Mission 1 — Find the Balance
Available reservoir headroom above the regulator.
Higher plenum pressure also raises valve-opening demand.
More authority can help — until it becomes wasteful.
Normalized flow capacity, not a real port dimension.
Fictionalized mass and drag profiles.
Bench Results
Velocity
—
sim fps
Energy
—
sim ft·lbf
Efficiency
—
relative score
Useful shots
—
estimated regulated
Extreme spread
—
fps over 40 shots
System Balance
Hammer authority
Valve / pressure demand
Flow capacity
Adjust the controls and fire a shot. The lab will explain which part of the system is limiting the result.
Shot sequence
1. Hammer accelerates toward valve.
2. Valve briefly opens against plenum pressure.
3. Stored air expands through the transfer path.
4. Projectile accelerates down the barrel.
The animation exaggerates these stages for teaching.
1. Hammer accelerates toward valve.
2. Valve briefly opens against plenum pressure.
3. Stored air expands through the transfer path.
4. Projectile accelerates down the barrel.
The animation exaggerates these stages for teaching.
Live Firing Range + PCP Cutaway
illustrative system animationOn FIRE: hammer → valve → air pulse → projectile. Motion and pressure effects are intentionally exaggerated.
Mission Score
0
Run a shot string to score this tune.
What this teaches
A PCP is a system. Regulator pressure, hammer authority, airflow and projectile characteristics have to cooperate; no single control is a universal “power” control.