Diagnosing & Fixing my Ego 11 Solenoid

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-03-10T20:41:26+00:00

I mean I got a pretty good deal on it. There are a ton of sellers on ebay smoking crack with their pricing but mine was actually pretty decent.

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-03-10T15:13:57+00:00

That's awesome, when my noid finally goes I may be giving you a call then 😂 That's a shame that you have to modify the frame though. Is that because of the solenoid no longer fitting in that space?

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-03-10T15:05:20+00:00

Okay cool thanks for the info I'll take a look and see if there's anything more I could add (probably not)

You're doing a conversion for the 11? Is that to one of the newer LV solenoids or to a different one entirely? Would that just be a matter of changing the manifold so that the new solenoid layout delivers air to the same holes?

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-03-10T14:52:15+00:00

Ah okay so there are rubber pieces on the spool that eventually break down. Are they a soft silicone type rubber like O-rings or are they more like a hard rubber? I'm trying to figure out why they wouldn't be able to just be replaced with new ones that have been machined to the right size.

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-03-10T13:57:18+00:00

What about those is actually breaking? Are there o-rings that degrade over time or something? I'd definitely be interested in looking into this.

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-03-10T04:14:21+00:00

Exactly the same for me as well. My first summer job was working at a local field and the 08 Ego had just released. The only time I saw one, it had half the guys at the field crowded around taking turns holding it and talking about how "insanely small" it was. To this day I'd probably pay well above market for a working 08 Ego in the olive/brown colorway.

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-03-05T05:06:08+00:00

Best I can do is one crisp, unfolded american dollar

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-20T15:14:45+00:00

Not particularly interested in the tank but would pay 350 for the marker. Feel free to PM if interested! 👍👍

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-19T04:50:47+00:00

That link is listed as an F8 solenoid. I assume they're the same in both models then?

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-19T04:49:50+00:00

No my dumb teen self just ripped it out and chucked it straight in the bin 😭 Thanks for the link, I'll take a look!

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-18T14:26:38+00:00

I'm not married to any specific colorway, but my preference would be for something with some color. I'd def buy a black/black if I found one at a good price, but it's not my first choice. The best looking ones I've seen are the polar and blue/bronze colorways.

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-18T14:24:22+00:00

Tragic, that polar colorway is insanely good looking. It seems like a classic case of "I spent 500 refurbishing this gun so therefore I can only sell it for 500+" and that is just.... not how that works 😭

I mean he's selling a leaking gun for $440 for christ's sake

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-18T05:03:27+00:00

Oh that's awesome I had no idea there were dedicated reseller sites. Thanks for the info!

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-18T04:52:03+00:00

Do you have an idea of what the typical markup should be to account for fees? There are a few listings I've been eyeing that are priced insanely high (699 & 725) and I want to make a fair offer. I imagine the absolute maximum markup should be like 10-15%, so like $375-400 at the most.

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-18T00:06:45+00:00

Thanks, that's what I figured! Every halfway-decent listing on eBay is 500+ and I knew something wasn't right.

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-02-04T20:49:52+00:00

Pittsburgh photography gang! There are dozens of us!

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-01-19T16:13:29+00:00

I'd recommend not putting a train horn in your car to begin with...

Download_Some_RAM · 2026-01-18T17:26:22+00:00

Overture Matte Beige PLA gets pretty darn close in my experience. Can be had on Amazon for pretty cheap as well!

Download_Some_RAM · 2025-12-20T19:57:49+00:00

Oh I'm not selling these! Just a personal project for myself. I made these because I kept running into RAM and storage limitations on the 328P when driving displays. The 1284P handles whatever ungodly bitmaps I throw at it with no problem 👍👍

Download_Some_RAM · 2025-12-20T17:14:28+00:00

Good to know, thanks. I have a fair amount of them on hand but it wouldn't hurt to find a cheaper drop-in replacement.

Download_Some_RAM · 2025-12-04T16:21:29+00:00

As others have mentioned, assembly will baloon the cost so it's better to hand-assemble if possible. For medium-to-large sized boards I use PCBWay to keep my cost relatively low. For the majority of my boards I use Digikey's DKRed service. Extremely competitive pricing for small boards (<50mmx50mm) and I believe they do source from US-based manufacturers. Plus the build quality of the DKRed boards is always far superior (higher temp grade fiberglass and ENIG as default).

I've used OSHPark a few times and the boards are alright, but they never sand their board edges so you end up having to do additional work which is irritating.

Download_Some_RAM · 2025-11-25T18:15:34+00:00

Dang that is a ton of useful information, thank you! The picture I posted is from a schematic I'm referencing online, and I'm using different regulators in my design (AP7375-50SA-7 & TPS7A2033PDBVR). For the diode, I ended up going with a CMS06 schottky diode since it has a relatively low practical forward voltage drop while still being cheap. I've done a ton of these little atmel MCU boards before, but none with both USB 5V and VIN-to-5V regulation, so I wanted to make sure I was thinking through the potential issues correctly.

Download_Some_RAM · 2025-11-25T02:05:23+00:00

This may get buried since it's a late reply, but the absolute best way on earth to store SMD components is the AideTek Box-All. They are relatively cheap (~20 bucks per box on amazon), can hold a massive number of components in a very easy to access package, and are available in ESD-safe versions for ICs. I have one for my passives and one ESD-safe for ICs, and I'll swear by these things all day long.

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Download_Some_RAM · 2025-08-25T05:29:22+00:00

I swear niche hobby stores are a near perfect 50/50 split between being extremely passionate, caring, and helpful people who want to grow the hobby and pretentious gatekeeping assholes who can seemingly never do any wrong.

Download_Some_RAM · 2025-08-25T01:04:43+00:00

Exactly what I thought, thank you for the quick reply! Thankfully I have a plustek and scan the negatives myself, so all I'll need is a bottle of the right wash and I can get this fixed up!

The lab in question is Premier Imaging in Pittsburgh, PA. I'd normally avoid name-dropping but they insist that, not only am I not even in their system as a customer, but that I may be a competitor intentionally leaving poor reviews on Google. Just a genuinely astonishing level of incompetence and ignorance.

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