LTX EF5: Update #1

This is the start of my latest laser tag recasing project.  I hadn't planned on doing many more recasings since I expected our Arduino-run laser tag blasters to be out and about by now, but in the wake of delays and setbacks, I'm not about to sit back and take a vacation from modding.  While the Arduino is still in development, I'm tackling another project to keep me busy.  I started work today on this new laser tag blaster I call the LTX EF5!

It's name stems from the fact that this blaster is built from a Super Soaker Tornado Strike. Living in the heartland of America, I'm no stranger to Tornadoes so I thought it was fitting to build this blaster in the center of Tornado Alley. The "EF5" designation I've given this is the strongest categorization that can be given to a tornado using the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale). This system rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause. This LTX EF5 is being designed to deliver just that, as it'll be utilizing a long-range lens that has a history of mopping up players in laser tag matches. My friend Sundawg has one of these lenses, built by LazerBait, installed on his "Ultimate LTX". The large spinning barrel system of the Tornado Strike makes a perfect fit for this large lens housing, so the rest is up to me!

This project will be much more difficult than the LTX DMR in that the Tornado Strike lacks any sort of electrical layout so it'll be up to me to install all of these features.  I've done this before with Laser Challenge recasings, but that system was much more simplistic.  I'll have to install all of the electrical components, including building a trigger. It'll be much more labor-intensive, but I'm hoping my experience with recasings this far will carry me through the LTX EF5 project without too many headaches.

Unlike the LTX DMR project, I'll be doing all my video updates directly from this blog, so this is the only place you'll be able to see the videos of it's progress.  (I'm holding out on my 100th YouTube video for something a little more significant!)  So keep it here!