Paintball QEV's

[PVC Arsenal 17]

I'm thinking of making a super compact gun to fire sharpened metal wires. Since it would be a royal pain in the ass to build a piston that small (and one that could take insane pressures) I thought a paintball QEV might be good. Does anyone know the threading they use and their max. pressure rating? I'm pretty sure most paintball guns run on 800psi.

[frogy]

I'm a paintball gun technician, and I can assure you the majority of paintball QEV's (all that I have seen, the majority being of the Clippard \ Smart Parts brand) are not the same QEV you are thinking off... Basically all the "QEV"'s function in a paintball gun is an elbow...

It's like a regular QEV, but the input and trigger port are connected internal...

I really don't know how to explain it, but a paintball QEV only has two ports... an input and an output...

For your information (if you look into paintball QEV's further) I can tell you that they are #10-32, which is close to 5/32" ... I'd have to guess they're rated for around 400 psi... maybe more. Most electropneumatic paintball guns have 200 psi or less in the breech and solenoid, normally even less in the QEV, which simply serves as a quick-vent after the bolt cycles forward, reducing back pressure into the solenoid.

I can't say I know exactly what the QEV's function is in a paintball gun, but this is my current knowledge of it... Some may be incorrect.

[grumpy]

highest rated paintball qev that i know of.
http://www.palmer-pursuit.com/cart/inde ... ucts_id=65

[POLAND_SPUD]

I use a 'normal' qev at 400 psi... no problems yet...

[Hailfire753]

If they are rated to only 400 psi, and CO2 maxes out at 800 psi, do paintball guns have an internal regulator to step down the pressure?

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Since it would be a royal pain in the ass to build a piston that small (and one that could take insane pressures)

It's easy mmkay

[frogy]

If they are rated to only 400 psi, and CO2 maxes out at 800 psi, do paintball guns have an internal regulator to step down the pressure?

Paintball guns that use QEV's are normally electropneumatic and they normally use compressed air... Compressed air normally ranges from 3000 to 4500 PSI in steel\carbon fiber tanks... Steel = 3000, Carbon Fiber = 3000/4500/5000

CO2 can be at pressure much greater than 800 psi, but burst disk are normally around 1800-2500 psi on most CO2 valves.

All paintball compressed air tanks have a build on regulator (possible screw off [ex: Max Flo tanks]) that regulates the air down to a fixed pressure until the tank goes below that set pressure. Common pressures are about 850 ("High") and 450 ("Low")... I believe every electropneumatic gun has some type of external regulator... Most further regulating the compressed air to sub-200 psi pressures... 140-180 is common.

[Hailfire753]

Are you sure? I played with a guy using an Ion electropnuematic with unregulated CO2 no problem. Unless there was an internal regulator (or less likely, I did not notice an external one), the QEV was receiving 800 psi.

Also, how does a light paintball gun and thin remote lines resist 800-4000 psi when copper is rated for 300 or so? I plan to make a paintball gun, so I want to know exactly what I am doing.

[frogy]

Do you know the difference between an internal and external regulator?

The front "grip" of an Ion gun is a regulator that can step down about 1600 psi to 0... It fairly accurately regulates to the 120-180 psi range, which is standard pressure for a Stock or QEV gun.

What do you mean by a light paintball gun? Most receivers are made out of solid steel or a similar alloy... Some aluminum. I'm not quite sure how plastic remote lines can resist 800 psi, they are obviously pressure rated for that much psi, but I'm not sure what plastic that are made out of... Remote lines cannot hold unregulated compressed air... N2 or Compressed air tanks that are used for paintball have a built on regulator that can be variable or preset. Normally the valves are preset to the 450-850 psi range...

[DYI]

CO₂ can be at any pressure, but at room temperature it will liquify around 800-900 or so, and therefore pure CO₂ won't generally reach over 1000 psi at room temperature, because you can't compress it any significant amount after it liquifies.

And as for the remote lines: the filling line for my SCTBDC is rated for 5800 psi, and it is completely PVC, with an ID of ~.25", and an OD of ~.5". The thinnest available annealed copper tube in 1/4" or 3/8" sizes will be rated for at least 600 psi, and about 1000 psi if it is drawn (this is for 3/8", 1/4" will be even higher). This corresponds to burst pressures of over 5 000 psi for annealed tubes, and over 8 000 psi for drawn (hard) tubes. Convert that to stainless steel, which is generally stronger per wall thickness than copper, and you will see that those thin remote lines don't have to have very thick walls at all.

[socoj2]

Are you sure? I played with a guy using an Ion electropnuematic with unregulated CO2 no problem. Unless there was an internal regulator (or less likely, I did not notice an external one), the QEV was receiving 800 psi.

Also, how does a light paintball gun and thin remote lines resist 800-4000 psi when copper is rated for 300 or so? I plan to make a paintball gun, so I want to know exactly what I am doing.

The Ion ForeGrip is the regulator. If you notice your Nylon Macro line is rated for 1k PSI, Remotes are all Nylon hose combined with Braided steel and a Nylon cover. Which most of them can do 1500 PSI.

You will generally not exceed 1200 PSI witha CO2 cannister, unless you leave it in your car on a 90+ degree day. On all of the HPA tanks. The regulator on the nose of the bottle is Set to High Pressure - 850, Or Low Pressure 450. Depending on the regulator is uses.

If you are planning on using an ION QEV, then i would not pressurize it above 300 PSI.

[frogy]

Are you sure? I played with a guy using an Ion electropnuematic with unregulated CO2 no problem. Unless there was an internal regulator (or less likely, I did not notice an external one), the QEV was receiving 800 psi.

Also, how does a light paintball gun and thin remote lines resist 800-4000 psi when copper is rated for 300 or so? I plan to make a paintball gun, so I want to know exactly what I am doing.

The Ion ForeGrip is the regulator. If you notice your Nylon Macro line is rated for 1k PSI, Remotes are all Nylon hose combined with Braided steel and a Nylon cover. Which most of them can do 1500 PSI.

You will generally not exceed 1200 PSI witha CO2 cannister, unless you leave it in your car on a 90+ degree day. On all of the HPA tanks. The regulator on the nose of the bottle is Set to High Pressure - 850, Or Low Pressure 450. Depending on the regulator is uses.

If you are planning on using an ION QEV, then i would not pressurize it above 300 PSI.

Way to take everything I said about 3 times and restate it...

An Ion QEV will not work for a triggered valve... And technically it's a Smart Parts QEV "360 QEV" made for the Ion... I have one on an Ion I mess around with. I don't believe a paintball gun's QEV will help you with anything that relates to paintball...

I'm not positive on this, but I believe most paintball gun "QEV"s are simply there to allow enough air to the solenoid to reset it's piston, then dump the rest into the trigger frame. Without a QEV all the air must dump through the solenoid, which takes more time through a very small gap in the solenoid than through a 3/32" hole at the QEV.