So I found a couple of Rapidstrikes on Craigslist and after a cash deal in a local park, I had some new material to work with. The Rapidstrike is a very popular blaster for modding due to its capacious frame and electronic pusher, rather than the manual pusher found in the Stryfe and many other flywheel blasters. The electronics in the Rapidstrike are all handled in hardware, and the only firing mode is automatic: as long as the operator is holding down the trigger, the pusher motor will run, and when the trigger is released, the pusher finishes its current cycle and stops when retracted. This system seemed like a great opportunity for some software control, and hence greatly improved customization, using a Raspberry Pi to determine system status and control the pusher motor via MOSFET. Putting the power source for the MOSFET downstream of the rev switch will ensure the pusher can’t run if the flywheels are off – other safeties can be handled in software.
The goals for this project are as follows:
- Full software control of blaster through Raspberry Pi
- Select fire capability – single fire, three-round-burst, and automatic fire
- Magazine status and reloading logic similar to Project Predator
- Integrated OLED display for firing mode and darts remaining in magazine
- LiPo power source with voltage monitoring
- A badass paint job and shiny LEDs.