Page 1 of 2

i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the launcher

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:27 pm
by ninja_iga
hi guys

i'm actually in the paintball industry, and i have access to various equipments which i think is great to share with you guys.


i use a paintball HPA tank (high pressure air) the small (48ci) tank that attaches to a paintball marker.
this is always fitted with a regulator, output usually to 800psi (some are low output, 450psi).

from there, using parts from my spares bin, i have a SmartParts Ion (a popular entry level electro pneumatic paintball marker) regulator (most electro marker regs will work) that does between 0-300psi.

i use a macro hose from the tank output into the reg's input, from the reg output i have a remote line (fitted with a 0-300psi gauge) that is about 1meter coiled length, that connects to the nipple on the launcher's hose.
the regulator is adjustable via a hex nut on the bottom.

point of all this is, i have a setup that is relatively cheap, safe, and it works as well as a Scuba setup without the weight!
the tank's about 1.5kg / 3.1lb
i've not tested extensively yet, but i reckon it'll fill a 12liter WRocket to 120psi a couple times :)

will post pics when i got the time :D

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:27 am
by Jelo
cwl dyou think you could snatch a few guns and send them to me? :mrgreen:

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:18 pm
by ninja_iga
my air supply setup.

the red component is the on/off for the HPA tank.

the black long part is a paintball marker regulator. On top is fitted a head (similar to the red one) but with 2 outputs. One goes out through the hose (called the remote line) 2nd one is the 0-300psi gauge.

i adjusted it to 120psi output.
regulator's adjustment is done on hex nut at the bottom near the 90deg macroline joint.

the entire setup is about RM500+ with the HPA tank.

built from parts in my spares bin, only thing i bought new was the red on/off!

try http://www.smartpartsparts.com or your local paintball supply store.


How to fill the tank, one may ask.
simple, fill at your local paintball field.

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:08 pm
by rockets-in-brighton
ninja_iga wrote:
i use a paintball HPA tank (high pressure air) the small (48ci) tank that attaches to a paintball marker.
this is always fitted with a regulator, output usually to 800psi (some are low output, 450psi).

from there, using parts from my spares bin, i have a SmartParts Ion (a popular entry level electro pneumatic paintball marker) regulator (most electro marker regs will work) that does between 0-300psi.

i use a macro hose from the tank output into the reg's input, from the reg output i have a remote line (fitted with a 0-300psi gauge) that is about 1meter coiled length, that connects to the nipple on the launcher's hose.
the regulator is adjustable via a hex nut on the bottom.

point of all this is, i have a setup that is relatively cheap, safe, and it works as well as a Scuba setup without the weight!
the tank's about 1.5kg / 3.1lb
i've not tested extensively yet, but i reckon it'll fill a 12liter WRocket to 120psi a couple times :)

will post pics when i got the time :D

Very interesting, and I think water rocketeers might want to explore this route if it avoids the licensing/certification issues that apply with bottled air like scuba gear. Presumably you could charge these tanks from a compressor, and there is no problem with buying, owning and transporting this equipment?

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:33 pm
by U.S. Water Rockets1
That looks like a great portable setup. We use a compressor that needs a power source or a very long power cord. A portable system like yours would make setup and teardown of our equipment much faster and easier. Nice and light and easy to move.

Welcome to the forum!

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 10:37 am
by SaskAlex
CO2 systems use liquid co2. At normal temperatures it condenses at about 800 psi, if I'm not mistaken. So you can store a lot more energy at a lower pressure and in a much smaller container. If you were using a regular compressor to refill them, you would just have compressed air, and you would be able to fill far fewer rockets. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong on any of this. Anyways, it's great setup if refilling your tank is convenient for you.

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 11:13 am
by ninja_iga
allow me to explain ;)

yes, it's easily obtainable if you know where is your local paintball supply and field (usually fields have the compressor or equipment to fill your tank)
of course local laws apply (but unlike Scuba certification etc) but it's more towards the paintball markers (some classify as a firearm, as we do in Malaysia)
but the tank and the components you see here are perfectly ok.

we ARE building and firing rockets anyway....... :roll:

ok the paintball HPA (high-pressure air) i did not pose the pic yet, allow me to share with an attachment.
our HPA tanks are 2 types, 3000psi and 4500psi tanks.

3000psi are just alloy tanks with a regulator and 4500psi are thinner alloy tanks with carbon fibre wrap (for lightweight and strength), with either a low pressure (300-450psi) or high pressure (700-850psi) regulator which is common.

with my cheapo 48ci 3000psi tank, i tested a few times last week, a single bottle 1.5liters can be filled at least 10 times.
with my larger 70ci 4500psi CF tank, i think it's at least 100% more.


with regards to CO2 tanks, which is quite common in paintball, it's usable in our application too, just use the setup i'm using, and the only reason i didnt use it is because i felt that that Co2 isnt too pressure stable (although the reg should take care of that)
yea, Co2 condenses to gas form in room temperature at about 800-900psi (we're averaging 28deg Celcius here!)


thanks for the warm welcome!

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 11:22 am
by ninja_iga
http://www.guerrillaair.com/products.php?page=2 for the 3000psi tanks

http://www.guerrillaair.com/products.php?page=5 for the 4500psi tanks


these are just examples :)

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:52 am
by fatty_weird
Cool stuffs..
I still using the regular compressor with car battery as power supply..
But due to it can only support up to 100psi.
I need to find a higher pressure so that i can try 120psi or 130 psi for my water rocket.
I think this is useful.
Will discuss with friends then try go get one of this.
:)

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:02 pm
by Spaceman Spiff
fatty_weird wrote:Cool stuffs..
I still using the regular compressor with car battery as power supply..
But due to it can only support up to 100psi.
I need to find a higher pressure so that i can try 120psi or 130 psi for my water rocket.
I think this is useful.
Will discuss with friends then try go get one of this.
:)
If you get a small battery powered compressor that is marked "300PSI", it will probably break down if you try and get that much pressure. The gears get too hot and melt. If you run it up to 200PSI max, then it should work for you without melting.

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:46 pm
by wenjiun
ninja_iga, I would love see your set-up in action, if you plan to have a rocket launch in the future (assuming you are near to KL-Selangor), can I be a spectator?

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:17 am
by ninja_iga
wenjiun

sure thing man.
call me @ 012-211-3039

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:20 am
by ninja_iga
hey guys:
i'm in the Damansara area, i usually launch in the Bandar Utama fields

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:19 pm
by wenjiun
I have sent you an SMS, giving you my contact.

Could you please provide the location of Bandar Utama field in Google Map?

Thanks for you reply and hope to meet you soon.

Re: i use paintball equipment for my air-supply for the laun

Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:15 am
by ninja_iga
ok, just in case:

it's the BU6 field.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 09645&z=17