Macdev Tactical Drone FAQ

Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions and answers.  The answers here assume that you have read the features on the website, read and understood the manual, and have a general idea of how an electro-pneumatic paintball marker works.

General features:

Is the Drone the same as the Droid or Clone, except with rails? No.  Though similar in general operation, the Drone has a completely different drive train than any other marker.  You cannot interchange any drive components from them either.

What stocks work on the Drone?  Macdev has a CAR stock.  The Specops T2W stock works nicely without any permanent modification, and gives a very natural point of aim.  There are some custom adapters and stock that have been made in limited quantity.  Contact (PM) Boomer if you want one.

What about barrel shrouds?  There not any after market barrel shrouds being marketed as of Jan 2010.

What after market triggers work on the Drone?  Most RX, Clone, and Droid triggers will work.  Specifically, Acid, PBK, CP, and violent have been tested.

What barrels will work with the Drone?  Any cocker threaded barrel should work.  The shroud has a removable threaded sleeve on the end to accommodate larger diameter barrels.  The shift kit works great and fits the shroud nicely.

I want an OLED board.  Can I put the RX board in a Drone?  Physically, yes, but in order to function, the Drone requires a capacitor be added that the RX board doesn’t have.  Macdev has done up a couple for demonstration purposes, but is not marketing them at this time. And no, Tadao does not have an after market board or any plans to make one.

Can I put my favorite Droid grips on the Drone?  No.  While the grip frame is similar size, it is thinner than the Droid or 07 Cyborg frame.  The RX style grip will work on the Drone, but the window won’t be used.

How about the feedneck?  It uses the same feedneck as the RX, very similar to the EGO.

I want to mount a sight on the Drone, but the center feed is in the way.  Can I convert it to a right or left hand feed?  No, but a 45 sight offset mount works great on the Drone, attached to those rails behind the feed adapter.  

Can I put a Q-loader or horizontal spring feed on the Drone?  Yes, with modification, the feed adapters for the AGD Tac1 or Blackcell Longbow will work with some light milling to them.

What modes of fire does the Drone have?  The first ones shipped to the U.S. (serial number < 70 or so), only had uncapped/capped semi, 3 round burst, and full auto.  The later ones have a different software version that added some ramping modes.  Check the manual and addendum that came with your marker.  Because of local laws, this will also vary by country.

Performance:

What kind efficiency should I expect?  Broken in, it can realistically get 1400+ on a 68/4500.  Some drones do not perform that well.  See the tuning guide later in this thread.  Your results will vary....

What board settings work best on the Drone?  The stock ones.  Specifically, the dwell needs to be at 16 during the break in period.  After 10 cases or so, the drone can be tuned for better efficiency.  See the guide later in this thread.  The anti bolt stick or ball delay can be adjusted if necessary, but leave the others alone.

How accurate is the Drone?  The Drone is as accurate as any high performance paintball marker. With good paint and a proper barrel match, it is capable of ball-on-ball accuracy at over 50 feet.  Paint and the shooter make much more of a difference in accuracy than any specific marker type.

How consistent is the velocity?  After about 6-10 case break in period, it is capable of +/- 3fps in a 10-shot string with good paint and a good barrel match.

How loud is the Drone?  The Drone has its own distince sound signature.  Not as quiet as a Droid, but noticeably very quiet with the Shift barrel kit.  Otherwise, it is about on par with the 07 cyborg.  The drone can also be ear splitting loud with an unported barrel and loudener attached.

How much maintenance does the Drone need?  More than your typical mechanical scenario marker, but about on par with any high performance electro-pneumatic paintball marker.  It should be fine without touching it for a 2-case day of play, but will need to get at least a general lube on the drive train and inspection at the end of the day.

Troubleshooting / Tech:

Where can I get parts for the Drone?  Talk to your Macdev authorized dealer.  Some parts will be compatible with the Clone and RX, other are specific to the Drone.  As of Jan. 2010, O-rings kits are available from Oringmonkey, and maybe other vendors as well.

How do I break it in?  Shoot it.  It will take 6-10 cases to break in nicely, but you will be rewarded.  It will get much more efficient, smoother, more consistent, and quieter with use.  

What kind of lube do I use, and how much?  Consult the manual for proper lubrication, and use only a DOW33 lubricant like MilitiaLube.  A “wet” look on all the drive train components is best.  Just wipe each o-ring with a small amount on your finger, and then gently wipe off the excess.  You don’t need any globs on any of the components.  The o-rings on the bolt and power tube are the most critical, because of the moving bolt.  There is a bumper o-ring behind the bolt on the power tube that should not have ANY lubricant on it, and it should be kept dry and clean.

What pressure should I be running my regulator at?  Most Drones achieve 280 fps at about 110 psi.  Again, your results may vary…..  The regulator should never be set over 180 or it may damage the drone.

My Drone is getting horrible velocity consistency.  What’s wrong?  Try a fresh, high quality battery first.  If the marker is brand new, you may need to give it time to break in.  Inconsistent paint can also be the culprit.  You also may have a dirty bolt tip or power tube tip o-ring- usually shell or paint stuck from a break in the breach.  Clean them, re-lube, and try it out.  The regulator may also be the cause.  Ensure it is clean, and the o-rings are not damaged.  Also check the regulator seat (the little red plastic thing).  If it is gouged, the velocity will be inconsistant and/or creep.

I took my Drone out of the box, air it up, and it leaks.  What gives?  Most likely the drive train has slipped backward out of position.  De-gas the marker, remove the back cap, and push the drive train all the way in using your finger, a swab or dowel.  If that doesn’t fix it, it may be a torn or cut O-ring in the drive train.  Disassemble and inspect.  The usual suspect is the power tube tip o-ring.

My Drone won’t fire or click when it is aired up, but I can hear the ‘noid click when it is degassed.  Do I need a new solenoid?  No.  You most likely have the regulator way out of adjustment.  Zero out the reg by turning it in all the way, the back out the adjustment until it begins to cycle normally.  OR, you can put a regulator tester on it and adjust it to about 100 psi.  Then slowly turn up to achieve the desired velocity.  At 110 psi most get about 285 fps when broken in and with a proper barrel/ball match.

I aired up my Drone and it shot the powertube tip o-ring off!  What happened?  You have way too much pressure entering the drive train.  Replace the o-ring, zero the regulator and adjust up until it cycles and then gets the desired velocity.  The regulator is very sensitive to adjustment.  ¼ turn can move it up to 30 fps.  

My Drone has very bad first shot drop off (FSDO).  What do I do?  First, make sure you have a fresh battery.  Then check the drive train for cleanliness and proper lubrication.  Any buildup, piece of shell or a glob of paint on the bolt tip or on the bolt body can make it stick.  There is also a bumper o-ring on the power tube at the back of the bolt that should be dry and clean.  The dwell may also be set too low.  The dwell comes set at 16, but some drones work well as low as 6ms.  As a last resort, you can adjust the anti-bolt stick setting in the board if the drop is consistent and predictable.  

If the problem only happens in colder weather (less than 60 degrees F), you may have a first generation solenoid.  For serial numbers at least as high as 0127, the solenoid starts to bind as it gets colder, eventually refusing to work at about freezing temperatures and below.   Contact your Macdev authorized service center for a solution.

It is freezing out, and my Drone refuses to fire until I pull the trigger 5 times!  What do I do?  See above.  You have a first generation solenoid, and need to contact your Macdev dealer or repair center for a solution.

My battery post fell off or broke.  What now?  Contact your Macdev Repair Center for a solution.  You CAN re-solder it on yourself, but you have to take responsibility if you ruin the board.  It helps if you make sure that you remove both sides of the grip when changing the battery, and then PUSH the battery from the right side of the grip out of the frame.  Do not pry it out from the left side of the grip.  You can also solder a standard 9v harness to the terminal spots.  You will need a little foam to keep the battery secure in the grip.

How can I keep my Drone from breaking paint?  Like any spool valve marker, the Drone likes a clean breach area and barrel.  Get the gentlest loader you can, use the best paint you can get/afford, and clean the barrel and breach completely as soon as possible after a break.  Some have had success by increasing the ball in place delay using the board settings.  This lets the ball settle in the breach some before firing when using a non-force feed loader.  Again, any amount of paint or shell in the breach area or on the bolt will make the problem much worse.

Is there an O-ring chart for the Drone?  Why yes there is:

Drone O-ring list

Size            Qty      Location (s)
005            3      ASA retainer, ASA bar (2)
008            2      inline retainer inner, adjuster
011            1      power tube tip
013            1      Powertube mid
014            2      bolt tip, ASA retainer
015            3      regulator top, swivel, inline cap, bolt bumper
016            1      reg piston
017            2      Keg inner, inline retainer outer
018            2      power tube rear, bottom works
019            1      keg switch
020            4      Keg outer (3), end cap
4x1mm      4      sub plate (4)
2x1mm      2      solenoid
17x1         1              bolt mid





Is there a tech video for the Drone?  No.  Maintaining the drive train and regulator on the Drone is so simple, if you feel you need a video to show you how to do what is described in the manual, you should not attempt it.  In fact, someone should take your hex wrenches from you and only let you adjust your velocity when closely supervised.

The velocity in the first shot in a string is fine, then the velocity starts to drop during rapid firing of my Drone.  What is wrong?  Shootdown can be caused by an number of things.  First, ensure that you have a fresh, high quality battery.  Second, ensure that you do not have a problem with your air supply by swapping the tank and/or air adapter with another and trying it out.  Third, you may have lots of grit in the filtr on the regulator.  Pull the bottom portion of the regulator and inspect the screen for debris, then clean if necessary.  As a last resort, you should perform maintenance on the regulator and drive train as the manual describes.

I reset my board to factory defaults and now it doesn't work right.  What happened? Some versions of the Drone board default to 8 ms dwell.  Ensure that your dwell is at 16.  A dwell of 8 will force the regulator pressure way too high to get velocity, the gun will not fire right in fast modes, and may have very inconsistant velocity.

After a 10-case break in period, consider the Drone "broken in".  At this point, the factory 16 dwell can be lowered for better gas efficiency.  If you don't know how to do some of these steps, get someone that does to assist.

To tune the drone, you will need your drone, a reg tester, paint with a good bore match, and HPA.

1. Do a general maintenance on the drive train and relube.
2. Set the regulator to 110 psi using a reg tester
3. Set the dwell to 6 (red register on the stock board).
4. Air it up and try to fire the Drone.  If it doesn't cycle fully and sound normal on the first shot, turn up the dwell in 2ms increments until it does.  You should now notice less air escaping from the feed neck area, and it will be more quiet. The dwell should now be anywhere from 6 to 12ms at this point.
5. Fire a few shots accross the chronograph.  Adjust the regulator until the average for the string is where you want it, say 280 fps.  Don't worry too much about the first shot at this point.
6. Now let the drone set for a minute or so.  Fire a single shot across the chrono.  If is significantly less than where you left it, you have first shot drop off.  If this difference is consistant, you can compensate for it using the ABS setting on the Drone board.  It comes set at 3.   I have used up to 9 ms with good results.  Just turn up the ABS (purple register) 2-3ms at a time and retest.  Be careful here, if you turn it up too much, you will shoot hot on the first shot.

What the ABS setting does is raise the dwell on the first shot after setting for a few seconds.  This compensates for the minimal bolt stick that is natural with these type of systems.  If the bolt stick is excessive (more than 20 fps), raise the dwell 2ms, reset the ABS to 3 and repeat.

Doing this can double your gas efficiency, really.  I have seen a Drone go from 3-pods and a hopper on a 68/45 to 12 pods and a hopper.