Electronic Versus Mechanical Guns

How they work

Electronic guns or electro-pneumatic guns fire paintballs by using battery powered circuit boards that activate solenoids that cause the gun to fire. The trigger pull tells the circuit board to fire, which then activates the gun. Since circuit boards are programmable, it's easy to tell the board to fire automatically, use a three-round burst or other firing modes. Electronic guns also rely on regulators (mechanical devices that take in variable air pressures from a tank and release the air at a lower, constant pressure) to assure consistent firing.

Varieties of Guns

Electronic guns come in many varieties and have many different internal setups. While the different types of valves, regulators and bolts in different guns do affect performance, the general advantages and disadvantages are almost the same.

Maintenance

Different electronic guns have different regular maintenance which usually consists of basic cleaning and lubricating (either with grease or oil, depending on the gun). Read your manual and carefully follow the instructions. Electronic markers are typically more difficult to disassemble, but they usually come with detailed manuals that explain how to disassemble and reassemble each part of the gun, so follow instructions carefully during routine maintenance. Electronic guns are quite complex, so any major repair or upgrade should be done by a professional.