Revising the APR Line

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
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DX
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Revising the APR Line

Post by DX » Sun Jul 02, 2006 4:17 am

Lucky that I haven't posted directions or many pictures yet, meaning that the change will not confuse anyone. Instead of 5 progressively larger homemades, the names will be based on the pipe size of the top of the pc.

APR 1000 = 1" pc [probably won't bother building]
APR 2000 = 2" pc [current APR 1000]
APR 3000 = 3" pc [current APR 2000]
APR 4000 = 4" pc [currently in progress]

So the name switch only affects two guns, with the APR 500 being dropped altogether. Since the pcs can be any length, this leaves plenty of wiggle room if others want to amend the specifications. It is also not based on whether there is a backpack or reservoir, so again, lots of room for making the same gun with different specs if one wants to.

A sneak peak at the APR 4000 in progress:

Image

Yeah, that's a 4" pc with a 3" reservoir and 1/2" pump. This gun will mean business.
Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:23 pm

Hmm...I like the new naming system, and the three extra zeroes allow for a ton more specification. You could just use this for information about the APR line itself--I don't know much about it, though I probably would if I went to SM a bit more often. Anyway, I have a few suggestions...

If you want to make the soaker a bit shorter (but admittedly a bit taller), you could put the second check valve in the vertical part where you'd hold the gun. It would make the grip quite a bit taller and wider, but there's a possibility it would help--I remember you and NiborDude referring to n00b Killer's somewhat excessive length. Are the large gaps between some of the fittings in the above picture to be filled in with PVC, or will you move them closer together?

I like the look of the gun, but don't you usually have the inverted-T of the PC curving in the other direction? Also, you could slightly rearrange the reservoir such that the reducers are vertical, and then you wouldn't need to angle the soaker at all to get all the water. The tee could be rotated such that a horizontal piece held most of the water, and the top had the cap. However, these are minor suggestions that probably aren't useful anyway. The soaker is a real beast...so I hope it is battle practical to match.

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DX
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Post by DX » Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:56 pm

There's a reason for everything...
If you want to make the soaker a bit shorter (but admittedly a bit taller), you could put the second check valve in the vertical part where you'd hold the gun. It would make the grip quite a bit taller and wider, but there's a possibility it would help--I remember you and NiborDude referring to n00b Killer's somewhat excessive length.
In this gun, I want it to be longer rather than taller. The reservoir must be long in order to store enough water to make this gun useful. Even when using tap/pump, homemades like to drain water quickly. By moving the check valve, I would lose reservoir space.
Are the large gaps between some of the fittings in the above picture to be filled in with PVC, or will you move them closer together?
The gaps are where pieces of PVC will be placed to connect those parts.
but don't you usually have the inverted-T of the PC curving in the other direction?
Yes. That's not the actual T I'm using, that's the only one of that size I have lying around. I used it just for the picture.
lso, you could slightly rearrange the reservoir such that the reducers are vertical, and then you wouldn't need to angle the soaker at all to get all the water. The tee could be rotated such that a horizontal piece held most of the water, and the top had the cap.
The way the reservoir is now, there is an ever-so-slight downward lean towards the back of the gun. It's enough to cause the water to funnel down without needing to angle the gun. Also, the way it is now, the weight of the reservoir is positioned over the center of the gun. Doing your suggestion shifts weight to the back, very awkward when the gun is full, and especially when the pc is empty. Also, you physically can't have that setup and still have the horizontal part of the reservoir sitting on the check valve. It will be up in the air a few inches off. By having it in the current position, I can simply wrap tape around the that part of the reservoir and the 2nd check valve. With it in the air, you need styrofoam and tape, and it won't be as compact and durable. The only way to work that set-up would be to raise the height of the gun via a longer PVC part between the first and second check valves. But that makes the gun bigger, makes you reach farther for the pump, and the such.
Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!

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Silence
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Post by Silence » Sun Jul 02, 2006 4:18 pm

Well, no more questions, then. The design is pretty much flawless and with solid explanations, so good luck with it in battle.

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