The goal of the FeyerPower Project is to develop firmware for the Tippmann X7 Phenom electro-pneumatic paintball gun that matches and surpasses the features of the factory firmware. This project started from a desire to disable the "three shot safety" associated with the enhanced firing modes of the factory firmware.
The FeyerPower Project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tippmann. This project is made available to you without any warranty, whether express or implied. The user accepts all risks associated with using this project, whether known or unknown. Always heed all cautions and warnings included in the user manual that was included with your paintball gun. Never point a paintball gun at anything that you don't want to shoot.
| Feature | FeyerPower | Tippmann |
|---|---|---|
| Three Shot Safety for Enhanced Modes | Configurable | Mandatory |
| Semi-Automatic Firing Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-Response Firing Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Three Shot Burst Firing Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Turbo Firing Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Fully Automatic Firing Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable Firing Rate (Balls Per Second) | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable Dwell Time | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable Debounce Time | Yes | Yes |
| Low Battery Indicator | (not yet) | Yes |
| Select Firing Mode while in Shooting Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Save Firing Mode Selected while in Shooting Mode | (not yet) | Yes |
| Save Firing Mode Selected while in Configuration Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Processor Sleeps to Extend Battery Life | Yes | (unknown) |
A paintball gun with FeyerPower firmware installed can be booted into either "shooting" (normal) mode or "configuration" (menu) mode. Instructions for installing the FeyerPower firmware can be found in the "Installing" section later in this document.
Shooting mode enables you to use your paintball gun as a paintball gun to deliberately shoot stuff.
To boot into "shooting" mode, turn the paintball gun's selector switch to the electronic firing mode position without holding down the recessed pushbutton.
Configuration mode enables you to adjust the settings of your paintball gun. While it is not possible to use your paintball gun as a paintball gun while in configuration mode, accidental discharge is always possible; never point your paintball gun at anything you do not want to shoot.
Configuration mode let's you adjust settings through a menu. First you select the variable that you want to adjust, then you select the new value for that variable.
To boot into "configuration" mode, hold down the recessed pushbutton while turning the paintball gun's selector switch to the electronic firing mode position. Continue holding the recessed pushbutton until the recessed light (TODO).
Installing the FeyerPower firmware on your paintball gun will erase the factory firmware. It is not possible to reinstall the factory firmware once it has been erased. Installing the FeyerPower firmware will also erase any settings that you may have configured, such as (but not limited to) dwell time and debounce time.
To install FeyerPower firmware on your paintball gun, you will need:
- paintball gun
- FeyerPower firmware binary image file
- instructions for creating this file can be found in the "Building" section later in this document
- programming device capable of programming your paintball gun's Atmel AVR ATtiny44 microcontroller
- we use an Atmel AVR Dragon
- programming software compatible with your programming device
- we use Atmel Studio
- means of connecting programming device to paintball gun's microcontroller
- we use a Pomonoa 5251 test clip
- consider adding jumper wires, such as Adafruit 793
Your paintball gun's microcontroller came from the factory with a sticker indicating which version of firmware the factory installed on it. Remove this sticker to avoid confusion later.
You can use Atmel Studio software to generate a firmware binary image file from the source code of the FeyerPower Project.
An Atmel AVR ATtiny44 8-bit microcontroller is at the core of the design of the Phenom's circuit board. It functions as the gun's brain. It processes inputs from the following sensors and sends outputs to the following actuators.
- Trigger
- Pushbutton
- Solenoid
- Red LED
- Green LED
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You can purchase additional electronics assemblies from Tippmann as part number TA99600 "Hall Effect Electronics (Electro-pneumatic mode". We use two: one with the factory firmware to use as a reference, and one with FeyerPower firmware.
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Consider building a "test bed" on a breadboard to make development and testing easier. An Atmel AVR ATtiny44 micrcontroller in a DIP package is easier to work with during software development. Even though it is a different shape from the microcontroller on your paintball gun's electronics assembly, they are identical from an electrical and firmware perspective. The DIP package can be stuck onto a standard breadboard, which makes it easy to make reliable connections. Add LEDs and pushbuttons onto the breadboard to substitue for the LEDS, trigger, and pushbutton on the gun. Working directly with the microcontroller on the electronics assembly can be a hassle because 1) magnets must be positioned just right to enable power, 2) magnets must be positioned just right to effect a trigger pull, and 3) the test clip can easily be knocked loose.
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Power your board with a 9V DC power supply instead of a battery during development and testing to avoid the frustrations of depleted batteries.