Nero-Magnum Golf Ball Cannon

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evanmcorleytv
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Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:34 pm

Hey, everyone! It's been an incredibly long time since I last posted, and that is for a good reason. I've been finishing a long-time project! It's a magnum golf ball cannon, with a heavily modified Mauler valve, and a slide/breech loading barrel. Sadly, this is officially my last cannon for a long while, which is why I decided on the name: Nero.

It has honestly been an incredible journey with all of you. I thank you
heavily for all of your support, and how amazing of a community you all
have been. I know that I may have been difficult at times, and that I
have properly pissed some people off, so to them, I apologize. Thanks
again for being an INCREDIBLE community!! Oh, and JSR... It may have taken three years, but at least I finished it! haha

Also, a MASSIVE shoutout to Sean Gort for being an amazing retailer, valve modifier, and actual friend through this entire process! Sean, I'm glad we could be friends outside of building cannons! I look forward to playing Minecraft with you soon!

Specs:

Main Firing Valve: Heavily modified Mauler valve. (Opens MUCH faster than an ordinary Mauler valve, or even dust collector valves!)

Pilot Valve: 1/4 inch McMaster QEV.

Barrel: 4.5 feet long, 1.5 inch bore, slide/breech loading.

Chamber: 2 feet long, 4 inch diameter.

Pipe Saddle: Custom made; Pine 2X6.


Photos

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Videos coming soon!
Last edited by evanmcorleytv on Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:57 am, edited 5 times in total.
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mobile chernobyl
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Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:53 pm

A quick question about one of your specs:
evanmcorleytv wrote: Opens MUCH faster than ordinary Mauler valve, or even dust collector valves!
Have you proved this quantitatively or just on a qualitative basis? Interested to learn about your testing methods!
evanmcorleytv
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Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:47 pm

mobile chernobyl wrote:Have you proved this quantitatively or just on a qualitative basis? Interested to learn about your testing methods!
Slowed down sound samples. Not the most precise, but it works. Brand new piston design, thicker areas, custom back cap that is completely solid. It's outstanding!
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Technician1002
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Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:03 pm

Is the improvement based on piston travel time, or delay between pilot and piston movement? The original moves pretty quick. Does the faster movement have improved deceleration properties to limit peak forces on the housing? If not, the increased forces may produce breakage.

If you want to know how to measure your opening time with a magnet, wire coil, and sound card in a PC, drop me a PM.
evanmcorleytv
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Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:13 pm

Technician1002 wrote:Is the improvement based on piston travel time, or delay between pilot and piston movement? The original moves pretty quick. Does the faster movement have improved deceleration properties to limit peak forces on the housing? If not, the increased forces may produce breakage.

If you want to know how to measure your opening time with a magnet, wire coil, and sound card in a PC, drop me a PM.
Haha, thanks for the offer, but mostly, I can just FEEL the difference. I've used them, and honestly this new Mauler is incredible, far surpassing all of the others (excluding the Supah, I have yet to compare that..). I will actually be doing projectile testing soon, I've just done valve opening tests. The piston does feel like it is a bit more harsh on the body, being that the new model (literally 1 month old) IS heavier, but it is much more efficient, and it doesn't feel like there is much more stress.. It's one of those things that you just kind of.. know.. The travel time was also cut. The new design is much more simplified, and the one-way valve problem seems to have been fixed. The previous model of piston was indeed weak, and it exploded on me, and being the incredible person that he is, Sean replaced it for VERY cheap. He basically designed the new piston for me. I also trust the housing more, because of the solid back cap, and the pilot volume was reduced heavily, which provides even better performance. I tried the modified Mauler with the old pilot setup first, to confirm that the valve's efficiency was actually genuine.
Last edited by evanmcorleytv on Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:35 am

evanmcorleytv wrote:Oh, and JSR... It took 3 years to build this cannon, and I STILL finished it! HUEGHEUGHEUGH!
Pics or it didn't happen ;)
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
evanmcorleytv
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Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:25 am

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote:
evanmcorleytv wrote:Oh, and JSR... It took 3 years to build this cannon, and I STILL finished it! HUEGHEUGHEUGH!
Pics or it didn't happen ;)
Soon.. This week even. I have some low definition pictures, but I want some high definition pictures.. And it needs to be warmer so that I can film some shots.
evanmcorleytv
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Sun Mar 10, 2013 6:28 pm

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote:Pics or it didn't happen ;)
You should be happy now. Yes?
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:07 am

Ah, now we're talking :)

Specs seems a bit off though, you have your barrel listed as 4.5 feet and chamber at 2 feet, but the barrel is definitely less than twice as long as the chamber.

That's the one thing I would change, add a couple of feet to the barrel to really squeeze maximum performance out of it.

Looking forward to the videos!
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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dewey-1
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:28 am

Based on the 4.5 inch diameter of 4 inch SCH40 pipe, here are dimensions with a 3 x 3 inch grid scale.
Attachments
2-mauler.jpg
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:42 am

Maybe that muzzle sleeve allows a barrel extension to be fitted?
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
evanmcorleytv
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 5:23 pm

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote:Maybe that muzzle sleeve allows a barrel extension to be fitted?
I made it that way for a reason. The barrel was originally 6 foot 7 inches. I had to cut roughly 2 feet off. I can assure you that the barrel is over 2 feet long, and the chamber pipe itself is 2 feet long. I cut it off, because it was too heavy, and unmaneuverable.
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jackssmirkingrevenge
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Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:12 am

Maneuverability is relative :) you're not exactly going to go room clearing with this one, I would accept it being a bit more unweildy for the sake of MOAR POWAH!!!
hectmarr wrote:You have to make many weapons, because this field is long and short life
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mattyzip77
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Tue Mar 12, 2013 10:39 am

Nice build evan... very cool design.. looking to see some ggdt results. I cant see it opening faster than a dust collector valve... Awesome though...Love the design.....
Go Bruins!!!!
evanmcorleytv
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Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:37 pm

mattyzip77 wrote:Nice build evan... very cool design.. looking to see some ggdt results. I cant see it opening faster than a dust collector valve... Awesome though...Love the design.....
You'll see... haha
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