[Austin7]

i have a e grip for my alpha black and it works perfectly but i hate having to use the allen key to press the button to change it......is there any grips that i can get or any button's i can get for it?

[agurish]

I've had the same marker for a couple of years now - I've never found a replacement grip/buttons.. It's something you just get used to. You shouldn't have to turn your marker on/off that much - Mine stays on between matches, and I keep a small stick or hex-key in my pocket (not big enough for adjusting velocity - that's against the rules!) for the times I have to turn it back on, like between matches, or when you walk from one field to another, and the gun shuts itself off.

[Austin7]

i heard that you can get a certain lego piece and sand i down enough to fit in i and pree the button

[agurish]

That sounds like a neat trick....but I'd be afraid of hitting the button during a game - you rarely should need to switch firing modes during play at a regular field. Most paintball fields (non-tournament/non-speedball) usually only allow semi-auto only firing modes.

[Austin7]

yea that is my only problem and i also wear gloves and its hard to get stuff out of my pockets.....i thought nabout drilling a whole trhougha allen key and tying it to the grip.

[agurish]

Austin,

Fingerless gloves - You're more apt to catch a hit on the knuckles than on the fingers anyways, and they go a long way towards that problem gripping stuff goes. As for having tools on the field, you already have tools inside the "magazine" on the Alpha black - You shouldn't need to drill a hole in anything. Besides - the allen key you'd need to use is really small - I don't know if drilling a hole in one is even something I'd be willing to try. Here's an idea - sew a pocket on the back of your glove, and leave a little bit of hex key sticking out. Then you just poke the button with the sticking out part, and you're good to go. no fumbling required.

[2nwyka]

Another thing you could try (this is kinda advanced...) is to cut the push-button switch out and solder a small two-position hobby switch in its place. This solves your problem and reduces the chance of accidentally switching it off during a game. You could probably leave the mode-changing buttons alone because you probably won't need to change modes during a game.
Noah

[agurish]

Problem is that the button not only controlls on/off, but also the firing mode of the marker. It has to be a momentary button - not a on/off di-pole switch. On the Alpha-black, there is only the one button.

[2nwyka]

Originally Posted by agurish

Problem is that the button not only controlls on/off, but also the firing mode of the marker. It has to be a momentary button - not a on/off di-pole switch. On the Alpha-black, there is only the one button.

Ah nevermind then...
I'm assuming the switch is a simple button that links to a micro-controller that tracks the number of pushes...Darn complicated electronics!
Noah

[agurish]

That's exactly the kind. The main problem that Alpha-Black w/ E-Grip owners face is that Tippmann recessed the button inside the grip, so there's about a 1/8th to 1/4 of an inch of gap between the outside of the grip, and where you actually start hitting the button. If you have more than 15 min between games, the chances are pretty high that you'll have to turn your marker back on before the next game starts, because the marker turns itself off after a period of inactivity (about 15 - 20 minutes).

[2nwyka]

Hmm...
I wonder if you could lengthen the button enough to where you could hit it with your fingernail but wouldn't have to worry about switching it off during a game...like a small bit of plastic or something, like the modern electros that have finger-buttons on the back of the grip. I don't have anything electronic (marker-wise, at least), so I don't know what the chances of turning it off or switching modes during a game are...
Noah

[agurish]

That's what most people do - basically like shoving a small piece of rubber in the gap...

[Stan6543]

Cool

[Austin7]

what kind of guns do you own if you dont shoot electro?