| Paintball Reviews by Ghostrider Mike |
APE RAMPAGE BOARD FOR TIPPMANN X7 PHENOM REVIEW |
This is a review of the APE Rampage Board from Advanced Paintball Electronics (www.goapeonline.com) designed for the Tippmann
Phenom X7 paintball gun (http://www.tippmann.com/p/x7-phenom-super-pack)
I ordered the APE board for my Phenom X7 on September 9th from Hustle Paintball (www.hustlepaintball.com). You can read more
about my experience with Hustle Paintball here.
On Thursday September 11th, I installed the APE board in my X7 and had a few issues. I immediately emailed Advanced Paintball
Electronics and before I give my review of the APE board, I want to show to you the email exchanges that I had with APE:
"I installed the APE Rampage Phenom X7 board in my Phenom on Thursday. I set the selector switch to "F" and set it for "Reactive" however
sometimes when I pull the trigger quickly the gun goes into FULL AUTO and will NOT stop until I pull and hold the trigger down. Other times the first
pull of the trigger sets the gun into FULL AUTO that will NOT stop until I pull and hold the trigger down. Suggestions? Recommendations?"
They responded three days later:
"- I assume you are running a Fang trigger in your Phenom.
- Try increasing debounce to the 50ms max and try it again.
- Are the other modes operational?"
I immediately replied:
"Thank you for your quick reply. Yes, I am using the Fang trigger. Honestly, the only modes I'm interested in are the "reactive trigger" (one shot on
pull; one shot on release) and full auto. So, I cannot say if the other modes work. I have not tried them yet! Sorry for the incomplete testing! I will do
further testing on Monday and get back to you. Thanks again."
I had not done any other testing at this time, but I quickly conducted a full test on all the modes and found on September 15th:
"Okay, I upped the debounce to 50. NO change at all on the Reactive which I first wrote to you about. Here is a breakdown on all of the other modes
and their functioning:
Semi - works OK
Burst - works OK (set to 2)
Reactive - 1 pull then STICKS in FULL Auto (even with the trigger released) until you pull the trigger again and HOLD it down. Repeats every time.
Turbo - sticks in FULL auto (like reactive above) after a couple of quick pulls. STICKS in FULL auto even with trigger released UNTIL you pull the
trigger again and HOLD it down.
Rampage - works
PSP3 - 3 semi auto rounds then sticks in FULL AUTO on fourth pull (exactly the same as reactive and turbo above)
NXL - works
Full Auto - works"
Advanced Paintball Electronics replied on the 16th:
"Would like you to adjust the set screw such that you get the maximum space between magnet and board sensor when trigger is at "rest" position.
Leaving for a road trip so my ability to check email will be sporadic... "
I adjusted my TechT Fang Trigger to have the maximum space between the magnet and board sensor when the trigger was at the
'rest' position and let APE know this on the 16th.
On September 23rd I received the following:
"My apologies for this delayed reply... I've been away on a road trip since last Wednesday.
Regarding adjustment, we want more gap between the magnet and the onboard sensor when the trigger is at rest. Just be certain the set screw is
adjusted to provide this."
On September 23rd I sent the following to APE:
"As I've said, the FULL auto works just fine it's just the REACTIVE, TURBO and PSP3 that stick in FULL auto. In fact they stick in FULL auto even
if the gun is put into SAFE! The ONLY way to get the gun to stop firing is to pull the trigger again and HOLD it down.
As for adjusting the trigger magnet - I bent the magnet arm back again, closer to the trigger and of course it would not fire at all. So I adjusted the
set screw (while holding the trigger down) until it just "fired." According to your installation video, I'm supposed to screw the set screw another 1/2 to 1
full turn but I only turned it about 1/4 turn more. The results are still the same" [Emphasis added]
APE responded on September 24:
"Regarding adjustment it sounds like we have performed due diligence. With the debounce at max, you're still unable to get successful operations.
We can proceed in 2 ways:
1. I can send you additional neodymium magnets to try in the trigger assembly.
2. We can start an RMA and have you send in the board for exchange.
The issue is in the hysteresis thresholds of the sensor (these are fixed and unique with each part) and the field strength of the magnet you have
currently installed."
So I responded the same day:
"Let's go with the magnets first, I guess?
"I still don't understand how FULL auto works just fine, on the trigger fires; off the trigger stops firing; NEVER sticks in full auto firing paintballs and
then the full auto sticks in Reactive, Turbo and PSP3. If full auto is going to stick, I would think it would stick in full auto mode, but it never does.
Doesn't make sense to me, but you're the expert on these things not me.
If you think changing the magnet will affect the Reactive, Turbo and PSP3 modes and not detrimentally affect the other modes then let's give it a
shot...."
They replied the same day again with an explanation and answer to my questions above:
"Full auto does not use the debounce algorithm in the same way as reactive, turbo, psp...
Send me you address please and I'll drop an assortment of magnets for you to try. These replacement magnets will be marked (polarized) and the
marked end must face the select fire switch side of the grip."
I emailed them with my address and expressed my hope that this would finally fix the issue!
On September 25th I received this message:
"If we can't get it running with replacement magnets, then we'll start the RMA process. I'll mail the magnets today."
On September 27th I wrote:
"Received the magnets today. Will install them Sunday evening and let you know how it goes. Thanks again for your help."
Two days later, after getting the magnets swapped out, I wrote:
"I put the N42 magnet in. Hard to get out; hard to put the new one back in. But finally got it installed. Same results. If you want me to, I'll pull the N42
out tomorrow and install the N52 to see if that has any effect. "
APE responded on September 30th:
"Crap... the N52 has yet a stronger field. I'd say at this stage after trying the N42 we swap the board. Send me over all you contact info
(name/addr/tel) and I will start the RMA process for you."
At this point I explained to APE that I had purchased the APE board/TechT Fang trigger "combo" pack from two different sources as
Hustle Paintball was out of stock on the trigger at the time of my order, but Ethan Hall (owner of Hustle Paintball) was concerned
about my satisfaction with the purchase that he contacted TechT personally to have them ship to me a trigger by itself. TechT did and
I received the trigger and board on the same day in separate packages. I did NOT mention anything about "exchanging" the trigger,
and I did not mention anything about getting Hustle Paintball or TechT involved in the return process - I simply wanted APE to know
that the "return" would involve two different companies since normally these two items are ONLY sold in a "combo" pack.
APE responded on Oct 1:
"Normally, resellers don't get into the RMA loop... we normally have you ship the board to us directly to us for replacement. I'm not sure why you're
getting the trigger assembly replaced, however. After we've swapped magnets and it's still malfunctioning it's a pretty good indicator that the board
sensor is the culprit. Since Hustle/TechT is involved, you should do what they need you to do for a board exchange..."
So I tried to explain this to APE:
"Okay just to explain further... I am NOT having the trigger replaced. I was just explaining that I did NOT purchase the two items as a "combo" kit -
they were purchased separately. If you want, I can have Ethan Hall (Hustle owner) give you a call...??? "
I contacted Hustle Paintball (Ethan Hall) to see if he could have better luck getting me a new board on October 2nd and he sent APE
the following email:
Contact me with any questions, but please get a replacement board out to Michael ASAP. He has been more than patient, more than diligent in
attempting a wide range of technical troubleshooting for a product that came defective out of the box.
Please email me directly with any questions!
Ethan
APE sent me the following on Oct 2nd:
Thanks for the clarification... since you're using the retailers, you'll need to return the defective board thru them. We'll get it back eventually as
TechT will send replacements in their distribution role.
FIVE days later (Oct 7), I received an email from Hustle Paintball (NOT APE):
"I’d love to send you a replacement… I still don’t have any"
I wrote back:
Do you think that APE might respond to your calls? I haven't even heard anything from them since I sent to them the RMA information they
requested (name, address, etc.) so I don't know if they are doing anything!
10/11/2014 I have not had any further contact with APE. The replacement for the defective APE board is NOT the responsibility of
Hustle Paintball (plus they are out of stock) so I am NOT pursuing that avenue. It is the responsibility of APE to replace their defective
board and I've complied with their requirements (name, address, etc.) to no avail.
10/12/2014 I received an email stating, "Last I heard from you, I thought Tech/Hustle had this covered?? Obviously not. WE can start the
traditional RMA so we can swap boards... Your RMA# is XXXX. Please print the attached form, fill it in and return the form/board to the listed
address."
Then on 10/15/2014 I received another email from APE, "My apologies regarding all the confusion... please send the RMA when you can and
we'll get this swapped out. They have boards in stock at the sales office, so it should get turned around rather quickly. I have copied the sales group
too so they know the situation."
Also on 10/15/2014 I received another email from APE, "Hi Michael, I’ll get one in the mail to you today. It will ship USPS Priority Mail so you
should see it in 2-3 days. Thanks! APE Sales"
Then on the 17th I received the new board and immediately went on a trip to Wyandotte, Oklahoma to play in the scenario game "A
Bridge Too Far" and did NOT install the new board until Monday the 20th.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Phenom X7 paintball gun (http://www.tippmann.com/p/x7-phenom-super-pack)
I ordered the APE board for my Phenom X7 on September 9th from Hustle Paintball (www.hustlepaintball.com). You can read more
about my experience with Hustle Paintball here.
On Thursday September 11th, I installed the APE board in my X7 and had a few issues. I immediately emailed Advanced Paintball
Electronics and before I give my review of the APE board, I want to show to you the email exchanges that I had with APE:
"I installed the APE Rampage Phenom X7 board in my Phenom on Thursday. I set the selector switch to "F" and set it for "Reactive" however
sometimes when I pull the trigger quickly the gun goes into FULL AUTO and will NOT stop until I pull and hold the trigger down. Other times the first
pull of the trigger sets the gun into FULL AUTO that will NOT stop until I pull and hold the trigger down. Suggestions? Recommendations?"
They responded three days later:
"- I assume you are running a Fang trigger in your Phenom.
- Try increasing debounce to the 50ms max and try it again.
- Are the other modes operational?"
I immediately replied:
"Thank you for your quick reply. Yes, I am using the Fang trigger. Honestly, the only modes I'm interested in are the "reactive trigger" (one shot on
pull; one shot on release) and full auto. So, I cannot say if the other modes work. I have not tried them yet! Sorry for the incomplete testing! I will do
further testing on Monday and get back to you. Thanks again."
I had not done any other testing at this time, but I quickly conducted a full test on all the modes and found on September 15th:
"Okay, I upped the debounce to 50. NO change at all on the Reactive which I first wrote to you about. Here is a breakdown on all of the other modes
and their functioning:
Semi - works OK
Burst - works OK (set to 2)
Reactive - 1 pull then STICKS in FULL Auto (even with the trigger released) until you pull the trigger again and HOLD it down. Repeats every time.
Turbo - sticks in FULL auto (like reactive above) after a couple of quick pulls. STICKS in FULL auto even with trigger released UNTIL you pull the
trigger again and HOLD it down.
Rampage - works
PSP3 - 3 semi auto rounds then sticks in FULL AUTO on fourth pull (exactly the same as reactive and turbo above)
NXL - works
Full Auto - works"
Advanced Paintball Electronics replied on the 16th:
"Would like you to adjust the set screw such that you get the maximum space between magnet and board sensor when trigger is at "rest" position.
Leaving for a road trip so my ability to check email will be sporadic... "
I adjusted my TechT Fang Trigger to have the maximum space between the magnet and board sensor when the trigger was at the
'rest' position and let APE know this on the 16th.
On September 23rd I received the following:
"My apologies for this delayed reply... I've been away on a road trip since last Wednesday.
Regarding adjustment, we want more gap between the magnet and the onboard sensor when the trigger is at rest. Just be certain the set screw is
adjusted to provide this."
On September 23rd I sent the following to APE:
"As I've said, the FULL auto works just fine it's just the REACTIVE, TURBO and PSP3 that stick in FULL auto. In fact they stick in FULL auto even
if the gun is put into SAFE! The ONLY way to get the gun to stop firing is to pull the trigger again and HOLD it down.
As for adjusting the trigger magnet - I bent the magnet arm back again, closer to the trigger and of course it would not fire at all. So I adjusted the
set screw (while holding the trigger down) until it just "fired." According to your installation video, I'm supposed to screw the set screw another 1/2 to 1
full turn but I only turned it about 1/4 turn more. The results are still the same" [Emphasis added]
APE responded on September 24:
"Regarding adjustment it sounds like we have performed due diligence. With the debounce at max, you're still unable to get successful operations.
We can proceed in 2 ways:
1. I can send you additional neodymium magnets to try in the trigger assembly.
2. We can start an RMA and have you send in the board for exchange.
The issue is in the hysteresis thresholds of the sensor (these are fixed and unique with each part) and the field strength of the magnet you have
currently installed."
So I responded the same day:
"Let's go with the magnets first, I guess?
"I still don't understand how FULL auto works just fine, on the trigger fires; off the trigger stops firing; NEVER sticks in full auto firing paintballs and
then the full auto sticks in Reactive, Turbo and PSP3. If full auto is going to stick, I would think it would stick in full auto mode, but it never does.
Doesn't make sense to me, but you're the expert on these things not me.
If you think changing the magnet will affect the Reactive, Turbo and PSP3 modes and not detrimentally affect the other modes then let's give it a
shot...."
They replied the same day again with an explanation and answer to my questions above:
"Full auto does not use the debounce algorithm in the same way as reactive, turbo, psp...
Send me you address please and I'll drop an assortment of magnets for you to try. These replacement magnets will be marked (polarized) and the
marked end must face the select fire switch side of the grip."
I emailed them with my address and expressed my hope that this would finally fix the issue!
On September 25th I received this message:
"If we can't get it running with replacement magnets, then we'll start the RMA process. I'll mail the magnets today."
On September 27th I wrote:
"Received the magnets today. Will install them Sunday evening and let you know how it goes. Thanks again for your help."
Two days later, after getting the magnets swapped out, I wrote:
"I put the N42 magnet in. Hard to get out; hard to put the new one back in. But finally got it installed. Same results. If you want me to, I'll pull the N42
out tomorrow and install the N52 to see if that has any effect. "
APE responded on September 30th:
"Crap... the N52 has yet a stronger field. I'd say at this stage after trying the N42 we swap the board. Send me over all you contact info
(name/addr/tel) and I will start the RMA process for you."
At this point I explained to APE that I had purchased the APE board/TechT Fang trigger "combo" pack from two different sources as
Hustle Paintball was out of stock on the trigger at the time of my order, but Ethan Hall (owner of Hustle Paintball) was concerned
about my satisfaction with the purchase that he contacted TechT personally to have them ship to me a trigger by itself. TechT did and
I received the trigger and board on the same day in separate packages. I did NOT mention anything about "exchanging" the trigger,
and I did not mention anything about getting Hustle Paintball or TechT involved in the return process - I simply wanted APE to know
that the "return" would involve two different companies since normally these two items are ONLY sold in a "combo" pack.
APE responded on Oct 1:
"Normally, resellers don't get into the RMA loop... we normally have you ship the board to us directly to us for replacement. I'm not sure why you're
getting the trigger assembly replaced, however. After we've swapped magnets and it's still malfunctioning it's a pretty good indicator that the board
sensor is the culprit. Since Hustle/TechT is involved, you should do what they need you to do for a board exchange..."
So I tried to explain this to APE:
"Okay just to explain further... I am NOT having the trigger replaced. I was just explaining that I did NOT purchase the two items as a "combo" kit -
they were purchased separately. If you want, I can have Ethan Hall (Hustle owner) give you a call...??? "
I contacted Hustle Paintball (Ethan Hall) to see if he could have better luck getting me a new board on October 2nd and he sent APE
the following email:
Contact me with any questions, but please get a replacement board out to Michael ASAP. He has been more than patient, more than diligent in
attempting a wide range of technical troubleshooting for a product that came defective out of the box.
Please email me directly with any questions!
Ethan
APE sent me the following on Oct 2nd:
Thanks for the clarification... since you're using the retailers, you'll need to return the defective board thru them. We'll get it back eventually as
TechT will send replacements in their distribution role.
FIVE days later (Oct 7), I received an email from Hustle Paintball (NOT APE):
"I’d love to send you a replacement… I still don’t have any"
I wrote back:
Do you think that APE might respond to your calls? I haven't even heard anything from them since I sent to them the RMA information they
requested (name, address, etc.) so I don't know if they are doing anything!
10/11/2014 I have not had any further contact with APE. The replacement for the defective APE board is NOT the responsibility of
Hustle Paintball (plus they are out of stock) so I am NOT pursuing that avenue. It is the responsibility of APE to replace their defective
board and I've complied with their requirements (name, address, etc.) to no avail.
10/12/2014 I received an email stating, "Last I heard from you, I thought Tech/Hustle had this covered?? Obviously not. WE can start the
traditional RMA so we can swap boards... Your RMA# is XXXX. Please print the attached form, fill it in and return the form/board to the listed
address."
Then on 10/15/2014 I received another email from APE, "My apologies regarding all the confusion... please send the RMA when you can and
we'll get this swapped out. They have boards in stock at the sales office, so it should get turned around rather quickly. I have copied the sales group
too so they know the situation."
Also on 10/15/2014 I received another email from APE, "Hi Michael, I’ll get one in the mail to you today. It will ship USPS Priority Mail so you
should see it in 2-3 days. Thanks! APE Sales"
Then on the 17th I received the new board and immediately went on a trip to Wyandotte, Oklahoma to play in the scenario game "A
Bridge Too Far" and did NOT install the new board until Monday the 20th.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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