While
not typically discussed when it comes to water blasters, the trigger/nozzle
mechanism plays a key role in determining how well a blaster performs.
Trigger/nozzle technology has come a long way from the early days. |
Ball-Bearing
System
Small, toy squirt pistols often use a mini-ball bearing-based
valve system in their nozzle. When the firing chamber (a small pump
area) is being filled with water, the ball bearing in the nozzle
is sucked back against the backside of the nozzle to close the nozzle,
allowing water from the reservoir to be drawn into the pump and
not air from the nozzle side. At the same time, a ball-bearing valve
on the reservoir side opens to allow water to flow from the reservoir
into the firing chamber. When the firing chamber is squeezed to
pressurize the water, the reservoir valve is closed and the nozzle
valve is opened simply by the force of the water, allowing water
to be pushed out the nozzle and not just back into the reservoir.
This system is simple and works well, but is also prone to sealant
problems after prolonger use. As well, this system does not work
well for moving larger amounts of water or storing higher levels
of pressurized water.
Spring-Valve
System
This system works in the same way as the ball-bearing system
except that spring-loaded valves replace the ball-bearing valves.
This allows for larger amounts of water to be displaced, but pressure
cannot be stored in the firing chamber.
Pinch-Trigger
System
The first Super Soakers® employed this trigger-firing mechanism.
The overall layout of the pump-reservoir system is similar to that
of the ball-bearing or spring-valve system. However, an additional
tube-pinch is placed before the nozzle instead of the valve. The
soft tube before the nozzle is pinched closed using a spring-based
device. This prevents pressurized water from escaping out the nozzle
until either the trigger is pulled or the pressure within the firing
chamber becomes higher than the strength of the spring. The system
can be considered an analog device in that the amount that the nozzle
is opened depends on how far the trigger is pulled.
Enclosed-Trigger-Valve
System
CPS and SC Super Soakers® employ an enclosed-trigger valve system.
This trigger/nozzle system is housed within a solid piece at the
front of the blaster and works similarly to the pinch-trigger system.
In this case, the pinch-trigger is replaced with a spring-valve
which is opened upon pulling of the trigger. The end result is a
sturdier trigger-valve assembly, but the trigger is still analog
and the amount it is opened depends on how far the trigger is pulled.
Max-D
Valve System
The Max-D Super Soakers® series employs an novel enclosed-trigger
valve system. This trigger/nozzle system is housed within a solid
piece at the front of the blaster and works similarly to the pinch-trigger
system. In this case, however, the trigger must be pulled beyond
a certain point before the stream is released. Once beyond the threshold,
the nozzle valve snaps open, unleashing a stream of pressurized
water with a full opening. This binary valve system actually gives
the Max-D series an added range advantage over similarly sized soakers.
Upon releasing the trigger, the nozzle valve snaps shut.
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