Thursday, November 15, 2012

Quantum Repeater: Update 1

The Lazer Tag Augmented Reality (LTAR) system, released in August of 2012, has a series of App-based upgrades that can enhance how the blaster performs.  The basic blaster has been called the "Quantum" but there are ways that, through using the iOS Device installed with the Lazer Tag App, you can get performance upgrades like rapid fire, better firepower strength, and ammo storage.

To me, having a physical change with the blaster is much more exciting than having the blaster's performance merely change.  The blaster has to LOOK the part if it's going to be a little more aggressive.  So, I decided to take a cue from the first available upgrade for the Quantum, the Quantum Repeater, and make some physical change to my LTAR's shell to mimick this. 

While this external modification won't be exactly like the Quantum Repeater's design, It will share many of the same ergonomics and design features.  The major overhaul of this design is adding a stock.  To be more specific, it's built from the grip and removable stock seen on the Dart Tag Swarmfire.

The main design hurdle to overcome with adding a stock is getting access to the battery cover.  Thanks to the removable nature of the rear stock on the Swarmfire, I hope to make removing the batteries pretty flawless, although integrating the two shells to be strong enough to withstand the rigors of combat will be my priority.  If I can't find a good way to integrate battery access, I suppose I'll have to live with opening up the blaster every time I need to change batteries which, as long as I put good ones in to begin with, won't be that often anyways.

More to come later!

9 comments:

  1. If I might make a suggestion about batteries, you might switch over to li-po, then wire an interrupt style charge plug. In some out of the way location. You might still have to open the thing, but not nearly as often. MILEStag has some wiring diagrams similar to what I'm suggesting.

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    1. This doesn't work very well with an LTTO/LTX/LTAR system. They use both 4.5V(For the CPU, sounds, and IO) and 9V(For the IR and visible LEDs). Depending on the cells you use, you might need a pair of regulators, and they'd need to be fairly beefy ones, at least on the 9V side..

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    2. Fair enough. There's also LiFe cells which have a lower nominal voltage, on the order of 3.3 per. That's lithium iron phosphate.

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  2. Looking forward to the progress on this. I was hoping to find a way to adapt the Longstrike barrel attachment to an LTAR to give it that rifle feel (the auto function on the base LTAR feels strange to use as a pistol). A stock however was tough to decide upon. The Swarmfire's stock is something I hadn't considered. An excellent idea thanks to its already removable nature and its look.

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  3. Ergonomically this is pretty sweet; keep up the great work!

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  4. Man. A Swarmfire handle and stock pretty much belong on the LTAR.

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  5. I would LOVE to have people around me interested in lazertag...customizing not only for performance for for the BAMF factor as well! Sadly all we do is nerf(which to most extend is all about performance.

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  6. So far as batteries are concerned, you could run wires internally from the upper, thicker part of the stock to the LTAR's battery compartment, and hook them up to an appropriately sized screw-cover AA holder from Radio Shack or an equivalent... I've done it with a Rayven to a larger pack integrated into the "handle" on top, since my hands are just a little too big for it to be useful, and it works fine.

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  7. I am SO excited about this! That is seriously the coolest thing I have seen lately. I really enjoy the way you modify Lazer Tag blasters as well as Nerf; because they are superior in many ways. Anyway, that thing looks super cool. Keep up the work; I can't wait till it's done!

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