Originally posted by Jack Wood
OK every one, here's the deal.
Since before Christmas we have been working flat out to get to the root of the cause of the chopping problems that some guns have been displaying. These are the results:
Firstly we found that the material that the red ball detents are made from is not up to the same specification that the prototype detents we used in all our pre-production tests. On top of that, the design of the detent, combined with the material, does not work effectively with some paints, some loaders, and at some temperatures.
SOLUTION:
1) We have completely re-designed the shape of the detent to give it more rigidity in the horizontal direction, but still fit the slot in the body. This makes it retro-fittable to every Ego.
2) We have also changed the material to a far more durable and elastic product. The new detents will not take a set (retain an un-natural shape) if left in a deformed position, and do not end up bent forward after prolonged use. They are also more resistant to fatigue and have higher tear strength.
The new detents can easily be distinguished as they are black, and have wings at the side that fit into the detent slot in the Ego’s body.
Secondly: Reloader B’s crushing fragile paint. This is a problem that has been highlighted by a number of people complaining of “Chopping” whilst using Reloader Bs. The problem we had to start with was that we could not create the problem here at the head office in Manchester UK. We could not, with any of the paint we could get our hands on, recreate the problem. Then, during the week before Christmas, 2 things happened. In RI the Eclipse Factory team came across 2 batches of paint that displayed this very strange break/chop problem. On top of that, the Jaguars, another Eclipse sponsored team, trained with a batch of paint that displayed the same characteristics. At last we had something to work with!
CONCLUSION: What we discovered is a very strange phenomenon that actually affects quite a few different makes of marker out there. The problem is caused by a combination of small gauge, fragile paint, and Reloader Bs.
The actual problem is this: Ball 1 sits in the breech waiting to be fired. Ball 2 sits on top of ball 1 in the feed tube. Ball 2 is being pushed down into the breech by the force exerted by the Reloader B. Because the Reloader B exerts so much force (hence why it is so much faster than other loaders) on the stack of balls, Ball 2 actually protrudes slightly into the breech area. Obviously the smaller the balls, the greater amount of ball 2 protrudes into the breech. When you pull the trigger, the bolt comes forward and pushes Ball 1 into the barrel. The front, top edge of the bolt then strikes the bottom of Ball 2. This is the problem and one of two things can now happen. Either Ball 2 gets fractured by the lip of the bolt hitting it at 300 mph, or in the worse case scenario Ball 2 has a small hole punctured in it, leaving a trail of paint right across the top of the bolt. Ball 1 gets fired, no problem. However Ball 2 is now sat in the breech, waiting to be fired, either already fractured, or with a hole already in it. When you next pull the trigger, be it 1/10th second or 10 seconds later, Ball 2 blows up right on the face of the bolt. This can look like a chop, as there is paint on the bolt (though mainly on the face) and often some paint right at the bottom of the feed tube.
The distinction is that these are not ordinary chops in the sense we have seen before. And it is not confined to the Ego. Our testing showed that other markers have the same problem, to greater or lesser degrees with the same paint and same loader.
SOLUTION:
We have a new bolt design that drastically reduces the concussion on Ball 2. We are now able to shoot full loaders of paint so fragile that in other guns we can only get 5-10 balls out before they break using a Reloader B. In addition to that we have incorporated a clever design that actually forces the detents to return to their fully extended position so that they are ready for the next ball arriving.
So how does this affect you? Well everyone who has returned their voucher will automatically receive their free upgrade pack, which will now also include a new bolt! That means, if you haven’t returned your voucher, you won’t get one!
Please tell everyone you can to get the voucher returned ASAP to get new bolt, new detents, the printed manual and some other stuff.
Upgrade packs will start to ship next week (but expect delivery to be the week after if you live stateside).
If you have any questions at all, contact nick.t@planteclipse.com
Cheers
Jack
Hut ab, PE! Stehen zu Fehlern und machen sie wieder gut! :msmiley1:
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