Hit detection for Airsoft battle

[JamesRobertson]

Hi all

I hear IR is typically used for battles, but I think airsoft battles would be way cooler. But obviously what is missing is the ability to detect hits.

Have any of you tried to make an airsoft hit-detection system for an airsoft tank battle? It seem to me the way to go would be with vibration sensors.

The hit panels could be fairly small and could be painted to look like ERA or ceramic panels. The microcontroller could be wired into the tank systems to deactivate the tank when it is hit.

And it If multiple panels were used a critical hit system would be possible (eg. if you hit in the engine, the tank motors are deactivated but the tank can still rotate the turret and fire)

I have started researching components to build a prototype. The sensors are pretty inexpensive.
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9196#description-tab

Anyone have some thoughts?

[Ad Lav]

Flying BB’s unfortunately going to be hard to insure at an rc tank meet.

[JamesRobertson]

I take it you mean as in liability insurance for a battle arena?

It would require the same kinds of considerations as an airsoft field.

[General Jumbo01]

Very easily resolved, and more fun. 65mm paintball pellets are readily available from e-bay. Hit detection would be obvious! I am advised they are duly compatible and the ink will wash off. Probably best to use an old model for the battle but that would be the same if you were using normal pellets. Insurance would still be needed.

[General Jumbo01]

Make that 6mm paintball pellets!! My auto spell checker prefers 65 but l think they would jam

[General Jumbo01]

Try a squirt of WD40 down the barrel. It not only lubes the barrel but also seals any air leakage.

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[General Jumbo01]

Yes, but I imagine that the strength of the shell varies with maker so results may vary. I've still got a plastic container with 50 or so of them but there's no brand label on them so can't help there other than they were on e bay

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[JamesRobertson]

I was unaware there were 6mm paintballs, that is interesting. However paintballs are very messy to clean up, even if they do wash off cleanly. You definitely wouldn't want to use them indoors.

Also I would be worried about the the possibility of a jam inside the gun causing paint to spill all over the internal electronics of the tank


The other problem with paintballs from a game standpoint is that there is no electronic hit detection like there is in Infrared.

[General Jumbo01]

Completely agree. So.....

You get a large round cake tin and fit it over your tank. You then wrap the tin in silver foil and solder the foil to the negative end of a 12v car battery which you mount on the top of the tin. Now take a sheet of thin foam and cut lots of holes in it - more holes than foam - and glue it to the foil around the tin. Next wrap the tin in another length of foil and solder that to the positive end of the car battery. Next wrap the lot in lexan sheet to protect the foil. Finally connect a custom made circuit board in one of the battery leads.

When the 6mm standard ball hits the tank/cake tin the foam compresses and the two sheets of foil connect, just like a switch. This sends power to the custom made circuit board which powers a string of bright red led lights and also sounds a siren fastened to the top of the car battery, identifying the hit.

If you want the mechanism to disable the tank, get the custom made circuit board to short out the tanks Lipo so that it explodes, permanently destroying the internals and most if not all of the hull, simulating perfectly the real thing.

Now, pick the holes on that suggestion

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[JamesRobertson]

First fill the tank with gasoline