This is basically a thread for anyone who would describe themselves as a paintball marker technician. I consider myself a computer technician, I'm employed as a network administrator and run various websites. So naturally when I took up paintball and got myself a DM5, the first thing I wanted to do was take it apart and see how it all worked.
I've fixed numerous problems with my DM5, upgraded parts of it. I read the manual a few times and versed myself with every bit of information about how Dye Matrixes work that I could find on paintball forums. I've stripped the marker, taken apart everything that comes apart on it and put it back together successfully. Now I've purchased a DM6 as well and started doing the same to that.
I understand the risks of this method of learning, but its a risk I accept. I'm just curious where I go from here?
Did you learn to be a technician by buying and selling guns and doing this to them, did you learn purley based on reading and theory or did you just go around and do this to other peoples guns? I really have nobody locally willing to teach me about guns, and the only courses that teach this sort of thing seem to be in the US. Could be an expensive learning curve if I have to buy every type of marker and learn about each.
At what point did you decide to call yourself a technician, after you ran out of markers to learn about, did you go on a course, did you get employed by a paintball company?
Dude...I have had a few different markers...but I have never had to own one, in order to be asked to fix one.
Read up on a few, but the easiest way, is to take a large tool box and a towel to your local site, and there will be queues of people coming up to you saying " 'S fooked mayt...can yarn fex et..dewd?"
"leave it with me!"
And, understanding the principles behind "how" markers work...will allow you to then take a marker you have never seen, and by deduction, suss roughly where the problem lies and tackle it.
The only stumbling block, is specific problems, that aren't found on other markers.
But these days...most markers are either Spool Valve, or Knock open jobbies...usually open bolt.
Oh and all markers are in breech of Smart Parts patents, whether they are or not.
