MK Tactical vector CNC gearbox

YZ450 crank bearings go in easier :joy:

On the note of the bushes… I have spoken to him, and I did have some input in the vector box and conversation with him.
Why are the bushes such a tight fit? If you use the right bushes you only have to install them once and the gear will wear not the bush. Case in point are his own bushes and SHS etc.
Reason being, if you have to replace a bush you have to reshim. If you have to replace a gear you may not have to. But the main reason is if you bushes spin they wear the gearbox which if you have a fancy CNC box it’s alot more expensive than replacing a gear set or bush. And if the gearbox in the vector case is $350, it’s way cheaper to replace worn gears.

I have never had a major drama with fitting the bushes in MK boxes. Heat it up with a lighter or torch lighter, place bush and carefully whack it in. Yes they are a shrink or press fit. Sure it isn’t as easy but if using the right bushes and done right it’s something you will only do once. My first gen9 mk h92 is still going after years of abuse.

A quick note is he is an engineer. Not a gellballer but rather a keen interest in seeing what people can do with what he makes. He is open to feedback, but he does have reasons for doing things how he does them a simple tech like me has to be explained why and how.

There are actually many revisions of his h92 and v2m gearbox, that most people won’t notice the difference.

I dont by any means claim to understand all of it as I am but a simple teching enthusiast who has worked on the industry.

One note was that most people buying fancy CNC gearboxes aren’t taking them to techs, rather spending time doing it themselves. It’s basically an open chequebook if someone does want one from a tech, and that is not a common thing. I seen two in the year I did it professionally, and both were still working to a budget they just wanted a degree of performance with maximum reliability and longevity. You simply can’t have all three without regular maintenance and a good budget with a willingness to replace parts.

Hence. My first vector build is more aimed at decent reliable performance and minimal maintenance. Also the bonus of changing spring to suit venues is a cool bonus I am working to keep because why not.

Rest assured, if I do come across any issues or ways to improve it I will be letting MK know as I have been testing and bouncing ideas since about a two months before R&D began. So far this version I only have praise for, and am truly happy to just be able to do what I want to a vector without massive limitations of the stock LH box :grin:

Saves on buying tubes of LocTite Bearing Retainer Compound :joy:

I’ve fitted bearings onto gearbox shafts that have gone on easier too. :joy:

Now you’re just making me want to go out and buy one for mine! :wink:

None of the comments about the tight bushes are intended to disparage your mate’s engineering ability, btw. :blush:

I’m a retired toolmaker and aircraft engineer myself, I can appreciate the work that’s gone into that Vector box on MK’s part.

Same, I’ve spoken to the fella myself and understand why MK do what they do as I’ve been in the trade before Squid popped out the oven.

Hence my comment that 90% of people that do or try self building and don’t know or understand how interference fits work or how to go about it run in to trouble. They are the tightest I’ve come across. There are other gearboxes(edit to add billet only NA to cast) that are not as tight and never come loose or spin, as mentioned above. Without putting some wonder jizz on them. People don’t do their research and wonder why A doesen’t work with U.

Seeing as we are throwing accreditations around I was the one to fit everything together and fix the engineers fuck ups when they didn’t work in rl :rofl: :v:

Same… :joy:

Had more than a few design engineers approach me with concepts that could only work with the use of skyhooks.

Plenty of Boeing tooling engineers were sent back to the drawing board because the tooling items they wanted just couldn’t be realistically manufactured by the toolmakers.

18 years in a major mining fabrication/machining/fitting/engineering workshop, I too have many a story to tell! :joy:

35+ years working on vehicles, not a single day went by without uttering the words…….

“Fkn Engineers!”

Every time I meet an Engineer, I always ask them what brands of Butchers Paper and Crayons they recommend! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Oh man don’t get me started… :rofl:

I had a well worn track in to the drawing office. They hated the sight of me.

I usually started with upside down miss jane, or get off your ass and get out here and look how this shit is not fathomable to fit together without going ham on the 9", to what the fuck are you people smoking :rofl:

Don’t want you guys hatin’ on me, so let me clarify… :joy:

“Aerospace Engineer” was a term Boeing coined for trade qualified technicians… the old term would have been Technical Officer…

I’m NOT degree qualified, furthest I got was an Associate Dip in Mech Eng at a TAFE. I was lucky enough to work both streams, hands on toolmaking and tech, while we were building aircraft assembly jigs. We could build, fabricate, inspect, qualify and rework. Jack of all trades.

I’ve had plenty of young fresh out of school engineers bragging proudly about the degrees on the wall with the ink still wet. I usually quoted Shania Twain…

That don’t impress me much… :rofl:

For you old folks Hedley McGee, Merv Waggot, Tom Harrison, Jim Bray were all trade trained machinists who developed amazing stuff in the automotive, motorsport, aircraft and plastics industries. Not a university degree among them but fantastic problem solving and engineering ability.

These guys would machine what they developed. They are a lot like some of the top drag racing guys in the US who have transitioned from building their developments on lathes to programming their solution on a CNC machine

But I do have some friends in the car related hobby who have developed tools to be used on the space station, parts for the Mars rover and other critical stuff for the MIC because they regularly disappear into the cone of silence. These guys have both degrees and practical engineering experience (they can sort out the crap that Ford engineers did over the years), which is what makes them so valuable

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Mild update after being away for a long weekend of my own.

Bushes are in, gears are shimmed, tpiece and barrel, piston and piston head, cylinder and head and nozzle all chosen and ready. Tested seals and look good!
It is time to pull down the vector and start the transplant process!
One thing I will have to do is wire in the T238 vector ETU, mag terminals and whole thing really. Also will have to be VERY careful to avoid shorts, as the gearbox is now conductive, and there is loads of wires and places to pinch them, gonna be fun!

Other things like trim tappet plate and return spring, file an anti-reverse latch down slightly, clean, grease and assemble the gearbox with all the little switches and bits from the stock gearbox.

Still plenty to get through, and still looking like it is going to turn out well!

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You hit the nail on the head why I always steered away from ever using Alloy gearboxes……… because of the extremely heightened risk of electrical short circuits throughout the entire system! :flushed:

We are all well aware of how shithouse the “insulation” is on cheap Chinese wiring, but I always tore all that crap out and replaced it with new Automotive wiring from out of my Hot Rod Shop anyways! :ok_hand::joy:

It certainly is a bonus risk of electrical failure.
Over the years most electrical shorts I have seen are from the wires in the buffer tube getting pinched. And I don’t like “silver” wiring. It is 90% marketing bs. It is usually too thin, so still has resistance, and the insulation is also thin, and very difficult to see nicks in the wire. Some companies have it thick enough to not be a point of resistance, not enough.

I also often use my own wires, silicone coated “wet noodle” style is great as it is harder to nick and short, and has plenty of insulation. Though it is a little stubborn with staying it shape, if using the right gauge of wiring and it will tuck in pretty neatly.

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ImK vector box is now at the stage where I have wiring mag terminal block and charging handle switch. With the t238 it is wired to be always on, and merely turns it off when charging handle is pulled. This is so it triggers the auto mag prime of the t238 when the handle is released.

I can now move to final assembling of the gearbox.

Then more wiring. Once the box is all together I will investigate if it will be okay to put the circuit board in the stock spot and how likely a short is potentially. Kind of hoping it will be okay there as it will save me extending 11 wires, and leave me to just extend connect most of it.

Probably will have heaps of photos this weekend for anyone interested!

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Got some progress in…
Mag terminal block together and routed wiring.



The switch was a bit of a headache as the terminals were dangerously tight. Bit of heat shrink and liquid electrical tape sorted it and made for a nice fit.

This will be setup with a double drum that rarely leaves the mag well, and with auto prime every time you switch sides of the drum it auto primes. So the switch won’t be operated much, more the for troubleshooting and to keep function. If you were using it alot I’d probably recommend grinding a bit of the area around the switches terminals. Then hot glue the switch in.

Internals are in and cleaned and lubed. Excessive lubed, but there is no electronics in there so why not be a little overzealous with it. It’s going to be sent hard so why not I figured!

Air seal is amazing for a vector… I did spend a couple of hours making sure it sealed and moved freely. Best of 5 nozzles was chosen!

It does go together quite elegantly with the four piece shell. Very impressed. Mich better than the prototype that was way to tight on barrels and tpiece.

All buttoned up!

Still plenty of wiring to go.
It is getting there finally.

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Little more progress… I’d love to call in sick and finish it but adulting takes priority over hobbies…


Wiring and stuff… Taking a lot of care to insulate and avoid wires getting pinched and crushed.
Now at the stage I need another spare hour to assemble it and send it.

For those interested there was a video of bare gearbox running on my bench on MK Tactical Facebook page.

Almost there!

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Yeah, I can see how you’d be tempted to pull a Ferris Bueller. :laughing:

For sure I would :laughing:

Looking good Ferris… I mean Roksolid :+1:

Work and other commitments truely get in the way of my hobby. Hoping I can get it together before work tomorrow, maybe sneak a cheeky gel through it… then proper test if all goes well tomorrow arvo…

Long weekend coming so either way should have it sorted this weekend :grin:

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