Feed Control Sensors

Electronic loaders frequently use sensors to coordinate feed activity with marker operation. One common approach is an infrared beam break or reflective optical system placed near the feedneck or outlet. When a paintball interrupts or reflects the beam, the loader can infer whether the stack is present or whether a gap has formed that requires additional feeding.

Other loaders rely on sound detection circuits tuned to recognize the acoustic signature of a firing event. When a shot is identified, the board commands the motor to advance the drive mechanism by a defined amount. Accelerometer based systems use motion data from the marker to distinguish firing related impulses from general handling, creating another basis for drive activation.

Control boards process these inputs to determine when and how quickly to run the motor. They may increase output when repeated shots are detected, reduce or stop motion when the stack is confirmed as full, or briefly reverse direction if a jam is inferred from motor load characteristics. In technical discussions, these sensor and logic combinations are grouped under feed control systems because they directly influence how the loader responds to changing conditions at the breech.