HPA Tank // Devlog 2: Firing System Complete!

I did it! My firing system using HPA seems to work!

What I’ve done since last time:

• Built, tested, and iterated the firing system until it became operational.
• Scanned a 3d model of the complete firing system.
• Modeled and printed a new stand for the firing system.

The Process:

While I did have a lot of fun making & working on this, the process through which I iterated was quite nerveracking and scary with my process for testing the fire system being:

1. Tediously hand-pumping the main air tank to 1000 psi.
2. Taking everything outside, including a 12v battery, small breadboard, the firing system, and various other piping pieces.
3. Then once testing, I had to prop up the firing system and everything else on two stools from which I would slowly increase the regulator’s pressure output, hoping a piece of piping wouldn’t fly off mortally wounding me.(You can see this in the first image.)
4. All the while trying to figure out what’s wrong with the firing system which included me putting my head near certain parts to try to hear any leaks.

Since the first try everything surprisingly worked!… Except the solenoid valve, which I really tried saving through three different tests in which I even added new parts but eventually I just replaced it with this simpler solenoid and just pocketed the return money to be used for the next devlog.

This also means that the 3d scan and stand don’t match the firing system anymore since I made them before iterating when the old solenoid was still on.

So what’s next? Well for the next devlog I plan to:

• Make a demo of the drivetrain with suspension and one of the two motors I’ll be using.
• Add a barrel onto the firing system so we can actually see how it shoots things other than air.
• Order and setup my rc controls with an Hc-12 module.

I’ve already learned a lot about markdown such as how to use emojis , and I soldered for the first time during this devlog. So I’m really excited for the next one, see you then!

(Second image if firing system without main air tank)
(Third image is the stand I printed out)
(Fourth image is just proof that I was able to get pressure into the air tank)

HPA Tank // Devlog 1

This is a tank I’m creating that will(hopefully) be able to drive on uneven terrain using tank tread, fire plastic darts with a width of 0.5 inches using HPA, and reload without external help, all while being remote controlled.

What I’ve done so far:

• Picked out & ordered the parts needed for the firing system.
• Drew up a basic blueprint of the firing system with thread sizes and some other technical information.
• Made a grossly oversimplified model of the firing system in CAD.
• Made a CAD model for a stand which will hold the firing system during the testing phase.

What’s next?

Once all the parts arrive, I’ll build the firing system, 3d scan it, and test it.

Overall, most of the time I’ve spent leading up to this devlog has been fighting with Hackatime and Platformio to get them to work properly. Other than that, I’m really excited to finally start working on this project.(as this is my first major project I’d be happy to receive any suggestions or helpful tips for using GitHub, Fusion360, Markdown, e.c.t.)