E-Mag Battery

[Tunaman]

You should set the trigger up so that it has a little play...then the shot...then a little play. If not set up like this it wont be reliable. Always push the trigger to both sides when adjusting the magnet.

[RehKal]

You should set the trigger up so that it has a little play...then the shot...then a little play. If not set up like this it wont be reliable. Always push the trigger to both sides when adjusting the magnet.

Ok. So I adjusted the trigger magnet. Once I adjusted it closer the electronics would no longer turn off, but the solenoid still wouldn't cycle. Back it back off and the electronics once again turn off with the first pull of the trigger.

Edit: In the process of doing this the board went dead without me making any changes and wouldn't come back on. Thinking battery again.

[FA22RaptorF22]

Ok. So I adjusted the trigger magnet. Once I adjusted it closer the electronics would no longer turn off, but the solenoid still wouldn't cycle. Back it back off and the electronics once again turn off with the first pull of the trigger.

Edit: In the process of doing this the board went dead without me making any changes and wouldn't come back on. Thinking battery again.

This lines up with a weak battery.

Fully charged batteries read from 20-22 volts when good. But then again 18 is still enough to run the board.

As you know you can have enough voltage, but not enough wack...like a car battery.

If you can, measure the battery voltage as you pull the trigger and see how much of difference the draw of the noid makes.

[RehKal]

This lines up with a weak battery.

Fully charged batteries read from 20-22 volts when good. But then again 18 is still enough to run the board.

As you know you can have enough voltage, but not enough wack...like a car battery.

If you can, measure the battery voltage as you pull the trigger and see how much of difference the draw of the noid makes.

Allready did that, the voltage doesn't drop at all. What I did was watch the current draw though. Initial power up (when the LCD is lit) is about 40-50mA. After the first trigger pull the current drops off to near zero (as the LCD goes out) With each trigger pull after that the current spikes to 20-35mA which would indicate the solenoid firing (which it does weakly or not at all). After 4 to 5 trigger pulls, there is no longer a response from the trigger pulls, no current at all. Voltage is still there, but not current.

[FA22RaptorF22]

Allready did that, the voltage doesn't drop at all. What I did was watch the current draw though. Initial power up (when the LCD is lit) is about 40-50mA. After the first trigger pull the current drops off to near zero (as the LCD goes out) With each trigger pull after that the current spikes to 20-35mA which would indicate the solenoid firing (which it does weakly or not at all). After 4 to 5 trigger pulls, there is no longer a response from the trigger pulls, no current at all. Voltage is still there, but not current.

Hmm, it almost seems like the current is draining itself out somewhere.

Maybe you can get a variable dc transformer and apply proper voltage to the board yourself and see what happens.

[athomas]

If the battery was causing issues such that it couldn't supply the current, the voltage would have dropped when you pulled the trigger and activated the solenoid. The fact that the current does not go up or the voltage does not drop indicates that there is no significant load.

[RehKal]

If the battery was causing issues such that it couldn't supply the current, the voltage would have dropped when you pulled the trigger and activated the solenoid. The fact that the current does not go up or the voltage does not drop indicates that there is no significant load.

I wouldn't say the solenoid has ever "fully" cycled since I've had the marker. It's more like a half hearted attempt to work or something, like a low or dead battery is powering it.

[ArmyEngineer]

Deleted. You can't measure resistance at the terminals for anything but a short test.

I tried to measure the current draw, but my $12 craftsman multimeter wouldn't cooperate. If I can find my collection of resistors, I can get you a good number.

(For those of you reading with no experience in the department, a low value (1-10 ohms) resistor can be used to determine the current draw instead of using an ammeter, which can introduce meter loading problems. Connect the resistor in series with your source and measure the voltage drop across the little guy. Then to find your current, divide by the value of the resistor, since V=IR.)

[athomas]

It may be a dead battery, but that is not the indication based on the voltage and current readings you are giving us. If your voltage and current readings are correct, then something else is causing your problems. It could be a bad component on the board itself.

[athomas]

(For those of you reading with no experience in the department, a low value (1-10 ohms) resistor can be used to determine the current draw instead of using an ammeter, which can introduce meter loading problems. Connect the resistor in series with your source and measure the voltage drop across the little guy. Then to find your current, divide by the value of the resistor, since V=IR.)

This may work for a powered board, but not if you fire it. The one problem with that, is the peak current draw of the solenoid is couple of amps. Fed through a 10 ohm resistor, all of the voltage would drop across the resistor. A current meter is partial ohms. It may introduce loading, but not that bad for what you would be using it for.

I would direct connect a ground source from the battery to the ground on the board. Then I would direct connect the battery + to the positive input on the board. This would eliminate any external wiring that may be causing problems.

[athomas]

I don't mean to bear any bad news, but I just checked the resistance across the terminals of my two markers, They both read 65k ohms give or take a k.

Different meters will measure complex loads differently depending on the voltages and the current limitations of the resistance measuring circuit within the meter. They aren't meant for measuring that kind of resistance, only real resistance such as a resistor.

[RehKal]

Hmm.. Ok. After playing with the board a bit more. I put the electronics into full auto and pulled the trigger. The electronics are working, I can hear a faint clicking sound as the electronics attempt to fire the solenoid. The solenoid is not firing.

Is there an easy way to check the solenoid?

and.. finally.. how DO you remove it?

[ArmyEngineer]

This may work for a powered board, but not if you fire it. The one problem with that, is the peak current draw of the solenoid is couple of amps. Fed through a 10 ohm resistor, all of the voltage would drop across the resistor. A current meter is partial ohms. It may introduce loading, but not that bad for what you would be using it for.

I would direct connect a ground source from the battery to the ground on the board. Then I would direct connect the battery + to the positive input on the board. This would eliminate any external wiring that may be causing problems.

Smaller resistor then. or stick a few in parallel. It's all proportional. My ammeter's resistance is too high, and I can't even get lights.

athomas is right about the resistance reading. I don't know what I was thinking. You can't do that. It's not just a simple blackboxable circuit. But at least you know your + terminal isn't shorted to the frame. :)

Rehkal, are you lifting the sear when you fire? It sounds silly, but it has been overlooked before.

[RehKal]

Smaller resistor then. or stick a few in parallel. It's all proportional. My ammeter's resistance is too high, and I can't even get lights.

Rehkal, are you lifting the sear when you fire? It sounds silly, but it has been overlooked before. :)

Uhhh... no. With the marker fully assembled there isn't really a way to do that. It won't fire when aired up either.

[ArmyEngineer]

Uhhh... no. With the marker fully assembled there isn't really a way to do that. It won't fire when aired up either.

Oh, well the solenoid should read around 3 ohms, so thats good. I think you can trip it with three AA batteries in series. If you take the lowers off of the marker and remove the rail, you should be able to lift the rear of the sear up with your finger, pull the trigger, and have it click back down. You won't hurt yourself.