The Comprehensive Thread on the Tippmann LPK

[JackRock]

Good suggestion, Zen. I'll probably add them in the next couple of days. I'm glad you liked it and my vids.

For the mods/admins: I see you stickied my topic. Thank you lots!

[MaverickCCT]

Originally Posted by JackRock

The Flatline with the LPK becomes much more tolerant of lower quality paint (though, not to all paints), and is a bit more accurate. If you're using a straight barrel...it's simply not worth it.

could you explain this a little more?

[quarky42]

The reason the flatline likes to blow paint in the barrel is because of the whole system:

1. Really high pressure gas is hitting the ball. The ball goes from rest (0 feet per second) to 280 fps within the length of your barrel. This is a fairly high stress situation by itself.
2. A flatline barrel has a "ramp" which the ball HITS as it is accelerating which causes the ball to receive backspin... The backspin is what keeps the ball on a flat trajectory longer. This will stress the paintball further.
3. Palmer says that the paintball "deforms" or gets wider in the middle after the sudden impact of high pressure gas. That is why he makes his barrels elliptical in the middle so that there is room for the "bigger" ball. The ball gets hit and gets "shorter & wider" so to speak. This could also add to the stress that a paintball experiences in the barrel...
4. You take a ball that has just had a high stress impact and take into account that it is probably not round shaped any more while in the middle of the barrel and then you see that ball hit a ramp. It takes a mighty strong paintball to withstand all that stress. Most of the weak brittle paint out there can't handle it. If you are going to use the Flatline you need to use quality paint.

From what I understand after reading this lpk article (very well written by the way!!) When you use a low pressure kit, you are applying the same amount of force to the ball but over a much larger volume. The force is the same, but the impact is "softer" relatively speaking. By reducing the "suddenness" of the impact and by using less pressure to achieve the same velocity the ball has been treated a little "nicer"...

Now instead of sending a ball that is 50% weaker up against the ramp of the flatline (not for sure...just an example) now you are sending a ball that is only 15 or 20% weaker up against the ramp. Cheap / Brittle paint is more likely to survive the encounter.

Now there are probably better ways to explain this, and the % that I put are just made up... it is to illustrate that with a low pressure kit it will reduce the "stress" on the paintball which makes it more likely to survive.

So if you have a LPK you could try some "mid" grade paint... I still wouldn't put noname white label deformed paint through a flatline...you still want the paint to be as round as possible... but what ever paint you choose has a much higher chance of surviving the trip through the barrel

[JackRock]

Maverick, I'd go into detail on all the specifics of why the flatline is nicer to lower-quality paint with the LPK, but quarky has beaten me to it.

While the percentages may have been made up, they are actually pretty representative of the luck I've had over the years. I can recall one time I was at a scenario game where they were using Field Blaze (which is not the best, imho). Everybody was complaining about the low quality, especially flatline users. Most FL shooters could not shoot a single hopper without at least one broken ball in the barrel. I, with the flatline and LPK, broke maybe four all day.

[VagabondStarJXF]

Here's another Q to add to the list:

I like the mod to mount a female stabilizer behind the cyclone. Do you think an LPK would work if it were split up and mounted similarly?

*edit*
Looking at the diagram of the A5 I can theorise that the LPK could still work if the volumiser isn't attached directly to the tombstone. Obviously attaching it directly to the tombstone would be ideal but there should still be sufficient enough flow if it's attached indirectly via hose. Anyone else tried this yet?

[WhereIsEvanNow]

Thank You for the much needed info. i think i just got the ammo to win a bet!

[JackRock]

Originally Posted by VagabondStarJXF

Here's another Q to add to the list:

I like the mod to mount a female stabilizer behind the cyclone. Do you think an LPK would work if it were split up and mounted similarly?

*edit*
Looking at the diagram of the A5 I can theorise that the LPK could still work if the volumiser isn't attached directly to the tombstone. Obviously attaching it directly to the tombstone would be ideal but there should still be sufficient enough flow if it's attached indirectly via hose. Anyone else tried this yet?

Yes, it's been tried, and they had to raise their pressure to a fair higher amount. By that point, it really wasn't low pressure, any more. Kinda defeated the purpose. The volumizer needs to be located right there to make it immediately available for use in the chamber. By choking it off with a hose, you defeat the LP effect.

[VagabondStarJXF]

Thanks for clearing that one up for me. I had a feeling that that might be the case with the A5 but I was hoping that it wasn't.

[JackRock]

Yeah, sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I have spent many a day researching the possibilities of removing or rearranging the volumizer to provide for a better looking setup. I even asked UMS if there was any sort of a mag kit that could cover it up. So far, nothing has come to light.

[JackRock]

Updated the question list.