Quote:
Originally Posted by lupo
This is not entirely true. If you upgrade a mechbox and run it with matching parts then yeah you wont have a problem. But if you choose to run a mechbox with lower end parts and over match a battery (say like running a 10.8 or a 12volt) you will kill the box. I have seen it happen plenty of times , and done it on purpose just to see how long stock parts will last. Typically what happens when you apply too much voltage is that the piston , gears and bushings just cant take the rpm. Usually whatever plastic parts you have (bushings or piston) melt or in the pistons case gets out of sync with the gears and usually ends up loosing teeth.
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Thanks lupo,
I thought that in the context of this thread and from the tone/nature of the questions posted from the OP, my answer was appropriate. I was not referring to "super guns" running extreme voltages, more to the typical realm of 8.4 and 9.6v batteries. In my post I was referring to any
poorly assembled mechbox and intended to use the term "poorly" to refer to any number of things that would compromise a mechbox (i.e. loose/tight shimming, bushing material, piston length, etc...). I think even a mechbox poorly assembled with top grade parts is at a higher risk of failing than a well built one with stock parts, especially (or more so) when pushed hard and fast by a big battery. I might be thinking of things at extreme ends of the spectrum, and over extending it to make a point.
I've purposely destroyed mechboxes (boredom + too many parts on hand = stupid) to see plastic bushings melt/crack/elongate under both light and heavy loads (is surprising how long plastic bushings will last, but when they go...wheee!), with both small and big batteries. I've also seen & heard-of good pistons torn to shreds by Herculean motors pushed by big batteries (so I know the point you're making). Haven't pushed 12v...and don't know if I want to...the way I play I'd be out of BBs so fast that I'd always be at the respawn point reloading!
The only constant that I've found is that you cannot make a bullet proof mechbox (yes we all know the PTW's are the best...we're not referring to them...
). You can make them really, really, really robust and they can last 10's or 100's of thousands of rounds...but I think that even a "perfect" one will fail eventually. Pushing fast and hard just shortens the time between failures. (I may be restating your point here...sorry) I'm of the opinion that that balance of the whole system (mechbox/spring/piston/gears/etc.., motor, battery, magazines) is more important than hitting a set FPS or ROF, if you want a reliable weapon.
Your point of high voltage (10.8-12v) batteries tearing up mechboxes is very valid but I thought that "level/complexity" of build was out of scope for this thread and adopted a beginner/mid-level perspective in answering it.
Still...it'd the person that plugs a 12v battery into their rifle that breaks it...don't blame the battery! Nayh!