| History and basic operation | | | | Reflective |
| The origin of the electropneumatic paintball marker is | | | | Detects whether a ball is present based on amount of |
| the subject of a patent dispute, but is generally | | | | emitted light reflected back to a sensor. |
| acknowledged to have happened more or less | | | | Weight sensor |
| simultaneously with the introduction of WDP's Angel | | | | Detects presence of a ball based on force applied to |
| and PneuVenture's Shocker, marketed by Smart | | | | a rod within the at the base of the chamber, which |
| Parts, both in 1996. The markers were operated | | | | converts that force to an electrical signal via a |
| differently; they were similar only to the extent that | | | | piezoelectric "pad". |
| they both make use of one or more | | | | COPS/COPS2 |
| microswitch-controlled solenoid valves. | | | | A rod pokes up into the firing chamber so that the tip |
| The Shocker used two solenoid-operated control | | | | just comes into contact with the bottom of the ball. |
| valves in order to obtain separate controls over the | | | | The rod is oscillated at an extremely high frequency |
| ball loading sequence and the air delivery sequence. | | | | (imperceptible to humans) by a crystal on the control |
| The Angel made use of a linked hammer and bolt | | | | board, and when a ball falls into the chamber and hits |
| assembly, which permitted the use of a single solenoid | | | | the rod, the oscillation is affected, allowing the marker |
| to actuate the entire firing sequence by controlling a | | | | to detect when the ball is fully chambered. |
| piston that powered the hammer/bolt assembly | | | | Sensi |
| forward, simultaneously chambering a paintball and | | | | As COPS, above, but the calibration of the software |
| releasing the propulsion gases at the end of the | | | | to detect ball presence is automatic. Note also that |
| hammer's stroke. | | | | Sensi incorporates an LDS (Load Detection System) |
| The twin-solenoid arrangement of the Shocker | | | | that allows it to detect presence of balls further up the |
| permitted slightly lower operating pressures to be used, | | | | stack, occasionally allowing exceedingly-fast |
| however the drastically simpler arrangement of the | | | | performance when it detects a full, pressured stack. |
| Angel provided a faster firing sequence, which | | | | Noise activated |
| ultimately proved to be favored by the players and as | | | | Using electronic "ears" hoppers will "listen" for the |
| a result the basic operating principle behind the Angel | | | | marker to fire and feed the next ball accordingly. This |
| has remained unchanged (indeed, it has even been | | | | saves batteries if the hopper is left on, and since it |
| copied many times over by a series of "stacked tube | | | | does not require an "eye," it does not run the risk of |
| electros"), whereas the Shocker has gone through a | | | | impaired performance due to a dirty or obstructed |
| series of revisions that culminated in a complete | | | | sensor. |
| redesign in 2003, and now utilizes a single solenoid | | | | Although it stops excess battery use, when in an |
| powering the increasingly popular mechanical | | | | intense firefight, with nearby players, the hopper might |
| configuration known as a "spool bolt". | | | | load accidentally as the reports of other markers can |
| It is also worth noting that while these two markers | | | | deceive the sound sensor. |
| essentially tied for first electropneumatic markers to | | | | See also |
| market, both designs were pre-dated (by years in | | | | Angel |
| some cases) by a series of homemade | | | | Bob Long Intimidator |
| electropneumatic "kits" that modified pre-existing | | | | Dye Matrix |
| markers such as the Autococker or Sterling. | | | | Excalibur |
| Backlash | | | | ICD Bushmaster 2000 |
| The increased availability and use of these markers | | | | ICD Promaster |
| also encouraged a movement that had already been | | | | Planet Eclipse Ego |
| chafing at the previous technology advances of | | | | Smart Parts Shocker |
| paintball. These players desired a return to the days of | | | | Smart Parts Ion |
| pump markers, ten round capacity, and 12-gram CO2 | | | | References |
| "powerlets". The movement eventually became what | | | | ^ Smart Parts Lawsuit |
| is known today as "Stock-Class Paintball". | | | | External links |
| Necessities of very fast guns | | | | Tech Articles - In-depth articles on how markers work, |
| The Angel and the Shocker exacerbated a | | | | with animations and diagrams. |
| fundamental problem that had been brewing in the | | | | - Extensive tutorial on how the modern Angel paintball |
| sports markers got quieter, with less vibration and kick, | | | | marker works. |
| the vibration that used to keep paintballs from jamming | | | | Review on Paintball Gunsv d e |
| in the hopper feedneck went away. The solution was | | | | Paintball |
| a move to motorized loaders, most notably the | | | | Appendix:Glossary of paintball terms |
| ViewLoader Revolution, which used a paddle to | | | | Equipment: |
| agitate the balls whenever an infrared beam in the | | | | Paintball marker, Electropneumatic paintball marker, |
| feedneck became uninterrupted. | | | | Paintball equipment |
| However, the reality of gravity set in, and it was | | | | Paintball Markers: |
| obvious that to satisfy the appetites of the modern | | | | Angel, Ariakon Overlord, Ariakon SIM-5, Autococker, |
| marker, the loader manufacturers were going to need | | | | Automag, Bob Long Intimidator, CCI Phantom, DD68 |
| to force the paintballs down the feedneck faster than | | | | Redux, BT-4 Combat, Dye Matrix, E Matrix, Excalibur, |
| mere gravity would allow. As a result, modern markers | | | | ICD BKO, ICD Bushmaster 2000, ICD Freestyle, ICD |
| now feature Empire's Reloader B2 and MagnaDrive, | | | | Promaster, PGP, Planet Eclipse Ego, Proto SLG, RAM |
| Dye's Rotor, ViewLoader's VLocity, Odyssey's Halo, | | | | P99, Smart Parts Ion, Smart Parts Shocker, Smart |
| The Q-Loader and the Draxxus Pulse systems, each | | | | Parts SP-8, Spyder MR1, Spyder MR2, Spyder Rodeo, |
| feeding at rates of 22 balls-per-second or more. | | | | Spyder Victor, Spyder VS2, T68 Paintball Marker, |
| Ball detection systems | | | | Tippmann 98 Custom, Tippmann A-5, Tippmann C-3, |
| Two main ball-detection systems were created to | | | | Tippmann SL-68 II |
| ensure that a ball is present in the chamber when the | | | | Game Styles: |
| player pulls the trigger. These systems were needed | | | | Paintball variations, Scenario paintball, Speedball, Stock |
| because, even as the loaders fed paint ever-faster | | | | paintball, Tankball, Woodsball, Woodsball strategy, |
| into the markers, so too did the markers develop | | | | Slingshot paintball |
| shorter firing cycles and more responsive electronics. | | | | Positions: |
| Descriptions of the two BDS's and their subtypes | | | | Player positions (paintball), Speedball backman, |
| follow: | | | | Speedball centerman, Speedball frontman |
| Infrared "Eye" (Optointerrupter or Break-Beam) | | | | Media: |
| Makes use of an infrared emitter and receiver to | | | | Blackballed, The Whiteboard, Greg Hastings |
| detect the presence of a ball based on whether or not | | | | Tournament Paintball, Greg Hastings Tournament |
| a ball in the feed tube blocks a beam from reaching a | | | | Paintball MAX'D, Gotcha! The Sport!, Gotcha! |
| receiver on the opposite side. | | | | |