User's Manual

Programming Example
If you want to set the dwell to 20, you should:
1. Make sure the marker is powered off and the tournament lock is
disabled.
2. Pull the trigger and turn on the marker.
3. The LED goes through a rainbow sequence then shows green. This is
the debounce mode.
4. Quickly pull and release the trigger 1 time to switch to the dwell mode.
The LED will show purple.
5. Pull and HOLD the trigger until the LED turns off.
6. Release the trigger. The LED will blink out the current setting.
7. When the LED stops blinking, enter the new setting by pulling the
trigger 20 times.
8. Wait until the LED turns back on, indicating programming has been
completed.
9. Turn the marker off.
Program Reset
A program reset can be used to default all settings by holding down the trigger for
10 seconds while in programming mode. The LED will cycle through all the
colors to indicate the reset has completed. Beware this will also default the board
mode to Viking if you happen to be using an Excalibur.
Settings
Debounce – The M5 AKA board features an interrupt based debounce algorithm
that effectively “scans” the trigger over 2 million times per second. It runs this
completely independent of code execution on the microcontroller so your trigger
pulls are always registered. The debounce setting is in increments of ½
milliseconds. Users should be aware that low debounce settings may cause the
marker to read switch bounce as additional pulls, falsely generating shots or near
full-automatic fire. The setting ranges from 1 to 50 and is defaulted at 10 (5 ms).
Dwell – The amount of time the solenoid is energized each time the marker is
fired. The default is 10 ms. The range is 1 to 30 ms. Too low of a dwell may lead
to inconsistency or drop off, or may not even fire the marker. Too high of a dwell
can cause bad air efficiency. Recommended values:
Marker Humphrey Solenoid MAC Solenoid
Viking 10 ms 17 ms
Excalibur 6 ms 10 ms
Loader Delay – Adds a slight delay after the eye has seen a ball and the bolt is
closed. If not using force fed loaders, it may be necessary to increase this setting to
prevent chopping. A setting of 1 means no loader delay, which is the fastest. The
efault is 2 and may be set from 1 to 25.
d
AMB – Allows the user to adjust the anti-mechanical bounce feature. Mechanical
bounce occurs due to the kick generated during each shot and can cause the marker
to “run away,” firing even after the trigger has been released. AMB helps stop
markers from going full auto when the trigger is pulled very slowly. The default is
2 and may be set from 1 to 5 (1 being off). AMB is only used in fire modes 1 and 2
(semi-automatic unlimited and capped).
ABS dwell – Amount of dwell time added for an ABS (anti-bolt stick) shot. The
range is from 1 to 10 additional milliseconds of dwell. The default is 1, which is
off. ABS programming helps to eliminate first shot drop-off. First shot drop-off
occurs when the lube and o-rings settle or “stick” inside the marker after it has
been sitting. The next shot fired will be lower in velocity because the bolt has to
break free. ABS will slightly increase the dwell to compensate if the marker is left
sitting for 15 seconds.
Fire mode – Included are five different fire modes (default is 1):
1. Semi-automatic, unlimited rate of fire
2. Semi-automatic, adjustable rate of fire
3. PSP ramping, adjustable rate of fire
4. PSP burst, adjustable rate of fire
5. NXL full-automatic, adjustable rate of fire
Setting 1 is normal semi-automatic with an unlimited rate of fire while the eyes are
enabled. When the eyes are turned off, the max rate of fire is set to 20 balls per
second.
Setting 2 is semi-automatic with a capped rate of fire. It limits the maximum balls
per second that can be fired. The cap is set by the Max ROF setting.
Setting 3 is the first PSP fire mode that works as follows:
• The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic.
• After the 4
th
shot the marker will add shots as long as the user fires
faster than the ramp start setting. For example, if the ramp start setting
is 5, the user must pull 5 times per second or faster for the software to
add additional shots.
• If the trigger is released, the marker will stop firing immediately.
• If the trigger is not pulled again within 1 second of release, the 3-shot
semi-automatic count starts over.
Setting 4 is the second PSP fire mode that works as follows:
• The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic.
• After the 4
th
shot the marker will fire 2 or more shots per pull as long as
the user continually pulls and releases the trigger.
• If the trigger is released, the marker will stop firing immediately.
• If the trigger is not pulled again within 1 second of release, the 3-shot
semi-automatic count starts over.
In normal operation, continually pulling the trigger faster than 5 to 6 pulls per
second will effectively give the user full-automatic at the max rate of fire. If the
user stops shooting then resumes within 1 second, the marker will return to the
max rate of fire. If the user stops shooting for more than 1 second, the next 3 shots
will be semi-automatic. On the 4
th
shot it will resume a faster fire rate.
PSP ramping and PSP burst differ in that PSP ramping requires the user to
maintain the ramp start rate of fire for software assistance, whereas the PSP burst
mode will fire at least 2 shots per pull, regardless of rate of fire. Some players
prefer multiple shots every time they pull the trigger after the initial 3 semi-
automatic shots, while others like to shoot 1 ball at a time until they achieve a
certain rate of fire.
Setting 5 is the NXL full-automatic fire mode. It functions similarly to the PSP
fire modes except, after the 3
rd
semi-automatic shot, the user may pull and hold the
trigger for the marker to fire in full-automatic.
Fire mode max rate of fire – The max rate of fire setting applies to the 2nd –
12th fire modes. The max rate of fire is adjustable from 10 to 25 balls per second,
and has an unlimited setting for maxing out the loader system. The default is 7,
which is roughly 13 balls per second. Oscillator inconsistencies from chip to chip
make it impossible to time perfectly, so the only true way to check rate of fire is to
use a Pact Timer or ballistic chronograph. The red radar chronographs commonly
found at fields are NOT reliable.
Setting BPS Setting BPS
1 10.0 12 15.5
2 10.5 13 16.0
3 11.0 14 17.0
4 11.5 15 18.0
5 12.0 16 19.0
6 12.5 17 20.0
7 (default) 13.0 18 21.0
8 13.5 19 22.0
9 14.0 20 23.0
10 14.5 21 24.0
11 15.0 22 Unlimited eyes on, 25.0 bps eyes off
Eye mode – Three eye modes are available:
1. Delayed – The marker fires ½ second after every trigger pull regardless
of a ball being in the breech. This is useful for sound activated loaders
because it makes sure that a shot is fired, even without paint, so the
loader will continue to feed.
2. Forced with force shot – The marker only fires if paint is seen in the
breech or the user pulls and holds the trigger for ½ second, thus
initiating a force shot. This is the default eye mode.
3. Test – This mode is specifically for seeing how fast the user can fire the
marker. The eyes work in such a way as to prevent firing if they are
blocked. This mode is only for dry firing. The LED is used to show
the fastest achieved rate of fire:
Red Less than 10 bps
Yellow Between 10 and 15 bps
Green Between 15 and 20 bps
Blue Between 20 and 25 bps
Purple Between 25 and 30 bps
Teal Between 30 and 35 bps
White 35 bps or greater
As long as the user continues to fire, the fastest achieved rate of fire
will continue to be displayed on the LED. If the user stops firing for 1
second, the LED will cycle back through the rate of fire colors. The
rate of fire is determined by the user’s average of 3 shots in a row. For
example, you must fire 3 times in a row at 20+ bps to attain the blue
level.