The following is for informational purposes and is provided to give a better understanding of systems and components used in todays modern Airsoft guns. Any damage caused by the improper use of the below information is the sole responsibility of the user.
Batteries:
Battery voltage (V) is determined by the number of cells in the battery pack. Multiply the number of cells by 1.2 volts to get the pack's voltage, e.g. 7 cells X 1.2V = 8.4V, 8 cells X 1.2V = 9.6V. The amount of voltage along with the cells internal resistance determines the rate of fire of the gun and how strong a spring you can install in the gun.
(We have tested Elite and Intellect cells and found them to provide the best performance for NiMH battery packs)
Battery milliamperage (mah) should be printed on the battery cells. The amount of mah indicates how long you can fire your battery-powered gun for, and how long you will need to charge your battery. Rule of thumb is approximately 1 shot per mah i.e. with a 1200 mah battery you can expect to get approximately 1200 shots before recharging is required
Two of the most common types of rechargeable batteries suitable for airsoft electric gun usage are nickel cadmium (NiCad) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. The following is a comparison between the two battery types
*Comparison Based on Elite and Intellect NiMH cells*
Never pull batteries by their plugs and be careful not to damage the wiring insulation.
Exposing the battery wires to contact with another battery wire or other metallic objects can cause the battery to short out and create a potential fire hazard!
Unplug batteries from your airsoft gun whenever it is not in use.
Store batteries in a cool, dry place when not being used.
Never expose batteries to open flame or break open the cells.
Be sure to dispose of batteries in the proper manner.
Charging batteries:
*WARNING*: Do not overcharge batteries! If they overheat, you could cause damage to the battery and create a potential fire hazard!
Be sure to read the charger instructions thoroughly before charging your battery.
Not all chargers are created equal. Please use the proper charger which is intended for your battery type, i.e. if you are charging a 9.6V Nimh battery, be sure your charger can charge 9.6V batteries and Nimh batteries.
Be sure to use the proper connectors to connect your battery to the charger.
Calculate the proper amount of time required to charge a battery by dividing the battery's milliamp capacity by the chargers charge rate, e.g. it would take a 250 mah rate charger 6 hours to charge a completely drained 1500 mah battery.
Every charger is different, so be certain to read your chargers manual thoroughly before charging your battery.
If you are not certain of a battery's remaining charge and you wish to charge it, place the battery on the charger and check it every 5-10 minutes. If the battery is warm to the touch, assume it is fully charged. If it is hot to the touch, remove the battery from the charger immediately!
Remember, NiCad batteries must be completely discharged before charging again. Use the appropriate discharger to discharge the battery, or completely drain the battery through normal use before charging again.
Adjusting hop up:
Be sure to follow the manual's directions on how to adjust your hop up.
Depending on your gun's velocity, you will need at least 30 yards of range to set your hop up. Try to achieve as flat a trajectory as possible.
Almost all Airsoft Electric Guns have very sensitive hop up adjustments. A minute movement of the adjustment wheel or arm can cause large variations in BB trajectory.
Hop up mechanism can move and shift as the gun is being used. Expect to reset your hop up periodically.
Many factors can affect your gun's trajectory: cleanliness of the barrel, brand of BB, weight of BB, wind, humidity, and air density. Don't assume your gun will fire the same way anywhere, anytime, anywhen.
Cleaning airsoft guns:
*WARNING*: Never use petroleum lubricants or strong solvents and cleansers to clean your gun. Only use a soft, damp cloth to clean the exterior and 100% silicone oil spray to clean the barrel and lubricate the hopup. Maintenance on the internal gearbox mechanisms should only be performed by a trained professional. Do NOT soak the gun in any sort of lubricants or water. Liquids and electricity do not mix!
Airsoft Electric Guns require minimal cleaning. The most important part that should be cleaned regularly is your barrel.
To clean your barrel, take your cleaning rod and thread a .22 caliber patch (or similar sized patch of cloth) through the slit. Spray a small amount of silicon spray to the patch.
Before inserting your cleaning rod into the barrel, turn your hop up off. If you leave your hop up on you run the risk of damaging your hop up and getting your cleaning rod stuck.
Insert your cleaning rod into the barrel. Swab the inside of the barrel with a back and forth motion. Remove the patch from your cleaning rod. Insert a new, dry patch into the slit and repeat the process to clear any remaining residue from the inner barrel.
Once there is no dirt left in the barrel, test fire your gun and reset the hop up (You may need to fire several hundred BB's before the hopup functions correctly after cleaning and lubrication, this is normal).
We recommend you have your Automatic Electric Gun gearbox cleaned and relubricated every 6 months to a year, depending on how heavily your gun is used. This should be performed by a trained professional.
BB's:
Only use premium brand BBs with Automatic Electric Guns. Using cheaper BB's as found in many large sporting goods stores may cause damage to your gun and barrel due to seams, burrs, deformation and inconsistencies in the BB's size resulting from poor manufacture.
These guns are designed for precision 0.20 gram weight BB's or heavier. Any BBs lighter than 0.20g will almost certainly cause a jam or breakage resulting in expensive repairs being required.
Below is a list of GCA tested precision BB's
P-Force
Excel
Tokyo Marui
Maruzen
Airsoft Elite
Digicon
Killer Bee's
Bioval
ToyTec
*WARNING*: Do not reuse BBs. Reusing BB's may also cause a jam or breakage in your gun.
If you are not sure about what BB's to use, consult with a Gamepod sales associate regarding what type of BB's to use.
Loading magazines:
Be sure to thoroughly read your manual on loading magazines.
Make sure your BB's are clean and new. Dirty or deformed BB's can cause your magazine or gun mechanisms to jam.
Keep foreign objects, debris, and dirt away from your BB's and your magazines.
Always remove and throw away the staple from your bag of BB's! They are notorious for jamming magazines.
Occasionally lubricate your magazines by spraying a small amount of 100% silicone lubricant into the magazine.
If your magazine has been subjected to significant amounts of dirt and dust, you will need to disassemble your magazine and clean out all of the dirt and dust, this should not be performed without prior experience.
High capacity magazines are fairly complex mechanisms.
In order for them to feed reliably, at least 50 BB's must be loaded in them.
There will always be some BB's left in the magazine.
A fully wound magazine will typically shoot 50%-75% of the magazine's full capacity before requiring rewinding.
You can overwind high capacity magazines, if the winding wheel is clicking, it is overwound. If a high capacity magazine jams, tap the side of the magazine sharply against a solid surface. That will unjam the winding wheel.
Unjamming airsoft guns:
Airsoft guns typically jam due to excessive dirt in the barrel, dirty BB's, deformed BB's, foreign objects in the magazine or barrel, or overly tight hop up.
In more extreme cases, a gun can jam due to a damaged or deformed hop up bucking, damaged nozzle, or damaged tappet plate.
If a BB jams in the gun stop firing it immediately! Continued firing may result in a broken gear or piston.
Use the opposite end of your cleaning rod (The tip has a slanted angle) Turn your hop up off and insert that end into the barrel.
Turn the gun upside down to look at the magazine well.
Gently force the BB back into the area of the magazine well.
Once the BB's have been cleared from the barrel, test fire the gun without any BB's.
If the gun sounds fine, test fire it again with BB's.
If jamming persists, consult with Gamepod regarding repairs.
Motor height adjustment:
*NOTE* We recommend having an experienced technician perform this adjustment, improper adjustment may damage your gear box.
A key component of proper gun functioning is the motor height set screw.
This small hex screw (typically 1.5mm in width) is located at the end of motor housing, typically located in the grip of the gun.
This screw ensures that the motor is set to the proper distance from the gears in the gearbox.
If the motor is too close or too far from the bevel gear of the gearbox, you will hear a soft or loud whine from the gun.
In extreme cases, an improperly set screw will cause the gun to jam, break the gear, or strip the pinion gear on the head of the motor.
Your motor height is set in place by the factory. In rare cases, the spinning of the motor may cause the set screw to tighten or loosen from its original position.
You may notice unusual noises coming from your gearbox. We recommend you have an experienced technician perform this adjustment, improper adjustment may damage your gear box.
A high pitch whining sound indicates your motor height may be too low.
To correct this, you must turn the set screw clockwise to raise the motor up. Do this slowly while firing the gun in semiautomatic.
Listen for a flat, consistent sound, the same that you heard when you fired the airsoft gun for the first time.
Once you've achieved this, leave the screw in place.
A high pitch, grinding sound indicates your motor is too high, or you have adjusted too far.
Turn the screw counterclockwise to lower the motor while firing in semiautomatic.
Again, listen for flat, consistent sound coming from your motor and gears.
Fuses:
Fuses prevent a sudden discharge from your battery into the gun that may potentially damage your motor or other electrical contacts in your gearbox.
If your gun stops firing for any reason, the first thing you should check is the fuse.
If the metal strip in your fuse is no longer intact, replace the fuse with another one (easily available at your local auto parts store) and test the gun again.
The most common reason for a fuse to blow is low battery charge.
The motor will not turn due to lack of energy but the battery still has sufficient charge to heat up the wiring and blow the fuse.
Replace the fuse, recharge your battery, and try again.
Should your gun become locked up, i.e. your gun will not fire even with a fully charged battery, consult with Gamepod on services to unlock the gearbox and make sure no parts were damaged.
You can replace a broken fuse with one rated up to 30 Amps.
Field care:
\*ATTENTION\*Treat your airsoft guns with care when handling.
Though these products are made mostly of metal parts and are considered quite durable, it will not withstand the abuses and tolerances of a real firearm.
Any type of major impact to the airsoft gun can potentially cause damage that will effect the performance or possibly break.
Avoid direct impacts to the barrels and stocks. Barrels can bend and render the gun inoperable.
Avoid jamming dirt into the barrels. If a significant amount of dirt and debris travels up the barrel, have a professional airsoft Dealer inspect it and clean it.
Use a sling whenever possible to avoid dropping the gun.
After use, be sure to clean the gun thoroughly as described in the cleaning FAQ.
Many external components of the gun are attached by screws. Before and after use, check to see if any of these screws have loosened.
If so, tighten them gently. Do not over torque the screws as that may cause screw threads to strip.
If any parts are damaged or broken, contact your airsoft Dealer about obtaining replacement parts.
Gun repair and upgrades:
Gun repairs described in these FAQ's should only be performed only by an experienced airsoft technician.
Contact Gamepod Technical Support if you need service at 925-755-GAME (4263).
Airsoft guns are designed to perform within certain parameters and tolerances.
Changes made to these parameters and tolerances are not recommended and are done at your own risk.
Alteration to the gun's internal parts may cause excessive wear and tear, and possibly breakage.
Alteration to the gun's internals will void any factory warranties.
Consult with Gamepod Technical Support for more information regarding gun upgrades. |
