I've got an Ego 7 with some bad wire splicing, and I'd like to replace it. Does anyone have an old solenoid they don't need? It's fine if the solenoid doesn't work. I literally just need the top part where the wires connect. And the little white lead that plugs into the board.
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I bet you could find just the wires at a electronics supply store if that’s all you need. What replaced RadioShack? The noids for 07-80 are super pricy and hard to find due to people blowing holes in them with aftermarket grips and to long of screws. They are also no longer made.
a lot of cordless phone batteries use the same plug. I may have something that will work in my parts bin. It’s an old eye wire that someone pinched in a frame but the wires and plug is still good. -
Yeah, I realize it's a long shot. But I also know that lots of guys don't throw away the broken solenoids when they replace them. So maybe I'll get lucky.
And thanks for mentioning radio shack. I didn't even think of that. We have a little mom-and-pop electronics store in town, so I'm gonna check there. Maybe they have something that will work.
If that doesn't work, I'll definitely send you a message, Chuck E.View my feedback or read about my Virginia woodsball club.
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I have new eye wires coming for my Dye dam the plug looks identical to the 08 noid I have. Let me know if you can’t find something local. I can send you what I got see if it works for you.Comment
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These things are worth there weight in gold to for splicing. Im sure you could find them in smaller packages.
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the connector on ego solinoids are very common. iirc they can be found easily with wires already attached.
I *think* they are jst 1.5mm connectors. measure the distance between the pins.
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You're spot on. JST 1.5 mm connectors.Originally posted by caylegeorge View Post
Thanks again for all the help, guys.View my feedback or read about my Virginia woodsball club.
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So here's something interesting.
I happen to have a contact at an automation company that sells MAC solenoids. I've been buying MAC solenoids for years to use in my pneumags. Usually I only use the valve part and throw away the electronic components. So I ask my guy if he can get his hands on the Ego 7 solenoid (a MAC-43A), and he says no, of course, because it's proprietary and the rules say he can't sell me one, but then he says, "Have you looked at the MAC-33A?" Then he explains that the 33A is somewhat new. It wasn't around when Planet Eclipse was making the Ego 7. But it's easy to get now, and it has all the right specs (watts, volts, psi output, ets.). It's also a LOT cheaper. The only problem is that it might not fit inside the frame. Based on the dimensions he sent me, it's gonna be tight.
But, I still ordered one anyway. I'm gonna see what happens, and if it works, this might be a viable replacement for the Ego 7 noids. Pretty sweet.View my feedback or read about my Virginia woodsball club.
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Quick update:
So far progress is going well. I finally got the new MAC solenoid in the mail, I bought some of these connectors, I spliced everything together, and the Ego is working again. Well, sort of. I'm still having some pretty severe velocity issues, but I think that's because of the HPR. I think I'm missing some of the Belleville washers that are supposed to be in there. So, now I'm looking for replacement washers and I'll update the post again once I have that all sorted out.
In the meantime, I have a question about wires. The wires that came attached to the MAC solenoids are about twice as thick as the wires that came attached to the JST connectors. They seem to be working fine, but is the different gauge going to cause problems down the line? Regardless, I'd like to get some connectors with thicker wires, but I'm not sure what to look for.View my feedback or read about my Virginia woodsball club.
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rawbutter Where did you find a new solenoid that fits the ego 7? Is there a replacement now? Do you have a link
Different gauge wire shouldn't cause an issue here imo. The current draw on that iirc should not be very high. *if* it were a problem, the thinner jst wires would act as a fuse and go up in smoke and the rest of the marker would be protected imo.
If you want to be sure all is good, cycle the solenoid (no air needed) fast for a few seconds and then feel the wires. If they didn't get warm, you are good
If you really want to be sure, look up what gauge wire was used on the jst connectors, then look up a table online for the current rating of wire of that gauge over the length. Compare that to the current rating/draw of the specs on the solenoid if you can find them.Comment
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Unfortunately I don't have a link that I can share yet. I've got a guy that I call. Literally. He works for a local automation firm (the kind of place that develops and builds robots for assembly lines). I met him a few years ago when I first started building pneumags, and he's been really great helping me navigate the world of industrial parts. Most of these parts aren't on websites, though. They're still in catalogs, and reading the catalogs is like reading another language. If you don't know what all the codes mean, you can never find what you're looking for.
But fear not. I'm going to talk to him about this and maybe get an email address to share with anyone who wants to order one of these in the future. But if that doesn't work, I can at least order a bunch of these solenoids and then resell them to anyone else that wants one. I don't know exactly what the price will be yet, but it will hopefully be less than $100.
Before that happens, though, I need to figure out the air fittings. I have the Ego working with the new solenoid, but it's a mess inside the frame. Wires and hoses everywhere. There's no way I can get the grips on. That's because the new solenoid is configured differently than the old solenoid. The old solenoid looks like this, with the manifold connected to the solenoid in a T style. But the new solenoids look more like this, like a domino. The air lines can't be run the same way as before, or else the solenoid would stick out of the side of the frame. So, I need to look around and find some new fittings, and I have to figure out this velocity issue (just to be sure it's the HPR and not the solenoid causing the issues). Then I'll figure out how to share the new solenoids with everyone else.
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Well, crap. Bad news.
I thought that I would be able to fit the new solenoid inside the Ego frame, but unfortunately it's just a tiny bit too big. Like 2 millimeters too big. Crap crap crap.
This is the new solenoid.
Looks tight, and I have no idea where the hoses will go, but I should be able to figure it out. Right?
Nope. Just a tad too big. The bottom of the body is flush with the top of the frame, so that little part of the elbow fitting sticking out the top is just too much. And I can't push the solenoid down any farther because the other fitting is already pushing against the microswitch.
*sigh*
There is a silver lining to this. The electrical part of the new solenoid does work with the manifold from the old solenoid. It bolts right on. So if you've got an Ego 7 with a busted solenoid, but you think the manifold part still works without leaking, then this new electrical cap might sort you out.
I've also got another idea about how to get the whole new solenoid attached, but it's going to involve milling the frame. Stay tuned for that.
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By the way, can one of the mods rename this thread into "rebuilding a 2007 Ego" or something like that? I've moved the thread out of the WTB section since it's turned into something else, but I can't change the title. (Or if I can change the title, I don't know how.)View my feedback or read about my Virginia woodsball club.
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Also, you could just remove the microswitch and use the optical switch if that gives you the clearance you need.,Comment
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Well, I wish I had better news, but this thing is still stumping me. I got some new regulator piston seats from Doc, which fit great, and I got some new regulator springs from a small PA company, but that didn't fix the HPR. It feeds enough air to move the bolt, but that's it. I can't get it to output more air. It doesn't matter how much I turn the adjuster screw at the bottom of the HPR. It doesn't seem to change the output.
I guess the next step is to find a different HPR to slap on there and see if that does anything. Unless someone else has some better ideas.
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Do you have a pressure tester? I would put that on the reg to confirm that is the issue and not something further down the line. If not, a different reg is the next best thing.
To confirm what caylegeorge said, the the microswitch was removed on the last Ego I had with a Mac aftermarket solenoid. You should be able to just clip the leads to take it off, but don't quote me on that. -
Yep just to confirm, All you have to do is clip the 3 legs of the microswitch and remove it. Nothing more. I would confirm that the optical switch works first though you can see how to switch it to the opto setting in the manual. You should be able to test that with a battery installed, the board on, and no need for air.
If you ever want to go back to the switch, you can buy a new switch from zdspb.com
If you want to put a switch back in the future, and don't know how to solder, I'd be happy to do it for you.
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