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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Nerf Stampede - RoF & Test Fire Update!

Here is an update to the Nerf Stampede Voltage Increase and RoF Testing.

I have test fired more clips and have found that voltages of above 20 Volts produce way too high a rate-of-fire to be able to reliably chamber foam darts from clips and magazines. Although some clips might be able to fire properly once in a while, the majority of clips will get jammed easily very often. Just a slight delay in dart advancement or a bent dart can cause jams to occur.

Testing with 18 Volts provided more manageable speeds, the rate of jams occurring is less but it still happens, especially when worn-out foam darts happen to get stuck in the clips. Not a good situation to be in during a Nerf game!

Overall, i've found 15-16 Volts to be just right in terms of improved rate-of-fire, yet with smooth operation and low chances of jams occurring, even when slightly bent or damaged darts are used. Therefore, i'd recommend using 15-16 Volts for reliable operation in modded Stampedes.

With that note... here is a Clip Reload & Test Fire video of a modded Nerf Stampede running on 15 Volts.

52 comments:

  1. So that's four 3.7v AA-sized batteries in D adapters right? What are you using for spacers in the battery compartment?

    I'm planning on doing the same when I get my Stampede - as well as updating my lonely blog, been too busy with driving/college/work/girlfriend for it recently. Actually on that note, do you mind if I link to Stampede posts from your blog?

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  2. Can you still use the 18 dart clips with it? Also, will the raider drum mag still work reliably with this mod?

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  3. John,

    Yes, at 15 Volts, the firing speed is still reliable enough to fire both 18-dart clips and 35-dart drum magazines too.

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  4. burntcustard,

    Yup, one method to setup 15 Volts is to use 4 x 3.7V 14500 Li-Ion batteries in D converters, then just solder electrical wire within 2 of the empty D converters to create "spacers" which the current can pass through.

    Another method is to simply use a 4AA battery holder, install the 4 batteries, then just put the holder in the battery sled and connect its wires to the sled contacts.

    Check out the Battery Guide that i posted up at the NerfSG forum, lots of useful info there:

    http://nerfsg.freeforums.org/nerf-stampede-battery-guide-t1864.html

    Yup, you can link my Nerf Stampede posts at your blog, just reference it back to my site. :)

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  5. hmm, is it possible to mod the internals as well in the sampede? i might be getting one soon

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  6. RedBaron,

    Yup... i have already done AR removals, o-ring replacements, aftermarket spring installations and also brass breech mods on my Stampede sets and am currently testing and tweaking them for maximum performance and reliability.

    I will be posting up a series of Mod Guides for the Nerf Stampede soon.

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  7. What does happen if you put a stronger spring in it?

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  8. joeri83,

    Adding stronger aftermarket springs will improve the power and range of each shot, but they will also add more load to the motor and slow down RoF.

    I've already completed tests using various custom aftermarket springs and will be posting my findings in my upcoming series of Mod Guides for the Nerf Stampede. :)

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  9. I bought a stampede yesterday and it had firing problems. I put fresh batteries in and still had problems. Sometimes it would stop halfway through a stroke or only start if I held a switch or pushed on jam door while holding the trigger. I thought it might of been a defective lock but all the locks looked correct when i took it apart. Do you have any idea what might be the problem?

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  10. chris,

    Looks like you have a set with faulty electronics, these would be quite tough to troubleshoot.

    I'd advise you to quickly exchange it at the store for a new working set.

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  11. Are you going to post up a full mod guide soon?

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  12. Julian,

    Yes, i'll be posting up a series of Mod Guides for the Nerf Stampede very soon. Stay tuned for it. :)

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  13. Hi SG Nerf\, i just bought a Stampede at the Isetan private sales at $99 but the offers up. looking forward to that tutorial soon. thanks

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  14. hi,would u mind giving us the address or place that sell custom aftermarket springs ?thanks

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  15. Desmond19,

    Check my Nerf Stampede Mod Guide:

    http://modworks.blogspot.com/2010/09/nerf-stampede-mod-guide.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hey SGNerf, can you show me a way to get 15-16 volts for the gun without the SG Nerf forums? My parents don't want me to have any online account. So could you just post it like how you did it with the Stampede Mod Guide?

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  17. BARRETT-M82A1,

    Read my Nerf Stampede Mod Guide, all the information is there:

    http://modworks.blogspot.com/2010/09/nerf-stampede-mod-guide.html

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  18. SGNerf, can you show me how to solder electrical wires into the D battery shells? Also, when you attach wires into the contacts, do you put both wires in and do you just leave it like that or do you have to place some type of glue or adhesive?

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  19. BARRETT-M82A1,

    Why do you need to solder wires into D battery shells?

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  20. SGNerf, you said that to burntcustard on September 6.

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  21. BARRETT-M82A1,

    Oic... well, simply use a soldering iron and solder the wires between the D battery shell internal contacts.

    If you don't know how to do it, then get someone older who has experience with it to help you do it safely.

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  22. Well, I need to modify my gun without expensive equipment. Also, I saw that the wires from the battery holder in one of the battery sled contacts? Do you jus leave it like that or do you need some adhesive?

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  23. BARRETT-M82A1,

    For the AA battery holders, you can use alligator clip wires to connect them to the battery sled contacts.

    Alternatively, you can also use some electrical tape to tape the battery holder's wires to the battery sled contacts too.

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  24. SGNerf, does the 4 slot battery holder fit in the battery sled? Also, how many two slot battery holders do I need to use to make 16-17 volts.

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  25. BARRETT-M82A1,

    A stacked 4AA battery holder can fit in one of the D battery slots of the Stampede battery sled, you can see a photo of it at my Stampede Mod Guide.

    If you want to use 2AA battery holders, just use enough batteries in the holders linked up in series to add up the voltage to 16-17V.

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  26. SG Nerf,

    I know this is a silly question but do I need to take out the AR before I increase the Stampede's voltage? Or can i just straight up change it?

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  27. jhihatjanzen,

    AR removal removes the restriction on air flow and therefore increases the power per shot.

    Increasing voltage speeds up the rate-of-fire.

    AR removal and increasing voltage are separate mods, so they can be done independently of each other.

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  28. how long is the battery life on the stampede?

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  29. Nerf Australia,

    It depends on the type and quality of batteries used.

    Good quality D-size batteries can last for hundreds of clips, while cheap low quality batteries would only last for a fraction of that.

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  30. hey when u went to sg spring did u custom ypur spring? also btw in sg where do u go 4 a nerf match

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  31. lmix,

    Yes, most of the aftermarket springs i use for my modded blasters nowadays are customised.

    For upcoming Nerf games organised in Singapore, check the "Upcoming Games" section at the NerfSG forum:

    http://nerfsg.freeforums.org/upcoming-games-f5.html

    For photos and videos of past Nerf games, check the "Mission Debrief" section at the NerfSG forum:

    http://nerfsg.freeforums.org/mission-debrief-f6.html

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  32. how many TrustFire 14500 do you use? Each one is 3.7v 4x3.7=14.8. Can you clear this up for me?

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  33. Tony,

    For 14500 size 3.7V TrustFire unprotected Li-Ion rechargeable batteries, 3.7V is its nominal voltage, but Li-Ion chargers usually charge these batteries up to 4.2V, so i use 4 of them in a 4AA battery holder or AA-D converter shells to get around 16-17V of power.

    As the batteries are used, the voltage will decrease steadily to around 15-16V for the majority of the firing operation.

    Read my Stampede Mod Guide for more info:

    http://modworks.blogspot.com/2010/09/nerf-stampede-mod-guide.html

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  34. What is the name of the shop you got the trustfire 14500 batteries in singapore? I tried using gooogle but nothing useful came.

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  35. nikhilk,

    I order the unprotected 14500 size TrustFire batteries from online sites.

    Check the "Stampede Battery Guide" thread at the NerfSG forum for more information and links to places to purchase the batteries and equipment:

    http://nerfsg.freeforums.org/nerf-stampede-battery-guide-t1864.html

    ReplyDelete
  36. I've upped my voltage to 12V (two 3x D-sized 6V flashlight batteries), and the gun sounds somewhat loud when the plunger goes back to the resting position. I haven't used it at stock voltage yet (don't have anything that equals 9V...), so I don't know if it's normal or not.

    Would we need any plunger padding if we're only modding the voltage, but not doing AR removal or spring mods?

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  37. Andy,

    Well, the Stampede even at stock condition does produce an impact sound when the bolt returns back to the starting position, this is because the return spring is propelling it backwards quickly with some force.

    If you only modded the voltage for increased RoF but still kept the AR intact and still using the stock spring, then you don't need to install plunger padding.

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  38. I'm wondering how this gun operates on lower voltages...

    I've modded my Vulcan to have a 7,2/14,4 voltage selector, and I'm thinking of doing the same to this gun. (4 parrallel banks or 2 series of 2 parrallel banks of 6 x 1,2v)

    14,4 volts seems to be a sweet spot for this gun, so that part is nice, now only wondering what the lowest voltage this gun runs on it.

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  39. alexanderpas,

    It works similarly to the Vulcan, higher voltage increases the rate-of-fire (RoF), lower voltage reduces the RoF.

    ReplyDelete
  40. what is the fastest ROF the stampede can go without jamming or melting?

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  41. fake,

    Well, as mentioned in my test fire update, 15-16V voltage feed has been tested to have a reliable rate-of-fire with reasonably low chances of dart jams, the RoF at that voltage has been measured to around 6-7 shots per second (or around 360-420 shots per minute).

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  42. Have you had the motor or circuits fail from the higher voltage? I was thinking about using RC car batterys rated at 7.2 volt. I was going to pair two if them for 14.4 volts and allow for a switch to change it back to 7.2 volts on the fly. I just want to know if the motor and Circuits can hold the higher voltage with out burning out and/or how long at high voltage until motor/circuit fail.

    ReplyDelete
  43. commanderbox,

    So far, i've been operating my modded Stampedes at 16-17V voltage feed for the past few months and they are still running well.

    I've not operated them at voltages above 20V for extended periods due to the high tendency for dart jams at those RoF speeds anyways.

    I guess only time will tell when the motors and parts wear out from the higher voltage and firing speeds. :)

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  44. is it possible to remove ARs (on any gun) straight down the barrel, without disassembly? I have a 4 FT set of drill bits and could drill them out if possible

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  45. flameball377,

    I guess its possible if you have long enough drill bits, but it'll probably be quite tricky 'cos there are alot of moving parts in the bolt and plunger mechanisms.

    You might end up damaging some components in the process of doing AR removal that way.

    Imho, its still better to take apart the components and remove the bolt on its own to drill out the AR out properly.

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  46. Removed the AR and have it firing at 18volts, with the 35 drum mag,haven't had a problem yet

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  47. hi i was wondering what size battery pack you used for the smg stamede and where you got it

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  48. imodify,

    For that mod, i simply used 4 x 14500 size Unprotected TrustFire Li-Ion rechargeable batteries installed in a 4AA battery holder box mounted and wired to the Stampede.

    I got the battery holder box from a hobby electronics store.

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  49. How did you connect the 4 AA battery pack???

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous,

      In this example, i simply used crocodile/alligator clips and wires to connect the holder pack to the battery sled contacts.

      Delete
  50. UK people - after a little emailing around, I've found a supplier who has confirmed that they sell AA/14500 size 3.7v unprotected cell:

    http://www.batteriesplus.co.uk/acatalog/Lithium_Ion__Li-Ion___3.7V_Batteries.html

    Quoted price is per-cell. They have tags attached to the terminals as They're intended for building into battery packs for RC's and the like, but you can cut those off easily. They also sell a charger that they've confirmed will power these up:

    http://www.batteriesplus.co.uk/acatalog/TrustFire_Universal_Li-ion_Charger_for_14500__18500__18650__CR123A_batteries.html

    I've just placed my order, so I'll post an update once I've got hold of these and tried it out - going to use a 4xAA cell 2x2 holder and solder in a PP3 clip (Maplin parts HF29G & HF28F).

    ReplyDelete