Karagin
06/20/24 11:09 AM
38.48.37.18
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This question has come up again: why doesn't the Gauss Rifle need a Power Amp to work on ICE-powered vehicles?
Besides the old FASAysics answers has anyone really given it any thoughts?
Karagin
Given time and plenty of paper, a philosopher can prove anything.
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ghostrider
06/20/24 11:52 AM
45.51.181.83
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Very good question.
I hadn't thought about it, but given the implied power consumption for a gauss rifle, it may well require more than one amp for each weapon.
One quick answer might be the addition of a battery system that charges the entire time the ICE is running, but then it would be used as an answer for normal energy weapons, so that doesn't work. Plus there is no additional material suggesting this in the first place.
Plus nothing suggested on where the extra power would come from to begin with.
I don't think ICE powered towers is any different. So the entire idea of powering gauss weapons wasn't thought thru.
Yeah, most will say the towers are powered from something other then an ICE, so there is another discussion there.
Dang it. You just had to mess with the Alacorn tank. 
The wiki says the gauss weapons fell out of use due to the decline of tech, but that would mean other items that use magnetic acceleration should have fallen out of place, like say a PPC or some research items.
Edited by ghostrider (06/20/24 11:58 AM)
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Frabby
06/22/24 09:37 AM
79.212.148.185
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You could handwave it by assuming the ammunition comes with some sort of power packs, in a fashion similar to chemical lasers.
Boils down to having two distinct types of ammo, one of each needed per shot - like rl multiuse RPG launchers use rockets for ammunition but also use (separate) primer cartridges to ignite the rocket ammo.
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Cray
06/23/24 01:22 PM
71.47.208.18
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The Gauss rifle has tons of very explody power amplifier built in: the capacitors. They accumulate available joules from the engine and discharge at very high wattage like any capacitor.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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ghostrider
06/23/24 03:50 PM
45.51.181.83
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Given the statement that the gauss rifle pulls so much power from fusion engines, it can delay the firing of other weapons. So with that stated, it would seem something like a single small laser would not strain a non amp ICE power generation, give the accumulation statement.
This should mean that power amps are required to use gauss type weapons with a non fusion/non battery system.
As there is nothing in the rules that suggest a need or required use of, batteries, something is off with this.
I understand that ballistic weapons don't require amps for ICE run units, but the gauss is a very special exception.
I might even say a single gauss rifle might fire every few rounds, but that would be pushing it.
And yes. Each game master would have to decide for a game they run.
But in the case of the Alacorn, it has 3 rifles on it.
There would also be issues with ICE run mechs using them as well.
A question comes up. Given amplifiers require an outside source to increase power output (watts) they only change volts to amps or amps to volts. How does this put more of both in there without another source?
An ICE only produces so much without extra power amps. Otherwise the entire need for power amps for an ICE falls apart. Heat sinks are still required no matter for energy weapons, so that remains.
Is there a length of time to power up the rifle without additional power coming in?
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Karagin
06/24/24 09:08 AM
38.48.37.18
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Quote:
The Gauss rifle has tons of very explody power amplifier built in: the capacitors. They accumulate available joules from the engine and discharge at very high wattage like any capacitor.
So that would be a question: how does the rifle recharge then, or does the ammo need to be magnetized first?
Karagin
Given time and plenty of paper, a philosopher can prove anything.
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Karagin
06/24/24 09:10 AM
38.48.37.18
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Also, the question is on ICE-powered units, NOT fusion ones.
I can see how one fusion-powered unit, a Gauss rifle, could indeed function as written, but not so much on an ICE unit.
Karagin
Given time and plenty of paper, a philosopher can prove anything.
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johnadams
04/29/25 05:06 PM
51.159.226.160
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The Gauss Rifle doesn’t need a power amp on ICE vehicles because it uses its own capacitor banks for firing—no reliance on the vehicle’s electrical system. This self-contained design is a perfect fit for realistic weapon behavior in simulators like shooting-soft.com, where unique firing mechanics can be accurately modeled without complicating vehicle integration.
Edited by johnadams (04/29/25 05:07 PM)
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ghostrider
04/30/25 01:02 PM
45.51.181.83
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The capacitor banks require electric charging but saying power amps are needed is an incorrect statement to be honest. Multiple, or more powerful generators/alternators would be needed to power things up, not an amp.
This would also have to be changed with energy weapons.
But ICE units supposedly doesn't have the ability to produce the power needed to run any energy weapon without extra equipment.
And with this, did they update this issue with the AP gauss weapons?
A cheap way out of this issue, might be suggesting the ICEs weight means it has the powerful electrical production to cover the needs of the gauss weapons, but doesn't deal with energy weapons. So this isn't a good option.
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