Smart Parts' Vibe
by Bill Mills - Photos by Dawn Mills - Aug 2008

How It Works

Features HowItWorks Disassembly Adjustment Testing Data

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In terms of how it operates, the Vibe is identical to the Ion, its significant differences are not how it works, but in how the parts are assembled around the marker's bolt.

In the Ion design, the body breech screwed into the fire chamber from the front, locking the bolt stop in its position. In the Vibe (and Ion XE, for that matter) the bolt stop is instead held in place by the bolt sleeve coming in from the back. It is this arrangement that allows for bolt-out-back maintenance access.

When the Vibe is at rest, regulated gas is fed both into the fire chamber, or air reservoir surrounding the back of the bolt, and into the air space at the front of the bolt. A differential in exposed surface areas allows the same pressure of gas to provide more force in the rear-ward direction, holding the bolt back.

While the bolt is back, the inner o-ring of the bolt stop is creating a seal against the middle of the bolt, preventing gas from leaving the fire chamber.

When the Vibe is fired, its solenoid valve switches the gas line to the front of the bolt from compressed gas to a vent. Without pressure on the front of the bolt, the pressure in the fire chamber is able to move the bolt forward. The air in the space at the front of the bolt is forced out, through the solenoid valve, into the grip frame and out to the rest of the atmosphere.

As the bolt travels forward, it pushes a paintball with it, from the breech into the barrel. At the front of its stroke, the bolt passes through the SFT (Seal Forward Technology) o-ring to seal with the barrel. At the same time, a series of slots in the bolt's middle pass underneath the o-ring in the middle of the bolt stop.

The slots in the bolt form channels allowing gas to flow from the reservoir, past the bolt stop, around the sides of the bolt, then through the drilled tunnels in the bolt's front, before reaching the barrel, where it expands, pushing the paintball in front of it out of the barrel.

When the dwell time has elapsed, the Vibe's circuit board stops sending power to its solenoid valve, which switches back, connecting the air space in front of the bolt to the regulated gas supply. With a larger amount of force again on the front of the bolt, the bolt moves to the rear of the marker, resetting for the next shot.

Continue to Disassembly .