Quick Mod: Jyn Erso Blaster with Meishel 2.0s

In my order from BlasterTech not long ago, I received a pair of Meishel 2.0 motors made by FoamBlast. My Jyn Erso blaster had been waiting for upgrade motors for a while since I'd actually run out of suitable 130s, so I took this opportunity to get my Jyn Erso blaster modded while also testing out these new motors.

I quickly went about removing all of the internals from the Jyn Erso blaster. It was a relatively simple process, though the light/sound system added a number of extra internal components that also had to be fished out and removed. Once everything was out of the blaster, I came across the first major issue. The motors were glued into the flywheel cage, which made their removal significantly more difficult.

After disassembling the motors while still glued into the flywheel cage, I was left with just the motor cans in the cage. Using a set of needle-nose pliers, I was able to push the motor cans out of the cage, leaving just glue residue.

Some quick work with a rotary tool and a blade cleared out the flywheel cage enough for me to fit the Meishel 2.0s in. Since they are 130 sized motors, no further shell modification was necessary.

The second major problem was fitting a microswitch into the handle. On top of the handle being quite small, the clip-in grey handle pieces also meant that there was a lot of extra internal plastic that had to be removed to fit the switch and the wires. After a lot of trial-and-error and some annoyance, the switch was installed in a good position, and works nicely with the rev trigger.

Meishel 2.0s are spec'd to be run on a 2S LiPo (~7.4V nominal) as flywheel motors, so I repurposed my Desolator's LiPo (2S 850mAh 25-40C Turnigy Nanotech) for the Jyn Erso Blaster. Technically speaking, this LiPo is a little weaker than ideal, with Meishel 2.0s pulling around 19A each at stall at 7.4V (source), while the LiPo is only rated to 34A burst. I have yet to notice any difference when comparing this LiPo and my 2S 500 mAh 65-130C Turnigy Bolt (rated to 65A burst). It is certainly not ideal however, and I may end up using the latter LiPo to avoid overdrawing. Both LiPos fit without issue in the Jyn Erso blaster's battery tray once cleared out, and if necessary the battery tray itself could be removed entirely for even more space.

All wired up, ready to go. Since the Jyn Erso blaster is a standard semi-auto flywheeler, internally it is very simple and did not take too much effort to complete. The potential issues with modding it are glued-in motors, the lack of space and necessary shell clearing in the handle for a microswitch and perhaps

The last issue concerns the light/sound system. Since it is spec'd to be run off of 4 AA batteries, running it on a 2S LiPo presents the serious risk of damaging, if not destroying, the circuitry. For now I've left it out of the blaster. I have plans to re-install it using a voltage regulator to stop the control circuit from toasting and an on/off switch somewhere. I have the voltage regulator on hand, and simply need to figure out a good position for the on/off switch and solder and (re)install all the components.

After firing around 150 blue Koosh through, I chrono'd the blaster with some of my grey Koosh, with results in the newest tab of my Chrono results document. I'm pretty happy with the results. It roughly matches up to expectation, falling a little short of a similar spec'd Stryfe which is expected from the long faux barrel.
I'm pretty happy with the Meishel 2.0 motors so far. They have a reasonable spin-up time and hit a very nice speed range. Coupled with a reasonable price at 5AUD via BlasterTech (3USD directly from FoamBlast), from my (limited) experience so far, they are a very solid motor and I would definitely recommend them as a 2S flywheel 130 motor.
I will be combat testing the Jyn Erso blaster with its new Meishel 2.0 motors at the next MHvZ.