Air-locking 12g changers?

[MuKen]

I'm only just recently getting back into paintball after a 10 year absence, but I remember back when I was playing before they were selling a 12g changer that uses a ball bearing that locks into place from the marker's internal pressure to keep that gas while changing 12gs and improve efficiency as well as making sure you can still take one more shot if somebody tries to bunker you while you are changing. Are these still made by anyone? I've had a hell of a time trying to find it (in part because I have no recollection of what it was called).

[russc]

It's called a check valve. Pretty sure you can install one on a Phantom bucket changer by using an O-ring and a ball bearing. Can't remember if folks use a spring to preload the ball bearing.

[Grendel]

Yup usually use a very light spring to hold the ball bearing against the seat but back pressure is what provides the sealing force.

[MuKen]

It's called a check valve. Pretty sure you can install one on a Phantom bucket changer by using an O-ring and a ball bearing. Can't remember if folks use a spring to preload the ball bearing.

Thanks!

[DavidBoren]

I don't know of any 12g adapters with a check valve built into them, other than the PPS CART regulator, but you can add one to just about any 12g adapter with a ball and spring behind the piercing pin.

Someone even included a handful of delrin BB's specifically for that purpose in a random purchase from pre-hack MCB2.0, so I can only imagine that it is both a relatively easy, and somewhat popular, modification.

[MuKen]

That does sound pretty simple, I'll try and see if I can modify my own. Thanks!

[Ecapnation]

White wolf airsmithing offered this as a drop in kit for phantoms

[Spider!]

It's called a check valve. Pretty sure you can install one on a Phantom bucket changer by using an O-ring and a ball bearing. Can't remember if folks use a spring to preload the ball bearing.

Also, on the CCI puncture assembly, you can chamfer the outlet side with a drill bit or rotary tool, drop in a delrin ball (Amazon) and back it with a small spring.

The spring helps preload, but it also keeps the ball from rolling around and possibly getting stuck down steam. The small oring in that arrangement can get blown out as well without a spring, coming back on its side. Check valves on unregulated pumps are kind of sneaky since you don't have anything suggesting that there is still pressure on the marker, even though you see there is no 12g.

I like them on regulated setups to reduce total pressure loss thru the reg during changes, thereby reducing liquid carry over.

[Grendel]

Venting off CO2 - That is why I use on my Springfed Phantom an EZ-On/Off so I can vent CO2 trapped in the system. My check valve is in my Micro CA II stock.

[Trbo323]

I don't know of any 12g adapters with a check valve built into them, other than the PPS CART regulator, but you can add one to just about any 12g adapter with a ball and spring behind the piercing pin.

Agd 6 Pak has one built in.

Now granted, at this point they are pretty worn out (6 paks were produced in 1989) but if I remember right I used a reg seat and a pen spring to replace mine and it worked great.

The other thing is with those even if it doesn't make a perfect seal it's not a huge problem since you only need about a half second between 12g cartages. For me it was more about the efficiency of not losing that air that was already in the marker

Also, fun thing to do for anyone that owns a 6 Pak or really any 12g marker, if you are at a field that requires the staff to fill your tanks, just go up and hand them your marker like you are any other player expecting a fill. I had a guy legitimately trying to plug the fill whip into my 6 Pak and couldn't figure out where it was supposed to go

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

[DavidBoren]

I think it's hilarious showing up with a 12g adapter/10rnd tubes and still get divided away from the rentals with the guys that have spaceguns.

Ref: "Electro's and custom's over here... rentals over there."

Me (proudly marching up to the spacegun group with my Tigershark): "Alright..."

Obviously they then count us into relatively equally mixed teams, but the fact that pumps aren't lumped in with rentals goes to show the caliber of PLAYER who shows up with a pump (on purpose).

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

Bound to have people laying paint on you cause they know you can't throw it back.

[Trbo323]

Typically around me it's

If you in your own gear over here

All renters over here

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

[Toestr]

Thread resurrection time! How do you stop the ball from restricting flow when it's aired up?

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[Chuck E Ducky]

Pressure out of the 12g. MonkeyButt customs made a drop in check valve for the CCI bucket changer. It’s basically a small rubber disk similar to a reg seat material and a pen spring. You drop the disk down the bucket hole and put the spring on top. On a change out the pressure from marker pushes the seal down. When you crack a cold one it pressurizes the marker under a light spring pressure designed to just keep it in the hole…

The ball barring and oring act the same way as the disc the spring basically just keeps it all in place.

Also some of the the SI line changers had a built in check valve. Stock class rules eliminated the check valve rules because people were filling massive lines with c02 for an added advantage. Basically people abused it so they eliminated them. Not that it matters unless you play a few specific events. They can always be pulled out if need be so have at it.

[Toestr]

Thanks. I was more wondering about how the bb is kept from going downstream and blocking flow.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[Grendel]

• the check valve seal is spherical so when it unseats the gas naturally flows around the full diameter of the ball naturally exerting equal forces maintaining it in a floating position "above" the port
• there is not a lot of room behind the port for the spring and bearing to move around and when there is a pressure drop to the point less then spring pressure the spring just pushes the ball back to the port
• due to the seal being a sphere it will naturally re-center itself on the port. In the past I would use a deburring tool to chamfer the port to aid in the seating.
• Spring and ball diameter are larger then either of the ports but but the spring ID is slightly smaller then the dia of the bearing so it sits neatly inside the end of the compression spring and the spring holds the bearing off the exit port.

I have also used button head brass bolts to make check valves by using the button head to seat against the port and a small spring around the threaded shaft.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Interesting brass button head I bet would work perfect with an oring polish it up so it seals nice. That might be a good option for ICD leverchager users as the hole is much larger then the CCI bucket.

[Grendel]

None of them in my experience provide a sold perfect seal, it will leak down on its own over time the point is to not lose much of the pressure in the time it takes to reload with a fresh cartridge. Delrin ball bearings work pretty well on their own but don't seam to last as long as metal. I assume it is because of getting frozen at times. I've always stuck with scrap ball bearings (SS) and a couple times with brass button bolts. This is what I have in my Micro CA II right now. When you pull the cartridge you can just barely hear a hiss and for me that is good enough and it'll last forever or until the spring gives out.

[Chuck E Ducky]

The BB is big enough not to pass threw the oring and seal under pressure trying to exit the marker after a change out. Spring keeps it in place but compresses when the valve dumps pressure when shooting a paintball. It will restrict the flow a bit but if your shooting 12g playing SC it dose not matter.

[Toestr]

Thanks guys. I really like the button head screw idea.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk