Arcflash Labs EMG-01 Beta User manual
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Warranty: Arcflash Labs, LLC. (hereinafter referred to as “Arcflash Labs”) warrants to the original purchaser these products to be free from defects in
material and workmanship under normal conditions of use and service for a period of 30 days from date of shipment. Arcflash Labs will, as its option,
repair, replace or refund the purchase price of any products that prove defective within the warranty period, if such products are returned to Arcflash Labs
in accordance with the warranty claim procedures set forth below. REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF THESE PRODUCTS, OR REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE
AS PROVIDED UNDER THIS WARRANTY, IS THE BUYER’S EXCLUSIVE REMEDY. This exclusive remedy will not be deemed to have failed of its essential
purpose so long as Arcflash Labs is willing and able to repair or replace any defective product, or refund the purchase price, in the prescribed manner. In
the event Arcflash Labs fails to provide the Buyer with free repair or replacement, or refund the purchase price as aforesaid, Arcflash Labs’ entire liability
shall not exceed the amount paid by the Buyer to Arcflash Labs for its purchase of the defective product. THIS WARRANTY IS EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF
ALL OTHER WARRANTIES NOT EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLED BY OPERATION OF LAW OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT
NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Limitations: Products which are purchased from other equipment manufacturers and sold by Arcflash Labs as part of a system or on a resale basis will bear
only the original manufacturer’s warranty. The above warranty shall not apply to fuses, lamps or other items which are expendable by nature, unless
otherwise provided.
IN NO EVENT SHALL ARCFLASH LABS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, TORT, PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY, CONSEQUENTIAL OR
OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGE TO OR LOSS OF PROPERTY OR EQUIPMENT, PHYSICAL INJURY, DEATH OR HARM TO
GOODWILL OR BUSINESS REPUTATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING FROM THE SALE, HANDLING, OR USE OF THE PRODUCT, OR FROM ANY OTHER
CAUSE RELATING THERETO. Arcflash labs shall not be liable to the Buyer for any claims, demands, injuries, damages, actions or causes of action
whatsoever based on negligence or strict liability. Arcflash Labs shall have no liability of any kind under this Limited Warranty unless the Buyer
commences an action against Arcflash Labs within 1 month of the date the cause of action accrues.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing by an authorized representative of Arcflash Labs at Arcflash Labs’ headquarters in San Diego, California, the products
sold hereunder are not intended for use in connection with any nuclear facility or activity. If so used, in the event any damage, injury or contamination
occurs, Arcflash Labs disclaims any responsibility of every kind, and the user of the products shall indemnify Arcflash Labs and hold Arcflash Labs harmless
from any and all liability for any such damage or contamination whatsoever arising out of any such use, including liability in tort or strict liability.
WARRANTY CLAIM PROCEDURE: In the event the products purchased hereunder prove defective, the Buyer shall notify Arcflash Labs’ Service Department
in writing at its offices in San Diego, California of the claimed defect, and such notice shall include the model and serial number of each such product, as
well as the number and date of invoice therefore. Upon receipt of this information, Arcflash Labs will send notification to the Buyer as to the service
arrangements and will provide written authorization and shipping instruction, and the Buyer shall return the products to Arcflash Labs, transportation
prepaid, in accordance with such shipping instructions. If, after inspection, Arcflash Labs determines the defect is a result of misuse, mishandling,
installation, abnormal condition of operation, unauthorized repair or modification, or due to Buyer’s failure to install, maintain or operate the products in
compliance with the written instruction, all necessary materials, labor and other expenses shall be for the account of the Buyer at Arcflash Labs’ standard
repair rates. Any products returned to Arcflash Labs for replacement shall become the property of Arcflash Labs.
The Buyer shall be responsible for all costs of shipping, customs clearance and other related charges in connection with Arcflash Labs’ repair or
replacement of products located outside the continental United Sates pursuant to this Limited Warranty.
The validity, performance and interpretation of this Limited Warranty shall be governed by the internal laws (and not the laws of conflicts) of the State of
California. All disputes arising in connection with this limited Warranty shall be resolved, if not sooner settled, by a court of competent jurisdiction located
in California, U.S.A.
6/20
Copyright © 2018 by Arcflash Labs, LLC. All rights reserved. Under copyright laws, neither the documentation nor the software may be copied,
photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior written
consent Arcflash Labs, LLC except in the manner described in the documentation
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IT IS STRONGLY ADVISED TO READ THIS ENTIRE MANUAL PRIOR TO
POWERING ON THE GUN
FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THESE PROCEDURES COULD RESULT IN
IMMEDIATE AND CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE EMG-01B.
FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THE PROCEDURES IN THIS MANUAL SHALL
RENDER ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES VOID.
1. Introduction
The Arcflash Labs EMG-01B (Electro-Magnetic Gun –01 Beta) is an 8 stage low voltage capacitor
augmented fully automatic coilgun.
It features 8 stages controlled by a nanosecond-precise microcontroller which allows for firing up
to 8 rounds per second at >45m/s.
The EMG-01B is configured to ONLY fire 0.25x0.75” steel projectiles (dowel pins). Arcflash Labs
recommends the use of 2575 Magnetic Armatures (sold separately) but any 0.25x0.75” steel dowel pin
should work.
The EMG-01B is shipped standard with the MG18 constant-pressure fed magazine which can hold
up to 18 rounds single stacked and fire the entire magazine on full-auto mode. The EMG-01B is also
backward compatible with the SG18 magazine of the SGP-35. The gun is also shipped standard with a
6S Lithium Polymer battery (charger sold separately) which can provide power for over 100 shots
before needing to recharge.
As a beta tester of the EMG-01, you are privileged to join an exclusive community of
electromagnetic gun developers and enthusiasts around the globe. Until now, only a handful of
individuals have ever seen an electromagnetic gun, let alone fired one. Congratulations on being
selected to own a piece of history.
- ALWAYS ENSURE THE POWER SWITCH IS SET TO THE DISCHARGE (FORWARD) POSITION
BEFORE INSERTING THE FUSE OR BATTERY.
- NEVER INSERT THE FUSE WITH THE SWITCH IN THE ON (REARWARD) POSITION.
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1.1 Terminology and Safety
The list below and throughout this manual is a summary of the major hazards associated with
the device, but is NOT ALL INCLUSIVE. There are many other hazards associated with the device which
are not laid out in this manual. We recommend wearing high voltage, flame retardant gloves at all
times when using the device as well as goggles and thick clothing. Never use the device indoors or
around flammable materials and always have a fire extinguisher on standby.
The EMG-01B is NOT WATER RESISTANT AND NOT IMPACT SAFE. Exposure to water or
dropping from distances greater than 1 foot may cause irreversible damage to the gun, fire, explosion,
electrical shock or venting of toxic gas from the battery or capacitors. If the EMG-01B is dropped or
exposed to water: discontinue use immediately and return the gun to its manufacturer for repairs.
The following terminology is used throughout this manual for the purpose of denoting
important and safety critical information:
An operation, procedure, or practice which if not correctly followed could result in
personal injury or loss of life.
An operation, procedure, or practice which if not strictly observed, could result in
damage to the device and/or voiding of the device’s warranty.
A recommended procedure, suggested practice, or point of additional information which
may facilitate the ease of use for the operator, or point out a feature of particular
importance which is useful to know, but not safety-critical.
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2. Overview of components
2.1 Barrel
The EMG-01B is a fully automatic electromagnetic gun –its core component is a
sequence of optically gated, IGBT switched driver solenoids. As a projectile passes through the
barrel, it triggers optical gates which send signals back to the microcontroller. The
microcontroller quickly interprets these signals and directs the coils to turn on in a precise
sequence. This accelerates the projectile down the barrel and out of the gun with an exit
velocity of roughly 45m/s.
While its muzzle energy is comparable to most bb-guns (around 5 joules or 3.7 ft/lbs), it
should be treated the same way as a firearm: with the utmost respect. While the muzzle
energy is roughly the same as a bb-gun, the projectile mass is far higher. Hazards from
LiPo Battery
Compartment
Muzzle
Mounting rail
Drive coils (barrel)
Injector solenoid
Magazine
Socket
Trigger
Magazine
Main fuse
Main Switch
Fuse socket
Capacitors
Battery
Firing mode selector
DCL
Display
- Muzzle energy is sufficient to break bones, cause serious injury or even death. It goes
without saying: never point the gun at anyone or anything you do not intend to destroy.
- Never fire projectiles longer than 0.75” – firing projectiles other than Arcflash 2575
Mangetic Armatures or 0.25x0.75” steel dowel pins could result in fire or explosion.
Electronics Bay
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accidental discharge include broken bones and severe injuries –in short, never point the device
at anything you don’t want to destroy. Treat it as loaded at all times.
The device operates on low voltage (25V), but carries extremely high amperage (300A+)
during a shot, which is immediately converted to high voltage (300V+) in the driver coils. While
most of the components experiencing transient high voltage spikes are protected from the
user, it is advised that you should never touch any internal components of the gun during a
shot, especially those near the barrel. 300V is more than enough to cause serious electrical
shock, personal injury or death.
2.2 Electronics Bay
The “Electronics Bay” is a large cavity in the EMG-01B above the trigger and magazine
socket housing a number of critical components. The most important of which components
are: the injector solenoid, the Discharge Current Limiter (DCL), the fuse (and fuse socket), the
main switch, and the firing mode selector.
It is important to keep this cavity clear of debris at all times and to protect all
components in this area from water, dust and contamination. It is due to the fragility of the
components in the Electronics Bay that this EMG-01 model is still considered a “Beta Testing”
version as this area is still vulnerable to damage if care is not taken to protect it.
Projectiles are pushed out of the magazine by a pulsed solenoid, known as the injector.
This injector has a spring loaded mechanism which allows it to return to its home position. It is
this spring return mechanism which sets the maximum rate of fire of the gun. 8 rounds per
second is the maximum safe rate of fire of the injector, and hence the maximum rate of fire of
the EMG-01B.
The ICL is a large resistor which converts the stored energy in the capacitors to heat
when the gun is powered down. This allows the gun to be powered down quickly when the
- Never stick any object or any part of your body into the Electronics Bay
- Do not touch the Discharge Current Limiter (DCL) after powering down the gun- it may
become hot enough to cause burns.
- Do not stick any object or any part of your body in between the injector solenoid and
the barrel
- Always take care to INSPECT THE ELECTRONICS BAY after removing the magazine. Loose
rounds could cause a short which could damage the gun.
- Take care to protect the exposed components (ICL, firing mode switch and main switch)
from excessive force. Never rest the gun in a position where these switches are stressed.
- Always store the gun in a safe place where the switches are protected. Damage to these
components will result in permanent damage to the gun
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main switch is set to the “discharge” position. The ICL may heat to over 100oC immediately
after the gun is shut down but quickly cools within the span of a few minutes.
The fuse, main switch and firing mode selector will be discussed in the sections below:
2.3 Main fuse
The main fuse of the EMG-01B is a 40A automotive fuse which acts as a protection
against certain types of over-current and also serves as to isolate the battery from the
electronics for short term storage of the gun.
The EMG-01B uses a different startup procedure than the EMG-01A which allows the
gun to be shut down quickly and powered on easily without the small sparks that plagued the
fuse contacts of the EMG-01A. HOWEVER –it is of the utmost importance that the user never
inserts the fuse with the power switch set to the ON position. Doing so will place the entire
switched load of the gun onto the fuse contacts which will superheat, convert to plasma and
expand rapidly- resulting in damage to the fuse contact pads, the fuse itself, and possibly: the
user’s fingers as well as the gun’s switching electronics. It is for this reason that an additional
warning to this effect is placed on page 1 of the manual. As with all electronic devices: make
sure the power is switched off before inserting the fuse.
2.4 Main switch
The main switch of the EMG-01B controls both the power electronics and the DCL. It
has two modes: Discharge and ON.
When the switch is placed in the ON (REARWARD) position, the battery will be
connected to the main electronics of the gun and the capacitors will be commanded to charge
- ALWAYS ENSURE THE POWER SWITCH IS SET TO THE DISCHARGE (FORWARD) POSITION
BEFORE INSERTING THE FUSE OR BATTERY.
- NEVER INSERT THE FUSE WITH THE SWITCH IN THE ON (REARWARD) POSITION.
- Inserting the fuse with the power switch in the CHARGE (rearward facing) position will
cause high amperage flashover resulting in damage to the gun, shock and/or burns to the
user.
- Always ensure the main switch is set to the DISCHARGE (FORWARD) position before
removing the fuse.
- The Main Fuse may be removed as an alternative to fully removing the battery for short
term storage of the gun.
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by the microcomputer. The microcontroller slowly increases the capacitor charging current
over the course of 6 seconds until the capacitors are at full charge and the power supply is
capable of delivering 1500W during full-auto fire.
When the switch is placed in the DISCHARGE (FORWARD) position, the battery is
disconnected from the main electronics and the capacitors are shorted across the DCL resistive
load, discharging them quickly.
2.5 Display/Firing Mode Selector
The display shows the velocity of the prior shot, the battery percentage and also shows
the current and available firing modes of the gun. There are four modes: SAFE, SINGLE, BURST,
and AUTO.
To adjust the firing mode, simply press inward on the firing mode selector until the
desired firing mode is selected.
In the SAFE mode, the gun will not fire and will display a warning should the user
depress the trigger.
In the SINGLE mode, the gun will fire a single shot semi-automatically once per trigger
pull.
In the BURST mode, the gun will fire three shots (at a rate of 8 rounds per second) in a
burst while the user holds down the trigger. If the user releases the trigger mid-burst,
subsequent shots will not fire.
In the AUTO mode, the gun will fire continuously as long as the user holds down the
trigger.
2.6 Battery
The EMG-01B contains a Lithium Polymer battery. As with any device containing a large
lithium battery, it presents a number of hazards including shock, fire, explosion or venting of
toxic gas. Always store the gun and battery in a cool, dry environment indoors, away from any
flammable materials.
- The EMG-01B contains a large 6S Lithium Polymer battery. Never leave a charged
battery unattended and always store in a cool , dry environment.
- Take care not to pinch the wires when closing the battery compartment.
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2.7 Magazine
The EMG-01B uses a proprietary magazine design and retaining mechanism which was
designed to accommodate an 18-round 3D-printed magazine (the MG18). The magazine uses a
constant pressure spring to store up to 18 0.25x0.75” projectiles. The magazine socket on the
EMG-01B is compatible with the SG18 magazines used in the SGP-34/35 accelerators.
Unfortunately it is not backward compatible with the MG-20 or MG-9-CS magazines
used by the EMG-01A.
2.8 Capacitors
The EMG-01B contains a large bank of electrolytic capacitors (330,000 uF total
capacitance) –at the time of construction these are the highest density electrolytic capacitors
in production. They are capable of delivering up to 300A burst current at 25V and storing over
100J of energy.
The capacitors require approximately 6 seconds to charge during power-up and 4
seconds to discharge during power-down. To power down the gun we recommend the
following procedure: 1) set the microcontroller to “SAFE”, 2) switch the Main Switch to the
DISCHARGE (FORWARD) position, 3) remove the Main Fuse from its socket –this immediately
removes the battery from the circuit, 4) remove the magazine from the gun, verify that there is
no round still remaining in the barrel, and 5) wait for ALL LEDs to extinguish before removing
the battery.
The red LED in the electronics bay indicates the state of charge on the capacitors. If the
red LED is active, the capacitors are charged.
- The EMG-01B uses a similar magazine retaining mechanism to the SGP-35. Inserting the
magazine should be done in a fluid motion. There is no switch or button required to insert
or remove the magazine, a ball detent retainer holds the magazine securely in place.
- The EMG-01B contains 10 large 33mF capacitors capable of storing up to 100J of
combined energy.
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3. Operation
3.1 Startup
1. Ensure battery is charged to its nominal voltage of 25.2V
2. Open battery compartment by unscrewing the thumb-boltsat the rear of the gun. Gently
slide the battery compartment rearward and connect battery XT-60 connector to the gun.
3. Stuff the battery, connector and excess wires into the battery compartment. Ensure wires
clear pinch points and close the compartment by sliding the battery section forward onto
the rail mount. Slide the battery enclosure fully forward before re-tightening the bolts.*DO
NOT OVER-TIGHTEN BOLTS* One turn is sufficient to secure the battery.
- ALWAYS ENSURE THE POWER SWITCH IS SET TO THE DISCHARGE (FORWARD) POSITION
BEFORE INSERTING THE FUSE OR BATTERY.
- NEVER INSERT THE FUSE WITH THE SWITCH IN THE ON (REARWARD) POSITION.
- It is unsafe to power up the gun with a magazine inserted
- Always check that there is nothing inside the electronics bay before powering up. Any
rounds or debris inside the bay could result in damage to the gun.
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4. ENSURE THAT THE MAIN SWITCH IS FACING FORWARD –Insert the fuse into its socket.
5. Now flip the Main Switch to its rearward (ON) position.
6. Once the fuse is inserted and the Main Switch is set to the (ON) position, the primary
computer should begin to boot up and capacitors will begin to charge. Within a second, the
red light should illuminate and a bar graph will be displayed showing the charge on the
capacitors. The capacitors will charge for approximately 6 seconds.
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7. Once the capacitors have charged, press the firing mode selector button to switch the gun
to the desired firing mode.
3.2 Inserting a magazine
1. Always ensure the gun is powered up and pointed in a safe direction before inserting a
magazine. There is no slide or chamber on the EMG-01B. The active round in the magazine
itself acts as the chambered round.
2. Begin by inserting the magazine partially into the slide as shown below.
3. Insert the magazine fully into the gun.
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3.3 Shutdown
1. Flip the Main Switch to the DISCHARGE (FORWARD) position.
2. Remove the Main Fuse from its socket –this immediately removes the battery from the
circuit.
3. Remove the magazine from the gun and verify that there is no round still remaining in the
barrel or electronics bay.
4. Wait for ALL LEDs to extinguish before storing the unit or removing the battery.
INSPECT
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4. Software
The software in this device is not intended to be user-serviceable. In fact, tampering with the EMG-
01B software is expressly discouraged and will immediately void any express or implied warranties.
Any attempt to modify the software may render the gun unusable or unsafe. Arcflash Labs, LLC
assumes absolutely no responsibility for units which have had their software modified by the end user.
5. Hardware Specifications
Accelerator Specifications
Primary power source
1x 6S LiPo –25.2V
Power supply
Proprietary (1,500W)
Capacitors
10x 33mF LV electrolytic
Switches
8x IGBT
Projectile
0.25x0.75” carbon steel, 4.6g
Capacity
18 rounds (standard)
Rate of fire
8.0 rounds/sec
Muzzle velocity
45 m/s
Muzzle energy
4.65J
Efficiency
6.5%
Physical Dimensions
Barrel length
10.0”
Bore
0.25”
Physical Dimensions
22.0”x 8.0” x 3.0”
Overall Weight
(unloaded, no battery)
4.8 lbs
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Table of contents
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