MOSFET - what's that?

[adam_poland]

I've been digging through the forum and I have found there are a few information about mosfets, some reviews, tips, but no clear definition what's that. I think it should be fixed because not so many players know what is it all about and still drown in curiosity when they hear the word
Also I would like to say hello to all of you people, because that is my first post!

What in fact is mosfet? If you'll ask an electrician he'll answer it's a metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor, but it surely doesn't sound very friendly, does it? That's why it is better to ask an airsoft professional. He'll briefly explain that the mosfet is an electronic device mounted in the AEG gun between a battery and a motor. It is directly connected to the trigger and its main function is to increase capabilities of the ASG. In airsoft slang the mosfet is named every single electronic circuit that is to be mounted in the replica. It is a little bit misleading though: when one buys the mosfet he doesn't only receive single transistor (as in ordinary mosfet) but fully equipped and professionally designed device for airsoft guns. Simply speaking: classic mosfet is just a small element of the mosfet designed for airsoft.

There are at least a few types of mosfets on the market. Some of them are very basic, other ones are specialized in meeting the requirements of the most demanding users. In general they are profitable for all kind of airsoft guns. The main issue is that they are often not easy to install, but it is changing to meet the players' needs. Because of the Plug&Play mode it is possible to just plug the device to the replica between motor and battery and benefit from its new functions.

I hope you'll find that information useful If you have any questions or comments I'm here for you!

[spazzticsmurff]

another way of thinking about a mosfet is that it is a solid state (no moving parts) soleniod like you would find in a car.
it takes %5 power to activate and puts the rest of the power to the motor with very lil resistance and efficiancy loss.

[Gilligan]

Going off of what spazz said, the whole point of a mosfet is to basically bypass your trigger contacts. Why? Not only does it increase the efficiency of your electrical system, (read: better trigger response and longer lasting batteries) but also makes the current that passes through the physical trigger contacts very small, which prevents arcing. This will more or less eliminate the wear and tear on the contacts. This is especially necessary when running higher voltage batteries such as an 11.1v lipo. Mosfets like these are a no brainer in any build, and there's really no good reason not to use one. I don't understand why they aren't as popular on this forum (at least from what I read).

Sometimes you'll get mosfets that are paired with more complex computers on the circuit board that adds functions like burst fire and precocking (google Extreme Fire or Blacktalon Concepts), but the core function of the mosfet part is the solid state switching.

[spazzticsmurff]

i use both the basic and advanced mosfets. i prefer the advanced ones from btc but the basic ones i have do the job just fine. i prefer the advanced ones from btc because of the ultra short/light trigger pulls that you can achive with them. i am working on building a standard trigger assembly using a micro switch to achive the same type trigger pull that my spectre/chimera's have using a standard mosfet. its going to go in my A&K SR25 that i am building as a dmr.

[adam_poland]

Thanks for your replies!
In my opinion the thing is many players are not very into electronics and the thing they care about and why they haven't installed a mosfet yet is a demanding installation process. They're simply afraid of losing the warranty. BTC is a good thing but it is not flawless. There are mosfets that are also advanced, not so expensive as BTC and available in Plug&Play: in example Burst Wizard and GATE Merf 3.2. They're various opinions about BW (http://www.airsoftforum.com/board/lofiversion/index.php/t200623.html), however Merf is appreciated by many players around the world.