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Tadao M7 Ego Board
Instructions
Features
• Based on the Musashi 7 software
• Ultra bright LED array is available in red, white, or blue
• Includes 12 fire modes: uncapped semi-auto, capped semi-auto, PSP
auto-response, PSP mild ramping, PSP max ramping, PSP z-burst,
NXL full-automatic, auto-response, mild ramping, max ramping, zburst, and full-automatic
• Asynchronously monitors the trigger switch using an interrupt based
scan at 2 million times per second
• Gangster setting allows 3 different options for every fire mode, giving
36 different “breakout” style modes
• Adjustable ABS programming prevents first shot drop-off
• AMB (anti-mechanical bounce) and CPF (cycle percentage filter)
algorithms help to eliminate mechanical bounce and switch bounce
• Power efficient software and hardware lengthens battery life
• Programming mode allows changes to debounce, dwell, loader delay,
AMB, ABS dwell, fire mode, fire mode max rate of fire, eye mode,
CPF, ramp start, and gangster mode
• All settings are stored in non-volatile memory so they are not lost when
battery is disconnected
• One-touch startup enables the marker to fire instantly
• Automatic 15-minute idle power down saves batteries
• 4 eye modes: delayed, forced with force shot, test mode with rate of fire
indicator, and training mode with rate of fire indicator
• Low battery indicator hardware and software shows battery level each
time the marker is turned on and at the touch of a button while in use
Installation
1. Remove the grips from the grip frame.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Remove the 3 mounting screws from the stock board.
4. Gently lift out the stock board, rotating it to get around the trigger pin.
5. Pull the trigger switch board off the Tadao Ego board.
6. Insert the Tadao Ego board into the frame.
7. Replace the mounting screws and tighten, making sure the 3 tactile
buttons on the back of the grip frame make a sharp “click” when
pressed.
8. Gently slide the trigger switch board onto the mounting pins of the
main board.
9. Readjust the trigger.
10. Insert the battery.
11. Put the grips back on the frame.
Power Operation
By pressing and releasing the middle button, the marker turns on, shows the battery level, and is instantly ready to be fired, as indicated by the LED arra y on the
back of the grip frame. To turn it off, press and hold the middle button until the
LEDs turn off or stop blinking, then release. Every time the marker is turned on,
the eyes are enabled. The marker can be turned off regardless of the state of the
eyes.
LED Array Indicator
The LED array that shines from the window on the back of the Ego grip frame
shows which mode of operation the marker is currently in:
Eye system enabled, ball in breech - LED array scrolls up and down
continually
Eye system enabled, empty breech - LED #1 and #5 blink continually
Eye system enabled, eye malfunction - LED #2 and #4 blink
continually
Eye system disabled - LED #2, #3, and #4 blink continually
Battery Indicator
Upon startup the LED array will climb towards the top of the marker, showing the
battery level. If it climbs to the top and flashes briefly, the battery is full.
Whenever the marker is in the main fire mode (eyes on or off) you may check the
battery level by holding down button 3 for 1 second. The LEDs will scroll up and
flicker at the current battery level.
Eye Operation and Logic
The eyes are always enabled when the marker is first turned on. To toggle the eyes
on and off, push and hold the top button. The 3 middle LEDs will continually
blink in unison to indicate that the eye system is off.
Be aware that when the eye system is enabled, the eyes watch the bolt return after
every shot. If this doesn’t happen (due to broken paint/debris or to your finger
blocking the eyes) the rate of fire will be capped to prevent additional chopping. If
the marker is fired with paint and air, the eye system will see the bolt return and
maximize the firing rate of the marker. When the eyes are off, the rate of fire is
limited to 20 balls per second unless in fire mode 2-12, in which case the rate of
fire is selected by the user.
Programming
To initiate programming mode, make sure the marker is off and the tournament
lock is disabled. The tournament lock can be toggled by pressing the small switch
next to the battery contacts on the surface of the board while the marker is turned
off. After each press the top or bottom LED will light up to indicate the lock
status. If the top LED (#5) is lit, the lock is engaged, preventing access to the
programming mode. If the bottom LED (#1) is lit, the lock is off, allowing the user
to change settings.
Once the lock is turned off, pull and hold the trigger before pushing the power
button. The board will boot into programming mode, showing a double running
sequence on the LED array before stopping on LED #1 at the bottom.
Pulling and releasing the trigger quickly will toggle between the different
programming modes. The first 5 are shown with a solid color LED:
(solid)
LED #5 ABS dwell
LED #4 Anti-mechanical bounce
LED #3 Loader delay
LED #2 Dwell
LED #1 Debounce
After reaching solid LED #5 at the top, it will start over at the bottom with
flickering color LEDs:
(flickering)
LED #5 Cycle percentage filter
LED #4 Bolt delay
LED #3 Eye mode
LED #2 Fire mode max rate of fire
LED #1 Fire mode
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After reaching flickering LED #5 at the top, it will start over with the last two
settings:
(dual flickering)
LED #1 and #2 Ramp start for PSP ramping fire mode
LED #4 and #5 Gangster mode
While the LED is lit for the desired setting you would like to change, press and
hold the trigger until the LED goes out. When you release the trigger, the LED will
blink to show the current setting. For example, if the current
setting for debounce
is 5, the LED will blink 5 times. Once the LED stops blinking, you have 2 seconds
to begin entering the new setting. To enter the new setting, pull the trigger the
desired number of times. For example, to set the debounce to 2, you must pull the
trigger 2 times. After all settings have been changed to the desired amounts, turn
the marker off using the power button.
Programming Example
If you wanted to set the dwell to 12:
1. Make sure the marker is powered off.
2. Make sure the tournament lock is disabled.
3. Pull and hold the trigger, then push the middle button.
4. The programming LED array shows a dual running sequence, then
stops on LED #1. This is the debounce mode.
5. Quickly pull and release the trigger 1 time to switch to the dwell mode.
LED #2 will now be lit.
6. Pull and HOLD the trigger until the LED turns off.
7. Release the trigger. The LED will blink out the current setting.
8. When the LED stops blinking, enter the new setting by pulling the
trigger 12 times.
9. Wait until the LED turns back on, indicating programming has
completed.
10. Turn the marker off using the middle button.
Program Reset
To reset all settings back to factory defaults, hold down the 1
seconds while in programming
mode. The board will rapidly cycle through every
st
button for 10
LED to indicate that the process has completed.
Settings
Debounce – The Musashi 7 software features an interrupt based debounce
algorithm that effectively “scans” the trigger over 2 million times per second. It
runs completely independent of code execution on the microcontroller so your
trigger pulls are always registered. The debounce setting is in increments of ½
milliseconds. Users should be aware that low debounce settings may cause the
marker to read switch bounce as additional pulls, falsely generating shots or near
full-automatic fire. The setting ranges from 1 to 50 and is defaulted at 10 (5 ms).
Dwell – The amount of time the solenoid is energized each time the marker is
fired. The default is 9 ms. The range is 1 to 25 ms. Too low of a dwell may lead to
inconsistency or drop-off. Too high of a dwell can cause bad air efficiency.
Loader delay – Adds a slight delay after the eye has seen a ball and the bolt is
cycled, causing the gun to fire. If not using force fed loaders, it may be necessary
to increase this setting to prevent chopping. A setting of 1 means no loader delay,
hich is the fastest. The default is 2 and may be set from 1 to 25. w
AMB (Anti-mechanical bounce) – Allows the user to adjust the anti-mechanical
bounce feature. Mechanical bounce occurs due to the kick generated during each
shot and can cause the marker to “run away” on the first few shots. AMB helps
stop markers from going full-auto when the trigger is pulled very slowly. The
default is 2 and may be set from 1 to 5 (1 being off). AMB is only used in fire
modes 1 and 2 (semi-automatic unlimited and adjustable).
ABS dwell – Amount of dwell time added for an ABS (anti-bolt stick) shot. The
range is from 1 to 15 additional milliseconds of dwell. The default is 1, or off.
ABS programming helps to eliminate first shot drop-off which occurs when the
lube and o-rings settle or “stick” inside the marker after it has been sitting. The
next shot fired will be lower in velocity because the bolt has to break free. ABS
will slightly increase the dwell to compensate if the marker is left sitting for 15
seconds.
Fire mode – Included are 12 different fire modes (default is 1):
1. Semi-automatic, unlimited rate of fire
2. Semi-automatic, adjustable rate of fire
3. PSP auto-response
4. PSP mild ramping, adjustable ramp start
5. PSP max ramping, adjustable ramp start
6. PSP z-burst
7. NXL full-automatic
8. Auto-response
9. Mild ramping
10. Max ramping
11. Z-burst
12. Full-automatic
Setting 1 is normal semi-automatic with an unlimited rate of fire while the eyes are
enabled. When the eyes are turned off, the max rate of fire is set to 20 balls per
second.
Setting 2 is semi-automatic with an adjustable rate of fire. It limits the maximum
balls per second that can be fired. The cap is set by the max rate of fire setting.
Setting 3 is the PSP auto-response fire mode that works as follows:
• The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic
• After the 4
th
shot the marker will fire on the pull and release in auto-
response mode
• If the user stops firing for more than 1 second, the 3-shot semi-
automatic count starts over
Setting 4 is the PSP mild ramping fire mode that works as follows:
• The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic
• After the 4
th
shot the marker will ramp based on the speed of the trigger
pulls as long as the user pulls the trigger faster than the ramp start
setting
• If the user stops firing for more than 1 second, the 3-shot semi-
automatic count starts over
Setting 5 is the PSP max ramping fire mode that works as follows:
• The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic
• After the 4
th
shot the marker will ramp up to the loader’s maximum
speed or the maximum rate of fire as long as the user pulls the trigger
faster than the ramp start setting
• If the user stops firing for more than 1 second, the 3-shot semi-
automatic count starts over
Setting 6 is the PSP z-burst fire mode that works as follows:
• The first 3 shots of a string are semi-automatic
• After the 4
th
shot the marker will burst fire from 2-3 shots per pull,
depending on how quickly the trigger is pulled and released
• If the user stops firing for more than 1 second, the 3-shot semi-
automatic count starts over
Setting 7 is the NXL full-automatic fire mode. It functions similarly to the PSP fire
modes except, after the 3
rd
semi-automatic shot, the user may pull and hold the
trigger for the marker to fire in full-automatic.
Setting 8 is the normal auto-response fire mode. The marker will fire on each pull
and release of the trigger, generating two shots per full pull cycle.
Setting 9 is the normal mild ramping fire mode. The marker will fire in semiautomatic unless the user pulls the trigger faster than the ramp start setting. Once
the ramp start setting has been achieved, the marker will mildly ramp, generating
additional shots depending on how fast the user pulls the trigger.
Setting 10 is the normal max ramping fire mode. The marker will fire in semiautomatic unless the user pulls the trigger faster than the ramp start setting. Once
the ramp start setting has been achieved, the marker will ramp up to the maximum
feed rate of the loader or the maximum rate of fire setting, whichever is lower.
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Setting 11 is the normal z-burst fire mode. The marker will burst fire 2 times or
more for every pull and release of the trigger, depending on how fast the user pulls
the trigger.
Setting 12 is the normal full-automatic fire mode. As long as the trigger is
depressed the marker will fire in full-automatic.
Fire mode max rate of fire – The max rate of fire setting applies to the 2nd –
12th fire modes. The max rate of fire is adjustable from 10 to 25 balls per second,
and has an unlimited setting for maxing out the loader system. The default is 7,
which is roughly 13 balls per second. Oscillator inconsistencies from chip to chip
make it impossible to time perfectly, so the only true way to check rate of fire is to
use a Pact Timer or ballistic chronograph. The red radar chronographs commonly
found at fields are NOT reliable.
Setting BPS Setting BPS
1 10.0 12 15.5
2 10.5 13 16.0
3 11.0 14 17.0
4 11.5 15 18.0
5 12.0 16 19.0
6 12.5 17 20.0
7 (default) 13.0 18 21.0
8 13.5 19 22.0
9 14.0 20 23.0
10 14.5 21 24.0
11 15.0 22 Unlimited eyes on, 25.0 bps eyes off
Eye mode – four eye modes are available:
1. Delayed – If the eye system does not detect a ball in the breech for ½ second,
the marker automatically fires. This is useful for sound activated loaders
because it ensures that a shot is fired, even without paint, so the loader will
continue to feed.
2. Forced with f orce shot – The marker only fires if paint is seen in the breech
or the user pulls and holds the trigger for ½ second, thereby initiating a force
shot.
3. Test – This mode shows how fast the user can fire the marker and how fast
the pneumatics can actually cycle. The eyes work to prevent firing if they are
blocked. This mode is only for dry firing. The LED is used to show the
fastest achieved rate of fire:
LED #5 25 bps or higher
LED #4 20 bps to 25 bps
LED #3 15 bps to 20 bps
LED #2 10 bps to 15 bps
LED #1 Less than 10 bps
As long as the user continues to fire, the fastest achieved rate of fire will
continue to be displayed on the LED. If the user stops firing for 1 second,
the LED will fall back down.
4. Training – This mode functions exactly the same as eye mode 3 (Test),
except it runs the marker at ½ dwell to conserve air and reduce the sound
signature of the Ego while testing.
Note: The test and training eye modes work with any fire mode selected. The fire
mode max rate of fire is set to unlimited while in test or training eye mode.
Bolt delay – This setting determines how long the eyes are ignored after the dwell
time ends. Some delay is necessary to allow the bolt to get far enough forward so
the eye system does not mistake a small gap between a paintball and the bolt face
for a bolt return. The default is 10 ms and may be set from 5 to 25 ms. Higher
settings will reduce the maximum capable rate of fire, while lower settings may
lead to skipped or blank shots because the bolt does not have enough time to block
the eyes on its forward stroke.
CPF (Cycle percentage filter) – The cycle percentage filter allows adjustment of
the point within the current firing cycle that a new buffered shot is allowed.
Almost all electronic paintball markers allow a single shot to be buffered in the
event the user is fast enough to release the trigger and pull again during the current
firing cycle. The CPF setting is adjustable from 1 to 10. Setting 1 turns the CPF
off, allowing buffered shots at any point in the firing cycle. Setting 2 through 10
sets the percentage of the firing cycle that must pass before shots may be buffered:
1. CPF turned off
2. 10% of the firing cycle must pass before a buffered shot is allowed
3. 20%
4. 30%
5. 40%
50%
6.
7. 60%
8. 70%
9. 80%
10. 90%
A higher CPF setting results in less unintentional bounce. For instance, it is
possible that if your debounce setting is border line, you can fire the marker a few
times, then hold it loosely and allow it to brush against your finger, going fullautomatic. Since most switch bounce from either a low debounce setting or
mechanical bounce occurs almost immediately after the trigger is released, CPF
can be very effective in eliminating falsely generated trigger activity.
Ramp start – This setting is only used for the 4 ramping fire modes (PSP mild
and max ramping, and normal mild and max ramping). It sets the minimum pulls
per second that must be maintained for the software to add shots or ramp up to the
maximum rate of fire setting. The default is 5 and is adjustable from 4 to 12 pulls
per second.
Gangster mode – The Musashi 7 software includes a special mode that can be
applied 3 different ways to each of the 12 fire modes, giving 36 “breakout” style
combinations. Gangster mode gives the user full-automatic with an unlimited rate
of fire for a single pull, for use at the start of the game. The setting is defaulted at
4, which turns gangster mode off. A setting of 1-3 dictates at which pull that
gangster mode will become active. If set to 1, the first shot after you turn on the
marker will be full-automatic and have an unlimited rate of fire for as long as you
hold down the trigger. As soon as you release the trigger, the marker will stop
shooting and default back to your selected fire mode. If set to 3, the gangster mode
will be active on the 3
rd
shot after the marker is turned on. Regardless of the fire
mode selected, the shots before the gangster mode will be semi-automatic.
Gangster mode can only be used once for each time the marker is turned on.
Note: The gangster mode is illegal for use in all tournament series. Tadao
Technologies LLC takes no responsibility for a player’s decision to use the
gangster mode.
Additional Information
Force shot feature – In the event the eyes are enabled, the breech is empty, and
the user wants to fire a clearing shot, a force shot can be initiated by pulling and
holding the trigger for ½ second. This is useful with force fed loaders that
sometimes push a ball slightly into the detents where the eyes are unable to see it.
After force firing, the next ball will load and operation can continue as normal.
A tip for setting the debounce, AMB, and CPF – This only applies to semiautomatic fire modes (modes 1 and 2), since AMB is disabled in the PSP fire
modes or NXL mode.
Debounce, AMB, CPF setup steps, while using air (no paint):
1. Turn AMB and CPF off (set both to 1).
2. Starting at debounce 1-3, raise the debounce setting a notch at a time
until excessive trigger bounce goes away. The goal is to have one pull,
one shot, regardless of rate of fire. Do NOT slow pull test for bounce
during this phase. Instead, pull the trigger rapidly or walk it, listening
for double or triple fires.
3. When it appears that it is only one shot, one pull for solid trigger pulls,
try the slow pull test. Holding the marker steady, slowly pull the trigger
and see if multiple shots can be generated from the single pull.
4. Increase the CPF setting a notch at a time until the slow pull bounce
starts to disappear. An additional test is to fire a few rounds quickly,
then hold the trigger right on the activation point to see if the marker
will run away.
5. If you reach setting 10 with CPF and the marker can still be slow pulled
to fire full-automatic, your debounce setting is probably too low. Go
back to step 2.
6. AMB should not be set above 3, if possible, since it is not as
transparent to the user as CPF. Even a CPF setting of 10 will not be
A tip for setting the dwell and ABS dwell – Your ABS dwell time is the
additional dwell time added when an ABS shot occurs. If you leave your marker
on and don’t fire for 15 seconds, ABS will kick in for the next shot, adding the
ABS dwell time to the existing dwell setting. For example, if the dwell is set to 8
ms and the ABS dwell is set to 5 ms, an ABS shot will fire with a 13 ms dwell
time. Additional shots will use the 8 ms dwell time until the marker has not been
fired for another continuous 15 seconds. This setting is adjustable, so you can tune
it to fit your particular marker.
noticed by the user.
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Example Setting Profiles:
1. Tournament legal semi-automatic (NPPL)
a. Fire mode 1 or 2 (semi-auto unlimited or capped)
b. Debounce 5-20
c. CPF 2-5
d. Loader d elay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10 for gravity
feed)
2. Millennium
a. Fire mode 4 or 5 (PSP mild or max ramping)
b. Max rate of fire set to 3-5, depending on Pact Timer readings. To be safe,
use setting 3 (14.5 balls per second)
c. Debounce 5-20
d. Ramp start 8 or higher to comply with Millennium rules
e. Loader delay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10 for gravity
feed)
3. PSP X-Ball, CFOA
a. Fire mode 3-6
b. Max rate of fire set to 3-5, depending on Pact Timer readings. To be safe,
use setting 3 (14.5 balls per second)
c. Debounce 5-20
d. Ramp start 5 or higher if using PSP ramping.
e. Loader delay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10 for gravity
feed)
4. NXL
a. Fire mode 7 (NXL full-automatic).
b. Max rate of fire set to 3-4, depending on Pact Timer readings. To be safe,
use setting 3 (14.5 balls per second).
c. Debounce 5-20
d. Loader delay set to match your loader (1-4 for Halo, 4-10 for gravity
feed)
5. Ludicrous Speed (absolute fastest/bounciest)
a. Any fire mode
b. Max rate of fire set to 26 (unlimited)
c. Debounce 1
d. CPF 1
e. Ramp start 4 if using PSP mild or max ramping
f. Loader delay 1
Additional Information
www.tadaotechnologies.com
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