APS M4 EBB Elecrtical (contacts)

[Deathfox]

So, In the last month I have had 3 customers with the same issue with all of their guns and I am seeing a pattern.... They were all APS, all EBB and they all have electrical contacts that get carbon build-up very quickly causing the gun to have no electrical flow at all. So i cleaned the contacts and re-adjusted them so they make better contact
The weird thing is all the guns are virtually new (about a month/ only gamed 2-3 times), and they are all APS.
The 2 i have already fixed have been running well and the customers say they have been running great. But this keeps becoming a reacquiring problem with these APS gun users and i was wondering if it was a APS quality control issue or is this just common with EBB guns?

Im puzzled, I'm not sure if its a quality control issue, or the contacts build carbon quicker due to the extra load in the middle of the cycle (blow back)???

O and i forgot, 2 of the guns were ebb m4's and the other was a ak-74 ebb

[MaciekA]

The reputation of the APS brand is terrible.

The only datapoint I can give you on APS is that a shop in Toronto carried APS rifles very very briefly. A wide array of models too.

Nearly every single one was a broken lemon. For a long time they had stacks and stacks of APS boxes in their shop and nearly every gun had a cracked receiver or something completely toasted on it. I don't think any of that stock sold even for spare parts. I'm shocked you ran into 3 (!!) of them and that they ever managed to fire any BBs, but I guess that big retailer out there in BC is brave enough to sell them..

Did you get any pictures of the internals?

[HKGhost]

The issue is the EBB. If the user is firing in semi a lot, arching will be unavoidable without a mosfet. And since the EBB will cause the motor to work harder, more current will arch on the contacts, causing premature wear. If the user is also running lipos, I can't see the contacts lasting more than a couple of months. So either disable the EBB, or fire in full auto with burst. Installing a mosfet would be the best route as you won't have to change the way you use the gun, and having to disable the EBB.

[MaciekA]

Originally Posted by HKGhost

The issue is the EBB. If the user is firing in semi a lot, arching will be unavoidable without a mosfet. And since the EBB will cause the motor to work harder, more current will arch on the contacts, causing premature wear. If the user is also running lipos, I can't see the contacts lasting more than a couple of months. So either disable the EBB, or fire in full auto with burst. Installing a mosfet would be the best route as you won't have to change the way you use the gun, and having to disable the EBB.

Another possible route would be to install a high torque neo motor, which may be far better-equipped to pull the EBB parts back if all else was left equal. This might be cheaper (especially pay-for-doc-labour-wise) than buying, installing, wiring a MOSFET, which even with a lot of power delivery could, I'm guessing, still yield a weak ferrite motor that sounds like a dying cat when firing

Lightening the EBB parts and greasing them up could help too.

I am currently doing a neo motor + lightening + greasing-the-blowback-parts job on my KA 556.

[HKGhost]

Even if you went with a high torque motor. The arching and carbon build up will still be the same. It will be slower but he'll still end up with burnt contacts. A basic mosfet will run around $20 and about $25-$45 for installation depending on the installer. Small investment, but you won't have to open up the gearbox for burnt contacts anymore. Motor will run around $40-$60+, so it's not much of a difference.

Originally Posted by MaciekA

Another possible route would be to install a high torque neo motor, which may be far better-equipped to pull the EBB parts back if all else was left equal. This might be cheaper (especially pay-for-doc-labour-wise) than buying, installing, wiring a MOSFET, which even with a lot of power delivery could, I'm guessing, still yield a weak ferrite motor that sounds like a dying cat when firing

Lightening the EBB parts and greasing them up could help too.

I am currently doing a neo motor + lightening + greasing-the-blowback-parts job on my KA 556.

[L473ncy]

"Gen 3" APS guns (IIRC should have orange bushings on them) are a slight improvement over their old stuff but that's not saying much. A small improvement on something that's essentially a POS still makes it a POS albeit slightly less shitty.

Also the "Gen 3's" appear to come with MOSFET's out of the box now, granted they are probably crap (haven't had the chance to look at one yet). I'm betting they're probably a couple of resistors, a diode, and a simple MOSFET transistor.

@ MaciekA: That big retailer I believe is the main backer/distributor for selling the APS in Canada. So they probably have a lot of money riding on saturating the market with them.

EDIT: I'd rather have a half clear Aftermath with standard CYMA internals than an APS with proprietary parts.

[Deathfox]

Dont even get me started about our local retailers....The customers gun i am working on now had it at the retailer for 2.5-3 months and still didnt fix it! One is still choosing to sell them, but they have been putting a crap load of furniture on them to make them look good, just so they would sell. And it seems all the noobs are buying them up, and having issues with them like right away.

I have been trying to reply to u guys, but i have been working so much i havent had the times. I have gotten pictures, but every time i try uploading them to the computer the files are corrupt :S. But i will have them for you guys today/tonight.

The internals are very much like L473ncy said. The moment you open the gear box you are welcomed with a sea of orange plastic lol. Plastic bushing, plastic spring-guide, plastic cylinder head, and the gears were shimmed so loose im surprised they didnt bind up and break... But there was a couple of features i really thought were cool though.... The piston head is wider than normal, and makes perfect AoE! It also has the second tooth removed on the piston. Also the sector chip is so big it ensures reliable loading. I have to give them an "A" for effort for that. But the plastic bushings didnt impress me. Kinda thought it was counter-productive to make he other cool features if your gonna use plastic bushings...

And for those who are wondering, it is the contacts AGAIN. And i will have some pics tonight. Also i think i am going to suggest a mosphet to the customer. I dont want him coming back in a month for me to clean his contacts again :P