toggles lock modes.
· Adjustbale auto-shutdown feature between 6-60 minutes (or disable it entirely)
· Firing modes: semiauto, 2-5 shot burst modes, modified "reactive" autoresponse (fires 1-5 shots on pull and release), PSP ramping, NL fullyauto.
· Simulate firing mode to test users' trigger speed.
· Price: $130
TAG/KM2 Predator SFT board: Coming soon. TAGsportz.com
· All firing modes uncapped.
· Programmable by holding the trigger while turning the marker on.
· Tournament lock DIP switch on the surface of the board (tournament lock).
· Numerically programmed using LED blinks.
· Lifetime software upgrades for the original owner.
· Firing modes: semiauto, soft ramping, assisted ramping, hard ramping, three shot burst ramping, autoresponse, fullyauto, breakout mode for hard ramping.
· Price: to be determined.
Lucky Paintball Un1Chip board: Coming soon. Lucky-paintball.com
Dark Adrenalin board: Development has been cancelled on this product.
Stock Board Technical Specifications: 
Microcontroller uses an Atmel ATmega48v10MI AVR microcontroller running 5V from a National Semiconductors LP2981 voltage reg.
Solenoid FET signal normally high. The microcontroller drops the signal for 4.04-mS then pulses it at 7.813-kHz for the remainder of the dwell time. Thanks to Chiumanfu for the scope intel.
The solenoid is manufactured by Humphrey and is rated at approximately 4-ohm. There are no published specs for the solenoid since they're not available through the manufacturer for public sale (the solenoid is proprietarially manufacturered for Smart Parts only).
Trigger microswitch is a 25 gram leverswitch, Omron part number D2F-FL.
Power and programming switches are subminiature side-actuated tactile switches, ITT CANNON part number KSS321G (7mmx3.5mmx1.6mm).
Wire harness connector is a shrouded, top-entry, 4-point JST eSH series connector on the mainboard, JST part number BM04B-SRSS-TB (shown in the picture below). The connector on the daughterboard is the same, except side-entry (JST part SM04B-SRSS-TB). Note, I sell the vertical entry headers, check the Store section.
The current eye wire harness is 28 AWG wire, connected between two protrousioned housings (wire terminal housing is JST part number SHR-04V-S-B).
Stock board utilizes a 2200-µF radial electrolytic capacitor to run straight battery voltage for firing the solenoid. Blackheart boards use a slightly lower capacitance to make room for a microspeaker on the end. The solenoid is wrapped with approximately 60-70 feet of 32 gauge wire, then coated in enamel to prevent moisture issues. The solenoid and electronics are sealed and thus water resistant, but not submersible.
Mainboard: (thanks to Massive Entertainment for the first two pictures)
Mainboard without the solenoid, radial capacitor, or trigger microswitch.
Vision daughterboard pictures from above:
Here is a reverse-engineered circuit schematic made by myself and Chiumanfu (current as of November 2005):
Overview:
· The main part of the Ion's electronics are located on a board in the frame.
· The board is slideably removable through the top of the frame, when it's separated from the body.
· The front microline banjo must be removed before removing the frame.
Related Links:
· Electronics and pressure setting
· Daughterboard, wire hanress, and Vision system
· Solenoid & pneumatics
· Microswitch tensioner mod