CTDYNE: RapidBlast LTX Accessory

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know that Lazer Tag fans have been teased with unreleased goodies designed for the Phoenix LTX since the line was discontinued almost 4 years ago.  To-date the only officially released add-on accessories for the LTX were those that came with it's initial release in 2008:  the Green-Dot Sight and the Shotblast.  These two accessories continue to be popular with our group and are sought-after items by most Lazer Tag enthusiasts.  The Green-Dot Sight isn't nearly as important as the Shotblast, though.  This shotgun-pump 3-round burst short-range accessory has been an excellent addition to the stock LTX and are often the first things to get picked up when we start our games.

But enough about what we already have.  I want to talk to you about what we COULD still have... even after years of waiting.  Best of all, it's from our friends at CTDYNE, my Lazer Tag modding heroes since 2006.  They sent me information and photos about one that they have in the works.

Gold Shotblast (top), Blue TV-Module (bottom)

The original concept was to provide a design and parts list for a printed circuit board that the user would have printed and then assemble. The intention was this PCB would fit into the video game accessory for the Hasbro LTX tagger without any modification to the housing, utilizing the original video game lens and an IR LED supplied by the user. The RapidBlast would unlock the super high rate of fire that was originally to be used on one of the accessories for the LTX that was never released.

We were recently able to complete one of these DIY RapidBlast boards. The project has gone thru a few different hands along the way. The first unit was taken to Fort Flagler this past September for a shake down at the last big game of the summer here in the northwest. After the Fort Flagler event, it was reported the rate of fire was outstanding, but the range yielded from the stock video game optics was unsatisfactory. If the user could get close enough and played smart, they were able to overwhelm an opponent with the super high rate of fire from the RapidBlast.

I have been given the opportunity to upgrade the optics on this first DIY RapidBlast in an effort to extend the range to a more usable distance. I am actually the fifth person to work on this project. The DIY Rapid Blast is such a special accessory for the LTX that I wanted to upgrade the optics and the housing accordingly. This CTDYNE version of the DIY Rapid Blast is called the Counter Sniper Module (CSM). The optics in the CSM consist of a 45 millimeter main lens with a single TSAL-6100 IR LED. As well as a pair of wide spread IR emitters under the main barrel that fire simultaneously. This pair of LED's each have a different spread/range. These are intended for close quarter battle use. Not much range with these but a significant spread of IR light. A selector switch is located on the left side (Labeled S-C) of the fore grip to switch between the main barrel or the pair of CQB emitters.

But the real innovation as far as the optics on the CSM, is the externally adjustable focal length mechanism. The IR LED behind the main lens can be set to different focal lengths in seconds. The minimum setting is 4.0" Maximum focal length is just under 6.0" This adjustment is made by turning the locking knob on the left side of the housing. Slide to the desired position and turn to lock. There is a scale on the outside of the CSM for reference. With some experimentation in the field we should be able to come with a set of dimensions to be used for medium to long range targets.

The work on this project is currently ongoing.

So there you have it!  Not only will there finally be a board that can "unlock" the LTX's potential for an insane RoF, but there's also an awesome custom-built unit with adjustable settings being built by CTDYNE to put this new ability to work in a wide-range of situations.