Can You Increase The Voltage In The Rapidstrike

This? This is disappointing. Allow'south fix information technology.

First of all, at that place is a lot of talk about motor swaps. The 130 motors that come up with the RS aren't too shabby. They play well with battery voltages virtually 7.2 or viii.4V and deliver quite applied performance. Plus, compared to swaps, they are complimentary.

Finally, this is a guide for how to deal with the bones electric work, resulting in the nigh "vanilla" possible RS build. It's your "Phase one kit". One you know how to upgrade the electrical system, it'south a flake clearer how to add the use of dissimilar motor and battery options, farther switch and control organization upgrades, bells and whistles like pusher speed control strategies and electronics such as ammo counters and selective fire systems, integral lighting and electric accessories, mechanical mods, integrations...

What Y'all Demand

Tools:

Dremel or other handheld grinder
Diagonal cutters (dikes)
Needlenose pliers
Flush cutters
Heat source for shrinking rut shrink tubing
Knife
Phillips screwdriver of whatsoever size that volition not slip on external RS screws and fits into all counterbores on exterior of gun
Soldering fe (30W minimum recommended heater power; no conical tips)
Marker

Materials:

3/16" polyolefin heat shrink tubing
Battery connector of option (shown: W.S. Deans)

Reliability alert: Practise not use Tamiya connectors, industrial/automotive quick disconnects ("spade connectors") or anything not designed for high electric current applications and repeated connection cycles
Be mindful of available space. If you use a larger pack in the stock bombardment box, use a smaller connector such as Deans.

Lead free electrical solder (Shown: Alpha Metals Flo-Temp)

Pb free solder is recommended for higher heat resistance and mechanical strength for reliability. This is not electronics work. If you employ leaded anywhere, do not employ information technology on the motor or switch terminals.

Wire

PTFE (Teflon) insulated hookup wire (recommended): sixteen or 18 AWG
PVC insulated hookup wire or silicone insulated hobby wire: 18 AWG

Cyanoacrylate glue, liquid
Soldering flux (optional)
Full-size microswitch with roller-lever or simulated roller actuator, 10A rated or higher, to fit FCG and grip internals (optional, but recommended)

Other Equipment:

Battery pack

Voltage: NiMH/NiCd: 7.2V (6-prison cell); LiPo/Li-ion: 7.4V (2S); other chemistries (LiFePO4, etc.): like voltages
Minimum recommended chapters: 1000mAh
Minimum recommended continuous electric current rating: 15A
Physical dimensions to fit intended mounting location, etc. (Note: 6 jail cell NiCd/NiMH Sub-C packs, which are common, high-capacity and current-capable, will fit the stock underbarrel battery box)
Example links

LiPo example
NiMH example

Battery charger to adapt battery

Charger example

A note on batteries: You lot demand an appropriately current-capable battery to make the RS perform and take reward of the electrical upgrades we are doing here. I understand there may exist a temptation to cut corners, but here that is a very bad thought. Hither, we take more than current-hungry motors than past flywheel guns (>15A transient at our chosen voltage), an additional load for the pusher motor, and nosotros are shooting full auto (which necessitates, rather than simply recommends, enough torque to proceed the flywheels upwards to speed during rapid fire, and torque requires current). The issues asociated with underperforming batteries are thus magnified even when using basic stock motors.

What the NIC knows equally "trustfires" or "ultrafires" (Li-ion, LiCo chemical science, 14500 or 18650 size cells) are admittedly unsuitable for well-nigh nerf applications they are often seen on (really, any nerf applications except low-load lights and electronics) as they cannot supply the necessary current. This type of cell is merely the incorrect pick for a motor pack of whatever sort (and that is without going into the quality problems of the actual "____Fire" brands) since they are not designed for loftier discharge current and have much too high an internal resistance. Same goes for other types of batteries with inadequate electric current capability, such as alkalines, and some types of low-discharge-rate NiCd/NiMH and Li-ion/LiPo packs out of electronics, lights, etc. which are distinct from RC-type high current varieties.

Bottom line: Those junk toy/flashlight-style bombardment solutions (you lot know the ones) have no business organisation being in your nerf mod. Utilize an advisable RC-blazon bombardment pack. This is non a personal opinion of mine, it is non a fancy upgrade, it is what bones blueprint exercise says this gun requires. Quit griping and making excuses and do information technology right.

Demolition!

Remove the stock battery tray. We are going to discard that, since cell holders take way besides much resistance to exist used here and have no employ on a mod.

Remove these two screws on top of the endcap...

And split the tray. Put it in the junk pile and fix the endcap aside.

Remove all receiver and butt shroud screws and carve up the gun. Do not remove any screws from the stock as its disassembly is unnecessary.

Cut this wire and put the left shell aside.

Remove these elevator-out parts from the right clamshell and put aside: forepart sight postal service, 3 track accessory latches and springs, jam door, forepart and rear carry handle sight tubes, 2 sling loops, buttstock associates (exercise not lose the pin); mag release group (iii parts); magwell liner, butt, twist-lock fitting, battery box cover nut mount.

You should exist left with this:

Both the barrel shroud halves accept these spring terminals.

Pull those out and discard.

Remove the magwell switch push button and spring.

This is the jam door switch. Do not remove information technology from the receiver. Leave it there to act equally a detent and finish the door from rattling. If you lot don't have i of these switches or a substitute device, you will accept a loose jam door.

Cut that wiring.

Unscrew the wire embrace in the magwell.

And the flywheel cage. BTW, all fasteners in the RS are the same diameter and thread. There are merely three different lengths. One of those is a i-off, which goes in the front sight base of operations. That just near narrows it down, huh? Don't waste time sorting screws.

Cut wiring.

Remove magwell switch and PCB.

Discard.

Lift out fire command group.

Get rid of all stock wiring.

Again, this wire is incredibly undersized garbage. You don't desire whatsoever of information technology in your modernistic.

Unscrew and remove pusher box (3 screws)

Empty receiver/shroud clamshell.

3 self-contained mechanical modules in a RS. Flywheel cage, fire control group (FCG) and pusher box.

This un-etched "shield" PCB needs to go.

...revealing a PCB used to wire the flywheel motors. There are 4 axial inductors, a PTC thermistor and some suppression passives on that. And a lot of parasitic resistance. But don't rip it out with carelessness, it'south soldered to the motor terminals. Those are thin sail copper. Very thin. You lot intermission one of those, you are swappin'.

Remove motor agree-downs. As well, cutting off that circular orange plastic (heat-staked) in the middle of the PCB to allow removal.

And unless you have a proper soldering station, go plug in your iron now, because you need to flow that solder to get this PCB off safely. While waiting for the iron to heat upwardly, remove most of the FCG wiring.

Remove this screw on the left side of the flywheel muzzle, remove the condom sheet and discard. This device is intended to forestall locked-up flywheels from mag malfunctions that allow darts to fall forward. There are rumors about accurateness effects of this device, but in the end, it is the root cause of the Vigilante malfunction in which foam compression due excessive push force stops a sprint from reaching the flywheels and causes a subsequent jam. Removing information technology is mandatory particularly for HvZ players and is key to seeing the RS's potential for remarkable reliability in actual use.

Desolder stock inductors/leads from pusher motor. You do not need to practise annihilation inside the pusher box. Also, take that PCB off the flywheel cage.

Use flush cuts to chop off wire ends and solder blobs around edges of the two FCG switch PCBs. Do not remove the PCBs. Doing and so removes support and insulation from the switch legs and makes wiring more than difficult and reliability problems more likely.

Do non be concerned to impairment the PCB edges, lift the pad, etc. Practise not cut or harm the 6 switch terminals - everything else is fair game to be leveled.

Of course, if you lot have the soldering iron ready, you can also clean up the PCB nicely.

Remove completely, grind down, or melt off any sharp edges or points on remaining solder abroad from the switch terminals to avert punctured insulation on nearby wiring.

Remove 2 screws holding the FCG halves together.

Put aside the trigger and spring. Remove the spring from the flywheel switch button and dump in the at present growing spare hardware pile.

Remove these 3 parts. Discard the plastics, and chuck the springs in the hardware pile.

Optional: Cut these diodes (now unconnected) on the cycle control PCB off and discard. These 2 1N4001 are used in stock harness to implement the voltage dropped "pre-rev" when not feeding ammo.

Stock flywheel switch. This "unmarried-contact type" (as found in Barricades, Stryfe, etc.) ridiculously cheap Chinese switch is a very poor component. Poor reliability, not rated for our uses, and a source of resistance.

Extreme prejudice.

I don't unremarkably exercise that, simply I was pressed for fourth dimension and didn't feel similar fighting with clips. Om nom.

Here'south the program.

Some webs and bosses inside the FCG shell interfere with microswitch placement and accept to be removed. Grind these surfaces flat and shine.

Switch push button: Flatten the rear end and cut the tab on the top.

Mocked up switch install.

This dominate (Sharpied black) in the RS grip needs to be cut flush with the rectangular web surrounding it. The boss to the right may demand to exist ground down slightly.

Trim NO and NC terminals slightly shorter on the switch to aid with fitment.

Exam fit in grip with the sling loop added (it is a constraint on positioning). Check for free travel and no rattle at rest.

Mark/trace switch location with marker and catch the CA.

Glue switch to the correct FCG vanquish half. Earlier gum fully cures, exam. Wick some more glue effectually edges of joint and wipe excess with a damp rag to speed cure.

Reinstall trigger and left shell half and yous have a completed FCG.

The stock wheel control and trigger switches are perfectly fine as they are. True, a microswitch upgrade would be more durable, have a better trigger feel and exist more precise and more tunable. The stock switches in these 2 locations are ii-pole models of this class of switch, though - the aforementioned low-cost switch used in the Stampede which rarely causes whatsoever trouble despite high currents. We will bridge those poles together just as in the Stampede, Vulcan, Swarmfire type applications, and we are only powering a single 130 (or 180, mayhap) pusher motor which has a very depression load and average current draw. Then information technology's condom, more or less.

Next. These 4 bosses in the left half of the RS receiver demand to be removed; the bottom 2 footing smooth and flush. The top ii were formerly used to clamp down the FCG, but nosotros will install screws in those existing holes/bosses and become rid of the stock janky methodology here. Less risk of a wire getting pinched and less annoyance during assembly.

Note that we lost one receiver screw every bit a result of the microswitch install. No problem though.

That'southward all for the teardown and prep, folks! Ready to get together and wire.

And here's the pile of refuse from all that.

In this guide, we are building a "forepart-wired" RS. In "forepart wiring", the battery leads exit the residuum of the harness at the flywheel cage area. The just divergence is how the flywheel cage's negative connection is handled and where the battery leads go.

To avoid excessive and unnecessary wire, we will bring the negative battery lead in from the battery box, strip 2 spots of insulation, and connect to the negative terminals of the flywheel motors to provide them a ground. No need for a dissever flywheel negative lead that goes back and splices into that ground wire somewhere else.

If you practice not want to put your pack in the stock battery box and would similar battery leads to exit toward the rear of the gun, omit the negative lead'southward continuation past the flywheel cage, re-route the positive bombardment lead to where you want your connector to go, add a negative battery lead aslope that, and splice said negative battery pb into the negative/ground wire back by the FCG. You lot will see what I mean.

The Build

Since this is a unproblematic electrical system with basic RS functionality and null odd added on, it will perfectly reflect the oft mentioned schematic of the simplest-case control strategy for the RS (courtesy Rexar5/HvZ Forums):

One wire at a time.

Lay out one end of a spool of wire with a few inches sticking out the end of the bombardment box (so you can plug the pack in hands when this is a bombardment lead) and the remainder going back to the flywheel cage area. Utilise appropriate color for a negative battery lead/footing; here, dark-brown.

Note roughly where that wire meets the rear (negative) terminal of the lower flywheel motor. Strip insulation there using a knife and form a curve every bit shown. Find the sppropriate position of the side by side stripped spot and remove the insulation in that location likewise.

Hint, regarding wire: Do not use a commercial wire stripper on Teflon insulated wire unless information technology is designed for this insulation or is loftier-precision and very abrupt. Utilise a knife with a whittling motion to strip Teflon wire and cleanup with flushcuts or pair of scissors. Practise not roll a blade on the wire to score insulation; this tin nick the conductor and increase the adventure of breakage, and should only be done (lightly) for silicone insulated wire which has much thicker and softer insulation.

Do Not cut the wire ANYWHERE yet; go out it attached to the coil/spool. This goes for all rearwards-directed pieces of wire hither; you will cut these to length later after connecting to more than hardware.

Flux and tin (flow solder onto) the motor terminals. Tin the wire joint areas.

Hint: Do not add together additional flux across what is already in flux-core solder when tinning Teflon insulated (almost ever silvery plated) wire. This can cause wicking of solder resulting in hardening the wire and increased risk of breakage. The silver plated copper solders very easily and excessive flux is not required or beneficial.

Solder the negative pb in place on both motors.

Add a similar positive pb. This 1 will not go on on past the cage. Choose appropriate insulation color for switched flywheel power; here, white/cherry-red.

The goal hither is not to expect good. Once more, I was pressed for fourth dimension. If you lot become to the trouble of using ii split pieces of wire between terminals, you lot can get a cleaner install, but this method avoids splices.

Fish a positive battery atomic number 82 into the packet (hither white). This connects to nil in the cage area. Set it at the same length as the negative battery lead end.

Install the cage into the receiver, being careful not to pinch wires. Yous should now take iii wires directed rearwards and ii battery leads directed forwards to the battery box.

Add together pusher motor leads. Keep them flat to the instance as shown! Z-bend the ends if necessary.

Install pusher box and FCG. If anything interferes with pusher wiring, trim; do not damage motor terminals attempting to forcefulness in wire confronting obstructions. Install two screws to hold down FCG in 2 remaining counterbored holes. One shown with screwdriver, other at rear.

Fish wire through this area...

(If you use bulk wire, you volition want to do this before screwing FCG down.)

Here's where you're at now: FCG in identify, pusher box in place, and five loose wire ends.

Catamenia some actress solder on the switch terminals. Effort to bridge each pair equally shown.

Strip the negative wire (brown) in this surface area. Splice in one pusher lead (black).

Heatshrink.

Ground also connects to the rear terminal of the cycle control switch. Agree up that free end of the negative wire to the terminal and cutting to length.

Strip and solder to both poles of switch equally shown.

Road flywheel power wire through FCG clips and solder to NO terminal of the flywheel switch, which is the nice new micro you just installed.

Trim the rib off the bottom edge of the left FCG crush and then wires can laissez passer over this area without beingness squashed by the grip frame.

Road remaining pusher lead alongside and downwardly to center concluding of trigger switch.

Y'all know the drill already. Cutting, strip and solder.

06-05-xiv Edit: I am seeing some RS rewires on the internet where people soldered wiring to the more convenient outer traces on the switch PCBs that are electrically connected to where I solder the wires. Don't do that. I have you soldering straight on pinnacle of thw switch pins for a reason - the PCB trace is a total joke for handling loftier currents and shouldn't be in the circuit.

Add together a lead to the top last of trigger switch.

Route that lead to the heart concluding of bike control switch.

Splice a curt piece of wire into the battery positive wire around this surface area. Route that forepart co-operative toward the cycle control switch and the (withal uncut) length of wire down toward the trigger/flywheel switch area.

Mock up, cut, and solder the branch going to the front terminal on the cycle control switch...

And hither it is once again. Strip the positive wire without cutting it, Z-bend the wire as shown, tin the blank area, and solder to the bottom terminal of trigger switch, once more making sure you get a solid articulation that connects to BOTH pins of the switch and has enough solder to exist solid (audit up close with a flashlight and tug on the wire a little to be certain). Send the wire on its way toward the flywheel switch.

It is finally fourth dimension to cut the positive wire to length. Finish information technology on the common last of the flywheel switch.

This is how your wiring should await.

Install a battery connector on the battery leads.

If you use a 6 cell Sub-C nickel pack (the extremely common vii.2V double stick RC pack), these ribs have to be gutted from the battery box. The endcap also has to be cleared of webbing inside and everything footing off clean and smoothen.