Whilst awaiting the internals to arrive from RSOV for my MG42 and unable to resist the temtation to play with it in the meantime I thought how about fitting some sort of muzzle flash simulation to it. I quickly discounted using the gas gun effect as it would take up all the space needed for airsoft internals, and so thought about having a couple of LCD lights in the muzzle cone flashing in time to the fire rate.
So I purchased a couple of 9V LCD which work fine off the 7.4V lipo battery the gun will use and fitted them to the cone, and tried dabbing the connection together rapidly, result was somewhat 
compared to the gas effect but will probably have to do.
The only trouble is I have no idea about electronics or how to make them flash 
preferrably would like to have an adjustable pot thingy to sink the flash to the fire rate. At the moment it has 2 x 9v lamps wired in parallel.
Any electronic wiz kids out there who can explain to me how to it?
You may be better sensing the bb coming out of the barrel in the same way the Marui tracer unit works.
Dont they just illuminate the bb's in a tracer like effect? Not seen one in action but not sure if thats what Im after 
You may be better sensing the bb coming out of the barrel in the same way the Marui tracer unit works.
Unfortunately the marui system is just on or off, basically a glorified light 
Dont they just illuminate the bb's in a tracer like effect? Not seen one in action but not sure if thats what Im after
the tracer units illuminate the bbs inside to "charge" them so that they glow (much like any other glow in the dark item) so not suitable for simulating muzzle flash
currently throwing ideas together in my head for a solution
Pride, try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5w813td ... r_embedded
[youtube2]C5w813tdMz8[/youtube2]
small ejection of propane and oxygen across an exposed electric spark. Not as safe as an electrical option but a brilliant effect none the less.
Also, I think one of the new madbull tracer units is designed to give an external flash as well as an internal one. Something to look into.
You may be better sensing the bb coming out of the barrel in the same way the Marui tracer unit works.
Unfortunately the marui system is just on or off, basically a glorified light
Not true.
There's an internal sensor that when a bb passes it causes the bright light to flash and so charge the tracer bb.
The effect without tracer bbs is not unlike a muzzle flash... though only bright enough when it's getting dark.
Pride, try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5w813td ... r_embedded
small ejection of propane and oxygen across an exposed electric spark. Not as safe as an electrical option but a brilliant effect none the less.
Yes that was my first thought, its the same effect as a reenactors gas gun uses, trouble is the gas bottles and valves would fill up all the space in an airsoft gun and leave no room for the essential gearbox, hop unit etc
There's an internal sensor that when a bb passes it causes the bright light to flash and so charge the tracer bb.
The effect without tracer bbs is not unlike a muzzle flash... though only bright enough when it's getting dark.
Ah I see, I think any such electical effect will be limited in the daylight, might we worth looking into though if necessary, still hoping really that someone with elctronics knowledge can put me right as to how to make led's flash
Ah, heres the other thing I was thinking about. The Madbull Gemtech blackside tracer. From what I can tell it's just an open sided tracer unit.
[youtube2]MXhCZEWPDMo[/youtube2]
[youtube2]wUeNYE_suRo[/youtube2]
In regards to flashing LED's, I think you need to look into hooking up a series of capacitors and transistors to give that higher discharge rate for a brighter flash. So between shots the capacitors are recharging off the batterys. Not unlike a camera's flash.
Brainstorming with dein, shall get back to you.
Thanks guys, been looking at some picks an vids of the tracer units definately a possibilty, the madbull one comes in a plastic tube inside the silencer and peeking through it I think it could be butched and rewired so that the batteries and pcb could be fitted in the feeder chamber of the MG, would probably have to remake the flahhider on my MG to accomadate the lamps for the flare effect though. probably more expence than I was hoping for but a definate maybe
Time to put proffessinal hat on.
Easiest way is to use one of these.
Its a basic led strobe circuit board available from maplins for about £6.
It runs on 9V so could be powered straight from the battery. In fact if you can connect the unit to the wires of the gearbox after the trigger it could be set up so it only starts lighting once trigger is depressed.
And to get leds up to the muzzle end of the mg i would get the soldering iron out remove the two leds that are in the board then wire up to how many leds you want in the muzzle.
Think in total could be done for less than a tenner materials wise, and too be honest isnt a massive technical exercise compared to the works your doing for the construction of the gun itself.
Could even knock up a basic diagram to help if you like may be a bit of a guide.
Hope that helped
That looks just what Im looking for, pity it does not come pre assembled as im sh*t with a soldering iron
Sweet find. If you use an active breaking mosfet as well you'll also have the piston in the proper position again before each burst, so the strobe and the muzzle report will stay more aligned when using full auto.
can set up it in synch full auto/strobe speed using the speed variable resistor anyway. so no real need for the mosfet mate unless of course thats part of the build in the first place. maybe just an over complication for someone who is a bit stumped by electronics.
maybe just an over complication for someone who is a bit stumped by electronics.
Yep thats me
I've also toyed with the idea of talcum powder in the booster cone that would give some body to the flash when drawn out by the passage of the bb's ,this may make it more visible in day light.
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
Cunning! I will have to experiment 
the trick will be to make sure the powder does not enter and clog the barrel.some sort of cone shape within the booster cylinder area if you understand my meaning should reduce the powder being drawn back into the barrel.
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
That looks just what Im looking for, pity it does not come pre assembled as im sh*t with a soldering iron
I'm just down the road from you, and am a dab hand with a soldering iron...
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
I'm just down the road from you, and am a dab hand with a soldering iron...
Good man may well take you up on that small components for someone with crap eyesight and to many fingers and thumbs just dont go together 
