Tadao M5 User manual

M5 Intimidator Board Instructions
Features
•Fully functional in 2K2 or GZ style Intimidator frames
•Based on the Musashi 5 software
•Includes 5 fire modes: uncapped semi-auto, capped semi-auto, PSP
ramping, PSP burst, and NXL full-automatic
•Continuously monitors the trigger switch throughout the entire firing
cycle
•AMB (anti-mechanical bounce) and CPF (cycle percentage filter)
algorithms help to eliminate mechanical bounce and switch bounce
•Power efficient software lengthens battery life
•Programming mode allows changes to debounce, dwell, loader delay,
AMB, eye mode, bolt delay, fire mode, max rate of fire, cycle
percentage filter, and ramp start
•All settings are stored in non-volatile memory so they are not lost when
battery is disconnected
•One-touch startup enables the marker to fire instantly
•Delayed and forced eye mode with force shot allows the marker to be
fired when the eyes are enabled but no object is present in the breech
•Low battery indicator software
Installation
The Tadao Intimidator Board is a drop-in upgrade. Installation consists of
removing the old board and putting in the new one:
1. Remove the left half of the 2K2 Intimidator frame. The stock circuit
board is exposed.
2. Unscrew the bottom mounting screw.
3. Gently lift up the stock board and unplug the LCD ribbon and two
wiring harnesses.
4. Reconnect the wiring harnesses to the Tadao Intimidator Board. The
top 12 pin connector may need to be reversed for the eye system to
function correctly. If the eye system does not work then the 12 pin
connector is installed backwards.
5. Place the Tadao Intimidator Board back into the grip frame on top of
the solenoid, making sure all the wires are tucked underneath the board
so they are not pinched when the frame is reassembled.
6. Thread the bottom board mounting screw in but only make it snug.
7. Reattach the left side of the grip frame.
8. Readjust the trigger set screws as necessary.
LED Indicator
The multi-color LED that shines out the grip frame shows which mode of
operation the marker is currently in:
Solid Green Ball in breech, ready to fire
Solid Red No ball in breech
Slow Blinking Green Eye malfunction, max rate of fire reduced
Slow Blinking Red Eyes disabled, rate of fire limited to 20
balls per second in uncapped semi-auto;
otherwise capped at fire mode max rate of
fire for fire modes 2-5
Power Operation
Sliding the power switch turns the marker on. If the battery is low, the LED will
flicker red. If the battery is fine, it will show a green or red LED in the grip frame
to indicate that the marker is ready to be fired. Every time the marker is turned on,
the eyes are enabled. The marker can be turned off regardless of the state of the
eyes. See “Battery Indicator” section for additional details.
Eye Operation and Logic
The eyes are enabled when the marker is first turned on. The eyes can be turned
off by pushing the bolt forward and firing 5 times. If the marker is not aired up,
you can also block the eyes for 5 shots in a row to turn off the eyes.
Note that the eye logic can tell the difference between paint being fired and an
object constantly blocking the eyes. The eyes watch for the bolt to return every
shot. If this does not happen, the LED will flash green to indicate an eye
malfunction. Unblocking the eyes will cause it to revert to a solid red LED to show
that the eyes are working again and the breech is empty. If the eyes are
continually blocked for 5 shots in a row, the eye system will automatically disable.
If you are firing the marker with paint and air, and the eye system is working, the
eyes will not disable automatically since they will see the bolt returning every
shot.
To determine if the eyes are working correctly, insert an object into the breech.
Check to see if the LED changes from solid red to solid green and then back to
solid red once the object is removed.
Battery Indicator
The battery indicator software is standard on the Tadao Intimidator Board. When
the marker is turned on, the LED may briefly flicker red to indicate a low battery,
and it should be changed as soon as possible. Your battery may last for another
case of paint, but it is close to failing. If the battery is fine, the software will go
directly into the firing mode.
Programming
The tournament lock must be disabled in order to change settings on the board.
The tournament lock is toggled by making sure the marker is turned off, then
shorting the bottom 2 pins on the programming connector and power cycling the
maker (turning it on, then off):
To toggle the tournament lock:
1. Turn the marker off.
2. Touch the top two pins of the programming connector with a
conductive object.
3. Turn on the marker while maintaining contact with the two pins.
4. The LED will blink twice: either red (lock ON), or green (lock OFF).
5. Turn the marker off.
By default the tournament lock is disabled, allowing the user to change settings.
While the marker is turned off, press and hold the trigger and turn the marker on.
This will initiate the programming mode, flashing through a rainbow sequence and
then finally showing solid green.
Pulling and releasing the trigger quickly will toggle between the different
programming modes:
1. Green Debounce
2. Red Dwell
3. Orange Loader delay
4. Flickering Green AMB
5. Flickering Red Bolt delay
6. Flickering Orange Eye mode
7. Alternating Red/Green Fire mode
8. Alternating Red/Orange Fire mode max rate of fire
9. Alternating Green/Orange Cycle percentage filter
10. Flickering Red/Green Ramp start

When the LED is lit for the desired setting, press and hold the trigger until the
LED goes out. When you release the trigger, the LED will blink to show the
current setting. For example, if the current setting for debounce is 5, the LED will
blink green 5 times. Once the LED stops blinking, you have 2 seconds to begin
entering the new setting.
To enter the new setting, pull the trigger the desired number of times. For example,
to set the debounce to 2, you must pull the trigger 2 times. Every time you pull the
trigger the LED will light. After all settings have been changed, turn the marker
off, using the power button.
Programming Example
If you want to set the dwell to 10, you should:
1. Make sure the marker is powered off and the tournament lock is
disabled.
2. Push and hold the trigger and turn on the marker. The LED goes
through a rainbow sequence then shows green. This is the debounce
mode.
3. Quickly pull and release the trigger 1 time to switch to the dwell mode.
The LED will show red.
4. Pull and HOLD the trigger until the LED turns off.
5. Release the trigger. The LED will blink out the current setting.
6. When the LED stops blinking, enter the new setting by pulling the
trigger 10 times.
7. Wait until the LED turns back on, indicating programming has been
completed.
8. Turn the marker off.
Settings
Debounce – The Musashi software features a hybrid debounce scheme that uses
microcontroller cycles to debounce the pull of the trigger and ½ ms time
increments to debounce the release. This results in a very effective debounce
algorithm that does not hinder the user at any setting. At low debounce settings,
however, it may cause the marker to read switch bounce as additional pulls, falsely
generating shots or near full-automatic fire. The setting ranges from 1 to 50 and is
defaulted at 10.
Dwell –The amount of time the solenoid is energized each time the marker is
fired. The default is 8 ms. The range is 1 to 30 ms. Too low of a dwell may lead to
inconsistency or drop-off. Too high of a dwell can cause bad air efficiency.
Loader Delay – Adds a slight delay after the eye has seen a ball and the bolt is
cycled, causing the gun to fire. If not using force fed loaders, it may be necessary
to increase this setting to prevent chopping. A setting of 1 means no loader delay,
which is the fastest. The default is 2 and may be set from 1 to 30.
AMB – Allows the user to adjust the anti-mechanical bounce feature. Mechanical
bounce occurs due to the kick generated during each shot and can cause the marker
to “run away” on the first few shots. AMB helps stop markers from going full-auto
when the trigger is pulled very slowly. The default is 2 and may be set from 1 to 5
(1 being off). AMB is only used in fire modes 1 and 2 (semi-automatic unlimited
and adjustable). In PSP ramping, PSP burst, or NXL mode AMB is disabled.
Bolt Delay – This setting determines how long the eyes are ignored after the dwell
time ends. Some delay is necessary to allow the bolt to move far enough forward
so the eye system does not mistake a small gap between a paintball and the bolt
face for a bolt return. The default is 15 ms and may be set from 5 to 25 ms. Higher
settings will reduce the maximum capable rate of fire, while lower settings may
lead to skipped or blank shots because the bolt does not have enough time to block
the eyes on its forward stroke.
Eye Mode – This setting selects the eye mode. The default is 1, which is delayed.
In delayed mode the eyes will watch for a ball up to ½ second after the trigger is
pulled. After ½ second the marker will fire whether or not a ball is in the breech. If
set to 2, the eye mode is forced. In forced mode the marker will not fire unless a
ball is present in the breech or a force shot is utilized. The user can fire a force shot
by holding down the trigger for ½ second.
Fire Mode – Included are 5 different fire modes (default is 1):
1. Semi-automatic, unlimited rate of fire
2. Semi-automatic, adjustable rate of fire
3. PSP ramping, adjustable rate of fire
4. PSP burst, adjustable rate of fire
5. NXL full automatic, adjustable rate of fire
Setting 1 is normal semi-automatic with an unlimited rate of fire while the eyes are
enabled. When the eyes are turned off, the max rate of fire is set to 20 balls per
second.
Setting 2 is semi-automatic with a capped rate of fire. It limits the maximum balls
per second that can be fired. The cap is set by the Max ROF setting.
Setting 3 is the first PSP fire mode that works as follows:
•The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic
•After the 4th shot the marker will add shots as long as the user fires
faster than the ramp start setting. For instance, if the ramp start setting
is 5, then the user must pull 5 times per second or faster for the
software to add additional shots.
•If the trigger is released, the marker will stop firing immediately
•If the trigger is not pulled again within 1 second of release, the 3-shot
semi-automatic count starts over
Setting 4 is the second PSP fire mode that works as follows:
•The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic
•After the 4th shot the marker will fire 2 or more shots per pull as long as
the user continually pulls and releases the trigger
•If the trigger is released, the marker will stop firing immediately
•If the trigger is not pulled again within 1 second of release, the 3-shot
semi-automatic count starts over
In normal operation, continually pulling the trigger faster than 5 to 6 pulls per
second will effectively give the user full-automatic at the max rate of fire. If the
user stops shooting then resumes within 1 second, the marker will return to the
max rate of fire. If the user stops shooting for more than 1 second, the next 3 shots
will be semi-automatic. On the 4th shot it will resume a faster fire rate.
PSP ramping and PSP burst differ in that PSP ramping requires the user to
maintain the ramp start rate of fire for software assistance, whereas the PSP burst
mode will fire at least 2 shots per pull, regardless of rate of fire. Some players
prefer multiple shots every time they pull the trigger after the initial 3 semi-
automatic shots, while others like to be able to shoot 1 ball at a time until they
achieve a certain rate of fire.
Setting 5 is the NXL full-automatic fire mode. It functions similarly to the PSP
fire modes except after the 3rd semi-automatic shot the user may pull and hold the
trigger to have the marker fire in full-automatic.
Fire Mode Max ROF – The maximum rate of fire setting only applies to the 2nd
3rd, 4th, and 5th fire modes. The max rate of fire is adjustable from 14 to 20 balls
per second in ¼ balls per second increments, and has an unlimited setting. The
default is 4, which is roughly 14.75 balls per second. Oscillator inconsistencies
from chip to chip make it impossible to time perfectly, so the only true way to
check rate of fire is to use a Pact Timer or ballistic chronograph. The red radar
chronographs commonly found at fields are NOT reliable.
Setting BPS Setting BPS Setting BPS
1 14.0 9 16.0 17 18.0
2 14.25 10 16.25 18 18.25
3 14.5 11 16.5 19 18.5
4 14.75 12 16.75 20 18.75
5 15.0 13 17.0 21 19.0
6 15.25 14 17.25 22 19.25
7 15.5 15 17.5 23 19.5
8 15.75 16 17.75 24 19.75
25 20.0
26 Unlimited eyes on
20 bps eyes off
Cycle Percentage Filter (CPF) – The cycle percentage filter allows adjustment of
the point within the current firing cycle that a new buffered shot is allowed.
Almost all electronic paintball markers allow a single shot to be buffered in the
event the user is fast enough to release the trigger and pull again during the current
firing cycle. The CPF setting is adjustable from 1 to 10. Setting 1 turns the CPF
off, allowing buffered shots at any point in the firing cycle. Settings 2 through 10
set the percentage of the firing cycle that must pass before shots may be buffered:
1CPF turned off
210% of the firing cycle must pass before a buffered shot is allowed
320%
430%
540%
650%
760%
870%
980%
10 90%

A higher CPF setting results in less unintentional bounce. For instance, it is
possible that if your debounce setting is border line, you can fire the marker a few
times, then hold it loosely and allow it to brush against your finger, going full-
automatic. Since most switch bounce from either a low debounce setting or
mechanical bounce occurs almost immediately after the trigger is released, CPF
can be very effective in eliminating falsely generated trigger activity.
Ramp Start – The ramp start setting is only used for the PSP ramping fire mode
(mode 3). It sets the minimum pulls per second that must be maintained for the
software to add shots, or ramp up to the maximum rate of fire setting. The default
is 5 and is adjustable from 4 to 12 pulls per second.
Additional Features
Force Shot (while in forced eye mode only) –In the event the eyes are enabled,
the breech is empty, and the user wants to fire a clearing shot, a force shot can be
initiated by pulling and holding the trigger for ½ second. This is useful with force-
fed loaders that sometimes push a ball slightly into the detents where the eyes are
unable to see it. After force firing, the next ball will load, and operation will
continue as normal.
A tip for setting the debounce, AMB, and CPF – This only applies to semi-
automatic fire modes (modes 1 and 2), since AMB is disabled in the PSP fire
modes or NXL mode.
Debounce, AMB, CPF setup steps, while using air (no paint):
1. Turn AMB and CPF off (set both to 1).
2. Starting at debounce 1-3, raise the debounce setting a notch at a time
until excessive trigger bounce goes away. The goal is to have one pull,
one shot, regardless of rate of fire. Do NOT slow pull test for bounce
during this phase. Instead, pull the trigger rapidly or walk it, listening
for double or triple fires.
3. When it appears that it is only one pull, one shot for solid trigger pulls,
try the slow pull test. Holding the marker steady, slowly pull the
trigger and see if multiple shots can be generated from the single pull.
4. Increase the CPF setting a notch at a time until the slow pull bounce
starts to disappear. An additional test is to fire a few rounds quickly,
then hold the trigger right on the activation point to see if the marker
will run away.
5. If you reach setting 10 with CPF and the marker can still be slow pulled
to fire full-automatic, then your debounce setting is probably too low.
Go back to step 2.
6. AMB should not be set above 3, if possible, since it is not as
transparent to the user as CPF. Even a CPF setting of 10 will not be
noticed by the user.
Example Setting Profiles:
1. Tournament legal semi-automatic (NPPL)
a. Fire mode 1 or 2 (semi-auto unlimited or capped)
b. Debounce 5-20
c. CPF 2-5
d. Loader delay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10
for gravity feed)
2. Millennium
a. Fire mode 3 (PSP ramping)
b. Max rate of fire set to 3-5, depending on Pact Timer
readings. To be safe use setting 3 (14.5 balls per second)
c. Debounce 5-20
d. Ramp start 8 or higher to comply with Millennium rules
e. Loader delay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10
for gravity feed)
3. PSP X-Ball, CFOA
a. Fire mode 3 or 4 (PSP ramping or PSP burst)
b. Max rate of fire set to 3-5, depending on Pact Timer
readings. To be safe use setting 3 (14.5 balls per second)
c. Debounce 5-20
d. Ramp start 5 or higher if using PSP ramping.
e. Loader delay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10
for gravity feed)
4. NXL a. Fire mode 5 (NXL full-automatic).
b. Max rate of fire set to 3-4, depending on Pact Timer
readings. To be safe use setting 3 (14.5 balls per second).
c. Debounce 5-20
d. Loader delay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10
for gravity feed)
5. Ludicrous Speed (absolute fastest/bounciest)
a. Any fire mode
b. Max rate of fire set to 26 (unlimited)
c. Debounce 1
d. CPF 1
e. Ramp start 4 if using PSP ramping
f. Loader delay 1
Additional Information
www.tadaotechnologies.com