The sound given off...

[pbsnor]

I am working on a school project on the sound given off by paintball guns (when fired) and what attributes to that... I was thinking about focusing on barrels and possibly the difference between high pressure and low pressure markers but I don't know exactly myself what entirely attributes to the sounds that they give off... I know that if you port a barrel alot then it will give off a loud sound but what else can attribute to that and if anyone had any pictures that I could use in a power point presentation I would be greatful! Thx guys!

[Thourne]

Here is an idea: since this is a class project then setup your computer somewhere you can shoot the gun (with paint) and record the sounds on a decent audio editing program on your computer. Have a chronograph too so that variable stays constant. Then get different guns (you'll have to borrow or have friends come over unless you are rich) like the Spyder (800 psi operating pressure) then get a lower pressure Spyder (600 psi) then get an Automag (400 psi) and a stock Cocker (350 psi) then a LP Cocker (225 psi) then get something that is really low pressure (like sub 200 psi). Fire each one with an unported barrel, a low ported barrel (Lapco), high porting (1 piece SP), then use two piece barrels.

You may even want to do something with barrel length. Make sure you keep your FPS (+/-5) the same on all tests then go into the audio recording software and record the intensity in decibals and put this into excel. Then make a few charts and see if there are any differences or patterns you can observe. Pictures aren't really going to help your presentation, but these graphs will. You might even want to take pictures of you and a friend doing the tests. That way the teacher will know you really did the work instead of making it up.

Good luck, and if you do do the tests post your results here. It would be interesting to see.

[Joni]

Porting = quiet

LESS porting creates a louder sound, at least as a general rule.

[xen_100]

most if not all the sound of a paintball gun firing is turbulent air.

ever hear someone shoot from behind you and that whistle the paintball makes as it flys through the air? that is caused by turbulence.

[abunkerer]

-not to mention the sound on the gun itself cycling.
a tippman with a steel bolt is going to be a lot louder than an autococker with a derlin bolt.
ar far as the "crack" from the air escaping the barrel

shorter barrels are generally louder
barrels without porting are louder (stock unported automag barrel -the loudest barrel ever!-)
-the more porting the quieter the barrel, because it allows air to escape gradually, instead of all at once like a baloon poping. the reason why people don't like barrels with too much porting is because they are inefficient, less shots per tank.

-also the direction of the porting seems to make a difference, the pipe kit has forward porting making your gun sound quieter to you but louder to your opponents, whereas the new carbon fiber stiffi barrel is the opposite with reverse porting.

also a marker that is shooting "Hot" over 300 fps will be much louder than a marker shooting say 250-280fps.

*some people also make a big deal out of the "pressure" of the air before it is released to fire a paintball. Claiming that low pressure fires the balls with more consistency, that claim has yet to be proven, but from my experience low pressure guns are definately quieter. for example the automag regulates 850psi down to about 400 and then releases the 400psi burst to fire a paintball. Some of the new "low pressure" markers (viking) can regulate 400psi input down to 150psi and then release the air to fire the paintball....lower volume of air at higher pressure gives off a higher pitch crack that is louder than a higher volume of air at lower pressure.

whew...sorry, I got on a roll..Im switching to decaf

[deathstalker]

Originally posted by xen_100
ever hear someone shoot from behind you and that whistle the paintball makes as it flys through the air?

I have nothing to add except that is The. Coolest. Sound. EVAR!!!!!!!1

[abunkerer]

yeah, that is a cool sound, especially when you don't hear the gun firing, just the sound of the shots zipping by.

[Morfesto]

Hey here's a great project, you can try and figure out why some marker's CO2 tanks make a ping'ing noise when you fire em.

[pbsnor]

hey thx guys! all of your imput was great - I just had to make a PP presentation and link it to my transmission media college course and I did so by incorperating things about sound and the circuts in electronic markers.. other then that my pp presentation was alot of fun and a huge paintball promo! lol maybe it will turn some people on to paintball!

[hitech]

BTW, the sound a paintball makes is most likely caused by vortices shedding. The frequency they shed at is the same freq. of the buzzing sound.