VTAL Airsoft Battery Box

General

Found on my harddrive, never got to releasing it. I would not consider this a beginner project, it is quite involved and also a little costly, when only making one. I initially thought about selling these, but I dont have the time for that.

Design

Inspired by the VTAL laser aiming device as shown in this article. Used different pictures from the internet as reference. Model was somewhat enlarged to fit battery and cover mechanism. See also my LM-VAMPIR model.

Features

• Dimensions: 108 x 61 x 38 mm (LxWxH) + Mounting Clamp and Screw.
• Can be mounted on NATO rails. No tools required. Obstructed height over rail: 29.5 mm 
• Fits 2 or 3 cell LiPo batteries with dimensions up to 66 x 42 x 17.5 mm (LxWxH). Additional space is provided for the cable base.
• The cables can be routed to the outside by removing the screw cover. The battery can be replaced through the rear cover by turning the operation mode switch. No tools required.
• No laser functionality whatsoever, therefore legal in Germany (I guess. No legal advice!).
• Sticker set SVGs included.

Parts list

Tools

• Vise or press or anything to press in stuff.
• M4 tap.
• Screwdriver bits for all the screws.
• Long (20 mm works good) M2 screw for pulling nuts in recesses.
• File or sandpaper for clean brim removal.
• Sandpaper for cleaning up uneven top surface of prints.
• Suitable glue for your material choice.
• Scalpel and paint marker for stickers (if used).

To be purchased

All parts to be purchased are standart parts. Might be hard and/or a little expensive to find in black-oxide stainless steel. I think I bought most of it from ebay. Consider yourself warned. Or just use other materials and live with the different color.

To be printed

Names do not nessesarly make sense in a gun related way, its just what I called these parts.

Materials:

Use what ever you see fit. I used:

• housing material: Das Filament is my goto supplier. Good quality for the price.
• metallic material: All materials I had from Redline Filament printed fine. They also have a recycling program for empty spools and waste.
• switch material: The only way I could find to get RAL 8000 PLA was throuh colorFabb's color on demand. Costs 50 € a roll, prints like shit, never again.
• matte black: Das Filament is my goto supplier. Good quality for the price. The matte black tends to clogg at low layer heights, low print speeds or small nozzles though.
• flexible material: Easy to print and has the right amount of flex.

To be printed (2D) and/or cut

Whether you want stickers and which ones is up to you. If you want to use them, you need to make them: I use these Ultra-resistant labels from Avery-Zweckform, print them with a laser printer, cut them with a scalpel or plotter and blacken the edges with an Edding 750 paint marker. You could probably also get them made by an online print service.

Printing

• No supports needed.
• 0.15 mm layer heigth for most of the parts.
• 0.1 mm layer height for the adjustment discs, because of the shallow angle on top.
• Variable layer heigth for the MK1 thumb switch because of the dome on top.
• 0.2 mm layer heigth for spring latches, latch housing and latch cam to match the model heighs.
• 4 perimeters for the clamp bracket, for better strength.
• Use archimedian chords as bottom infill, when printing the screw cap to make it look more like a lathe finish.
• I print the MK2 housing with a brim because Im a scaredy-cat.

A starting point may be the 3MF files, that are grouped by material and have the printing orientation and the general settings per model appied. Adjust for your needs, especially the filament settings. 

Assembly

Use the pictures as reference. There is also an assembled STEP file called VTAL. Try every connection dry before applying glue. 

• MK1 housing
  • Remove the brim and file the edges.
  • Rail bar
    • Glue the rail bar to the triangular ridge on the bottom of the MK1 housing.
  • M2 x 4 flat head screws
    • Screw 4 M2 x 4 flat head screws into the countersunk blind holes in the front of the MK1 housing.
  • Screw Cap
    • Work in the thread of the screw cap with the screw cap thread. Might take a while but shoud be easily turnable in the end.
    • Glue the screw cap thread to the MK1 housing. Make sure the slot in the thread alignes with the slot in the housing. Use a press or vise if necessary.
    • Glue the screw cap holder to the screw cap.
  • MK1 optics
    • Pull 2 M2 hex nuts from the inside into the recesses in the front of the MK1 housing.
    • Place the lens effect foil between the MK1 optics and the MK1 housing.
    • Screw the MK1 optics to the MK1 housing using 2 M2 x 8 socket head screws.
  • Adjustment Rings
    • Cut M4 threads in the 2 holes, where the adjustment rings will sit.
    • Screw the 2 M4 x 4 slotted socket head screws in the freshly cut threads.
    • Glue the 2 adjustment rings around the screws.
  • MK1 Thumb switch
    • Place the MK1 thumb switch rim in the recesses of the MK1 housing.
    • Glue the MK1 thumb switch through the MK1 thumb switch rim to the MK1 housing. The MK1 thumb switch rim does not need to be glued itself.
  • Cover holders
    • Pull 3 M2 hex nuts from the inside in the recesses below the holes for the cover holders.
    • Screw the 3 cover holders with 3 M2 x 6 flat head screws to the MK1 housing.
  • Clamp bracket
    • Screw a M4 hex nut on to the end of the M4 x 16 hex head screw. Push the nut inside the clamp nut. Use a press or vise if necessary.
    • Unscrew the M4 x 16 hex head screw and push it from the inside through the hole for the clamp bracket in the MK1 housing.
    • Use the clamp bracket, the M4 washer and the clamp nut to pull the head of the hex head screw into the recess. The battery cavity in the housing should be unobstructed.
• MK1 rear cover
  • M2 x 4 flat head screws
    • Screw 5 M2 x 4 flat head screws into the countersunk holes in the top of the MK1 rear cover.
  • socket
    • Press a M4 hex nut into the recess in the socket. Use a vise or press if necessary.
    • Press the socket into the corresponding hexagonal hole in the top of the MK1 rear cover. Use a vise or press if necessary.
    • If you can pull it out, reassemble with glue.
  • MK1 dial knob
    • Place a M3 washer, the M3 spring washer and the other M3 washer on a M3 x 12 flat head screw and screw through the MK1 rear cover into the MK1 dial knob until the screw head not longer protrudes over the surface and the knob can be rotated with constant friction. If necessary glue in the screw.
  • latch housing
    • Sand the top sides of the spring latches and the latch housing to clean up the uneven surface from printing. Make sure the latches move freely inside the recesses of the housing, when the housing is pressed against a flat surface.
    • Press in 4 2 x 4 mm pins into the blind holes in the bottom side of the MK2 rear cover.
    • Make sure the latch housing and the M2 rear cover sit flush when assembled. If so, reassemble with glue.
  • Latch cam
    • Place the latch cam into to hole in the middle of the assembly.
    • Place the 2 spring latches with the spring first and the hooks facing towards the holes in the latch housing into the channels between latch housing and MK1 rear cover.
    • Lightly press the spring latches into the latch housing and turn the latch cam, untill it clicks into position.
    • Place the operation mode switches hexagonal recess onto the hexagonal part of the latch cam, so that you are happy with its orientation.
    • Screw together latch cam and operation mode switch using the M3 x 12 flat head screw.
    • Connect the spring latches at the hooks with the rubber band, so that they are pulles inwards.
• Stickers
  • Add them if you want.
• Flexible parts
  • Connect the screw cap to the MK1 housing with the screw cap strap.
  • Connect the MK1 rear cover with the MK1 housing with the socket cover strap.