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Thursday, September 16, 2010

Nerf Barricade - Internals Guide!

This guide will serve as a reference for the internals of the Nerf Barricade RV-10.

For a detailed review of the Nerf Barricade, click Here.

Nerf Barricade RV-10 - Disassembled




Nerf Barricade RV-10 - Flywheel System Detail




Nerf Barricade RV-10 - Motor Comparison with Tamiya Plasma Dash Motor

59 comments:

  1. is it a direct or reverse plunger system?

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  2. Looks like the grip is empty space. Any ideas on what an extra battery or two wired in would do for performance?

    Also, its difficult to judge how noisy the gun is from the videos available and determine the space around the flywheels. I wonder if some foam for noise reduction would fit in without interfering with any mechanisms.

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  3. Always look forward for your reviews.

    are you going test out if switching motors or increasing voltage yields better results?


    -TCM

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  4. nerf depot,

    The Barricade fires in semi-auto, so the rate-of-fire (RoF) is basically how fast a user can keep pulling the trigger.

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  5. Oscar,

    You gotta be joking right? The internals photos already show that it's a flywheel system... dude, ain't no plungers in the Barricade. :)

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  6. Michael,

    I've already modded it with increased voltage and will be posting up a Mod Guide on it soon.

    The Barricade is indeed a very noisy blaster... i've already tried installing insulation foam within the casing but that doesn't seem to help reduce the noise much.

    One of my priority mods i plan to do is to replace the stock motors with more powerful but also much quieter motors.

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  7. ramiel5thangel,

    I've already modded it with increased voltage which have resulted in good range improvement. I'll be posting up a Mod Guide on it soon.

    Motor replacement will be tested soon too.

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  8. So is the only way to increase range on this gun to increase the voltage?

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  9. aj,

    Yes, increasing voltage in flywheel based blasters is pretty much the main method to increase their range.

    You could mod the spinning wheels for extra grip or customize your foam darts too, but those are mostly additional minor mods.

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  10. good points. also, do you have any ranges yet from increasing voltage?

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  11. aj,

    So far, i've tested with 2 x TrustFire 14500 rechargeable batteries at full charge running at 8.4V and i measured an average range of around 45-50ft with the Sonic darts, pretty good improvement with just a simple battery swap.

    I've also tested it with 3 x TrustFire 14500 rechargeable batteries at full charge running at 12.6V but then the motors simply didn't move.... so i guess that voltage was way to high for the stock motors to handle.

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  12. Could you somehow mod the strength on this gun? And could you post mods for a nerf nitefinder? :D

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  13. memidgety

    If by strength you mean the power of each shot, then yes its possible simply by making the wheels spin faster via higher voltage feeds.

    I have no plans to post any Nite Finder mod guides, but as they are so common, you could just check around the Nerf forums for the multitude of mod guides posted by other modders. :)

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  14. can it shoot micro darts the that sticks on windows and whats stock range if you shoot it with suction darts?

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  15. Jordan,

    Yes, Nerf suction tip foam darts can be fired from the Barricade too.

    Stock range with Nerf Micro darts is slightly less than the Nerf Sonic darts, around 20-25ft.

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  16. How is the Plasma Dash Motor working out? Is it testing as more powerful? If so, how much? What sort of voltage load can it take? And finally, how loud is it?

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  17. Greg,

    Well, i got mixed results with Plasma Dash motors, they tend to take a while longer to spin up and require more voltage to run properly... had to use 12V-13V to get them up to speed.

    The speed is very fast once those Plasma Dash motors get up and running though, but then the darts start to get shredded due to the much higher rpm of the flywheels.

    Sound is still noisy, so that's something that can only be solved with quieter motors.

    So at this moment, i've reverted back to the stock motors with 8.4V for better usability and faster response.

    Still testing other motors and setups though, will post updates of my findings soon. :)

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  18. Thanks SG,
    I've mostly been interested as I'm looking at alternative motors for my Power Strike 48. Obviously I need to invest in good higher voltage rechargeable batteries first though.

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  19. I'd assume the sound is so loud due to the fact that it's covered in plastic. Though I hardly know anything about physics, If I were you I'd try stuffing foam or other sound-cancelling material anywhere throughout the gun's internals, maybe even on the outside if you don't mind compromising aesthetics. And this might be a little iffy, but you could try adding a thin layer of electrical tape or rubber (something with good friction) to the flywheels. That would make the wheels just a little bigger, so more pressure on the dart they're forcing out.
    I look forward to getting this gun when it's released.

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  20. The Engineer,

    Yes, i have tried attaching layers of sound insulation foam on the inner casing of one of my modded units and it helps to reduce the sound a little, though its still quite noisy.

    I guess the best solution is to install quieter motors. :)

    I have also tested applying electrical tape to the flywheels to enable it to fire foam darts with narrower tips too.

    You can check out my Barricade Mod Guide for some additional ideas:

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

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  21. I couldn't tell from the pictures -- are the motors mounted by screws or are they adhered to the casing? If they are screwed in, rubber grommets might help reduce the noise a little. Mounting the motors using foam entirely (i.e. no stiff connections with the frame) would also quiet them down a bit, I'm sure.

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  22. The Mad Engineer,

    The motors are attached to the casing via machine screws.

    Good suggestions you got there, i like your idea of using rubber grommets to reduce the motor vibrations, kinda like elastomer engine mounts in cars. :)

    I'll try it out with some rubber washers and see if it helps to reduce the noise output. Will post up my findings soon.

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  23. Have you tried using buzz bee darts with the plasma dash upgrade? They seem to be made from a stronger foam. I can use those with my barricade at 10.5v and stock motors and they only trips ranges maybe 5 feet less than sonic darts, and there is no need for spacing in the barrels to push them out

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  24. Rolley,

    Yup, i've also tested the Barricade with stock buzz bee foam darts too... but in my tests they were spiraling all over the place and highly inaccurate, especially when fired from modded Barricades with higher voltage feeds.

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  25. Ahh same problem as with Tommy 20s then.. Well done on your research though, very helpful for all nerfers!

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  26. you are awesome!

    this is exactly what i've been looking for

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  27. Ok for some weird reason my nerf barricade wont open and im trying not to use to much force any advice?

    And i have a motor out of an rc helicopter its pretty small and really powerful not to mention silent. The only thing is its round instead of the shape of that motor. Is there any way i can fit it in?

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  28. pete,

    There is a machine screw located within the battery compartment, you will need to remove that screw in order to open the casing fully.

    As for fitting odd-shaped motors, i guess you'll just have to somehow cut or re-shape the existing mounts (or make new ones) so that they can fit properly.

    It'll be easier just to get the Tamiya motors which would fit better.

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  29. thanks, and do you have a nerfhaven acc?

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  30. pete,

    Yes, my forum nick there is also SgNerf.

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  31. cool and one more thing, when i opened my gun then i put it back together the piece of plastic sticking out from the trigger and the other piece that pushes the dart keeps stuffing up whenever i reassemble the gun. So when i pull the trigger nothing happens. When i turn the motor on it cuts out when i pull it, i really need help here please if i wrecked it im stuffed.

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  32. pete,

    I'm not sure what mods you have done or how you went about doing them, but my advice is to just follow the original layout of the internals and make sure everything is aligned and moving properly before closing the casing.

    Also ensure that all the electrical wires are arranged nicely so that they don't tangle with the moving parts.

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  33. I just modded my barricade with 2 x Tamiya Power Dash motors.

    Findings:

    0. There is one plastic pin that is glued in, just before reaching the motor assembly. I realized that the easiest way to open it up is to drill a hole from the side to where the pin is.

    1. Original motors have additional capacitors, and there is also a fuse (self-resetting, which looks like a capacitor) at the positive terminal of the battery bay

    2. I removed the original motors (with the capacitors) and the fuse, and soldered in the Power Dash motors.

    3. On stock 4.5V, the barricade just shot out (not kidding) almost 80ft.

    Due to the high current needs of the motors, the batteries will probably run dry fast.

    Will test again tomorrow in day light and get a better measurement of the distance.

    Major learning: get good motors, will stick to 4.5V for now.

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  34. almost final mods done:

    1. replaced stock motors with 2 x Tamiya PowerDash
    2. removed all caps and fuse
    3. replaced all wires with heavier gauge heat resistant silicone wires
    4. re-sited spin up pressure switch for trigger activated
    5. removed 'dust cover' lock
    6. added extra 4.5V 3xAA batery case in PARALLEL to increase current (increased torque = faster spinup)
    7. removed 'dust cover' pressure switch

    Am getting 80 ft range consistently on about 25 degree elevation. At 45 degrees i keep hitting the ceiling on of place so range can't be measured.

    To do:

    1. install parallel toggle switch to power down the 2 battery bays
    2. I may also have re-assembled my weapon wrongly as the barrel turns the wrong way sometimes when my trigger is halfway, causing no feed of the rounds.
    3. find ways to carve grooves into whistler darts to induce spin for stability and range.

    Stock whistler darts used for all testing so far, no visible deterioration of the darts.

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  35. I cant seem to open the back part of the gun

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  36. Anthony,

    There is a machine screw located within the battery compartment, you'll need to remove that screw in order to open the casing fully.

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  37. do you think the motor swap would make a dif

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  38. christian roche,

    Its possible to replace the stock motors with aftermarket motors that can achieve higher rpm speeds with higher voltages, though you'll have to test to make sure the speed is not too fast that it damages the foam darts in the process.

    As mentioned in my earlier comment, i've test installed Tamiya Plasma Dash motors before and they were very fast, but then the darts also tend to get shredded due to the much higher rpm of the flywheels.

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  39. What is the part/model number of the Tamiya motors used? Thanks in advance.

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  40. keitht253,

    If you are referring to the Tamiya motor that i used for comparison, as mentioned in the guide, its a Tamiya Plasma Dash motor (http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list/mini4wd_parts/kit15002.htm).

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  41. how do you get the front part of the barricade (the part housing the motor and flywheels) open?

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    Replies
    1. d-man979,

      I just use a flathead screwdriver to pry it apart to remove the motor mount.

      Delete
    2. and there is no damage to the housing?

      Delete
    3. d-man979,

      If you do it carefully, there should be minimal damage, nothing that will affect the system.

      Delete
  42. How about you attach A GOLF CART MOTOR!!!!! Have a giant hole through the site with a giant 20 pound motor with a car battery on the other side! You could shoot that thing 50 miles if the darts didnt desentigrate in mid air or the barrel! (sorry, im a total redneck!)

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  43. Does anyone know if there are any suitable motors more readily availible in the US?

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    Replies
    1. Agent1011126,

      Just look for Tamiya Mini 4WD motors, they are usually found at toy shops or RC hobby stores.

      Delete
  44. What about drilling holes in the flywheels... Lighter weight = more torque and faster spinup. Worked on mine.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous,

      Thats a feasible idea too... i guess if you drill enough holes and remove enough material (while still maintaining the structural integrity of the plastic flywheels), it should help improve spin-up time.

      Though lighter flywheel weight also means the flywheels slow down sooner after the motors stop, due to less mass and momentum to keep them spinning.

      Delete
  45. Where can you get the batterys in the middle east?

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    Replies
    1. The Boy who mods anything,

      You can try checking at electronics parts supply stores or at RC hobby shops.

      Delete
  46. Also in your local golf cart store.

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  47. Hi, I'm from China.
    I change the moter with the better ones. It is great under 7.4V. But the battery is damaged easily by the large current.
    How to avoid that?
    Is the chip on the old moter important?Is the small thing beside the battary box necessary?

    please help me, my email: human890209@126.com
    thanks

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous,

      Well, i'm not sure what type of new motors or batteries you are using, but generally when you mod blasters with aftermarket motors, you need to check the suitable voltage and current for those motors.

      You could also try using protected batteries which have a protection circuit that limits the current output (so that they don't overheat and get damaged so easily).

      I'm not an electronics expert so i can't really help much on the circuitry, but i guess the chipboard on the stock motors is probably to regulate the current, and the thermistor on the wiring is to cut off power when the circuit heats up too much, its a sort of safety feature.

      Delete
  48. A question for all you Nerfers, I live in the UK but am unable to get the accessories from any where for the Barricade. I am about to change the switch position and add the up rated batteries. For those of you who find it difficult to open up the area where the Flywheels are, here in the UK we have Bone handle cutlery that have a paper thick blade which is round at the end and when heated slices through the plastic joint like a hot knife through butter.

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