Board Thread:Questions and answers/@comment-33092097-20200318180902/@comment-27306930-20200318224102

Thanks Robble, appreciate that no-nonsense critique 😉

I don't have a short answer for you MMan. Every blaster is a little different. Sometimes you have to do a little math to figure it out. Sometimes you need to do a little research.

As a general rule, 3S LiPos produces a nominal voltage of 11.1 volts. That's a little deceiving. It's actually a curve that goes from 12.6 volts to 9 volts as the LiPo discharges. But 11.1 is a good overall average.

Blasters that use six AAA, AA, C, or D cells are running at 9 volts. So swapping them out for a LiPo is fairly safe and will give you a modest 23% increase in performance in almost every respect. A 23% increase in FPS and range, as well as a 23% increase in ROF in full-auto blasters. That's all due to the increase in voltage, not the high current rating of the LiPo.

New C and D cells can produce between 8 and 12 amps of current, whereas most LiPos can produce more than 40 amps at any given moment. That increase in amps means your motors can spin up much quicker. That's because when motors spin up from a dead stop, they want to draw a huge amount of current. So the more current you can give them, the quicker they will come up to speed. But current alone has very little effect on FPS, range, and ROF. The voltage is responsible that.

Sure, we could split hairs about recovery time and transfer of angular momentum versus propulsion, but the voltage is responsible for 90% of the performance improvement, not the current.

Long story short, a 3S LiPo will work pretty well in most 9 volt blasters, without any other special mods. Especially in RIVAL flywheelers. That being said, many late model blasters have sensitive onboard electronics for lights, sounds, and fire control. For example I put a couple IMRs in a Regulator and set it on fire. It was pretty scary.

So research is key. If you want to upgrade a specific blaster, look it up online. See if other Nerfers have used LiPos. Investigate the pros and cons. And do your math.

All that said, if you have a question about a specific blaster and a specific LiPo pack, post your question on a thread. I'll answer to the best of my abilities 👍 👍 Promise.