Testing Procedure:

To determine the effect of capacitors on AEG rate of fire, 3 tests were conducted using 2 different capacitance levels and a control using no added capacitance. The rate of fire of each configuration is measured using the audio-analysis method with a sample size of 15 cycles per configuration. The first 3 cycles are discarded to isolate startup lag. 2 additional voltage drop tests are conducted using the zero added capacitance configuration and the maximum capacitance configuration. During these tests, the voltage drop across the mechbox load is measured in realtime with a logging digital volt meter and recorded at 1 second intervals. The mechbox is cycled for approximately 7 seconds during this test. High speed gears were used along with the M120 spring to present the largest initial torque load possible to the AEG motor, which in turn should translate to the largest initial voltage drop.

The Results:

Experiment 1: Rate of Fire

Measured Initial Voltage	Added Capacitance	Average Cycle Duration	Rate of Fire (RPM)	Percent Change
9.74 V	0	0.0577	1040	-
9.75 V	8800 mFD	0.0561	1070	2.9
9.73 V	12800 mFD	0.0557	1077	3.6

The test results clearly show an appreciable gain in rate of fire with added capacitance. Further increases in capacitance also showed continued increase at a diminished ratio.

Experiment 2: Voltage Drop


From the Voltage Drop vs Time plot, it is clear to see that not only is the magnitude of voltage drop reduced, the rate of voltage decay appears to be reduced as well, providing support for the rate of fire increases observed in experiment 1. The addition of capacitors has clearly buffered the initial precipitous voltage drop, reducing its magnitude, and continues to work in subsequent cycles to slow the rate of voltage drop.