LTX EF5: Update 5

EF5 learning from his big brother

Broke more ground on this fella and the need for creative problem solving continues to perplex me.  While it can be frustrating, the payoff I get in finding solutions is worth it.  For example, today was pretty much devoted to final wiring/power supply stuff.  I learned from my previous wiring fiasco with the LTX DMR and used it's power supply wiring to solve my own issues with the LTX EF5.

I also figured out a clever way to mount the Strength selection switch.  This switch, used before settings are locked in before a match, designates how much "health" will be used in the game: 10 hits or 25 hits.  The switch is a simple toggle that actually sits safely inside the mounting point for the stock on this.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.  You can also see the mounted Shields toggle switch forward of the trigger in this photo.

The next problem to hurdle, which you'll see in the video below, is interference from the Sensor Dome coil with the main board.  It's making it lag it's firing severely, so I need to either find a shielding solution to stop the electromagnetic interference being caused or rebuild the internal layout so that the Sensor Dome is further away from the main board.  I never faced a problem like this with the LTX DMR because the dome was relocated nearly half a foot away from the main board.  Yay problem solving!

I always plan to field the LTX EF5 at the next game, but hangups and issues have kept me from taking this fella for a test run.  However, with the progress made on this blaster and with a few days ahead of me to get more work done, I may actually be able to do that for our next game on July 18th.  If I can get rid of that lagging problem, the only other thing that would be left would be building the structure for the battery pack.  It's not uncommon for me to field blasters mid-way through to test out how they perform, so I'm no stranger to playing a game with an unpainted bright plastic blaster for a game or two.

Here's the previous updates:

Update #1

Update #2

Update #3

Update #4