Happy 4th of July I have a gift for you
The 4th is my favorite holiday. I have a aparty every year and we set of way too many fireworks.
There is a little bit of heaven about 12 miles from where I live called "Boom City" It is on the Indian Reservation and has about a 100 vendors.
I also make potato guns. They are made with ABS Shcedule 40 platic pipe and will shoot a potato about 150 yards. They cost about $25 to make and I have include plans for a small one. So go down to your hardware store and go nuts!
I added a PSoC with blinking tri color LEDS to a potato and fired it at night. It was soooo cool. It could get pricey cause you lose a PSoC every time you fire. I get PSoCs at a greatly reduce price in the evening when the storage area is closed is it isn't that expensive.
- Files:
PotatoGun.pdf
Thursday, July 3 at 06:46 (GMT -8:00)
Great plans!
I've made a couple of these. A standard push button gas grill igniterer will work (grab one off that rusted old grill you wanted to trash anyway). If the igniter is mounted on the side of the firing chamber rather than the end plug, you can "warm up" the gun without the end-cap on and throw flames. Aquanet superhold hairspray is quite effective for hurling potatoes. We also found that an old broom handle works well for jamming the potatoes down the muzzle. We built ours out of 4" abs plastic for the chamber and 2" for the muzzle for a total length of about 5 feet. In Idaho big potatoes are pretty cheap.
Thursday, July 3 at 09:10 (GMT -8:00)
Hi Dave,
I think for this hightech feature ;-) I'd rather suggest the Freescale MC9RS08KA instead (Risking to be banned from this site).
But for about 40 cent each, you can equip some more potatoes with ...illumination.
Another idea was to use the "brain" of the psoc for some additional gadgets like in this application for instance:
http://www.circuitcellar.com/msp430/1st.htm
OK! Again some other micro, but maybe someone can develop a psoc based potatobattery powered (thanks to the SMP in combination with a big capacitor) whristeling (speed dependent) light emitting sensation.
Something even Tim Taylor would give a "Hum Hum!".
;-)
Enjoy your day off and your ... artillery.
Markus
Thursday, July 3 at 17:58 (GMT -8:00)
Wow, the difference in countries.
Building that potato gun would land someone in Australia in breach of several firearms acts and landing them in prison or getting heafty fines depending on how lucky they are!
Can't even buy firecrackers or fireworks here unless you have special permission :(
I envy you all.
Friday, July 4 at 00:29 (GMT -8:00)
I think about those chemicals I used to buy at the drugstore when I was a kid.
Hydrogen peroxide at 35% was sold in big bottles for cleaning purposes.
I used it to etch my PCB's in a mixture with salt acid.
Sulfur, potassium nitrate and potassium permanganate were as well easy to obtain and a couple of holes in the street are definately to be put on my account.
OK, the local pharmacist was no fool and I had to split my shopping over a couple of weeks.
After 11/9 things changed (even here in Germany) dramatically.
It's not unlikely that you spent hours in police interrogation if some of those chemicals listed above found in your cellar, especially when you also have electronic components there as well.
Yes, in Germany as well you have to have a permission if you want to "play" with firecrackers.
In the village I grew up it's still tradition to fire a gas-cannon, but I don't know if it's allowed or it's just because a police officer is among the participants of those events. ;-).
Nowadays, for "having some fun" you have to be a kind of Mc Guyver (that's the reason why I've learned chemistry and now practice electronics at work ;-)).
But I'm not that unhappy about our law concerning firearms, 'cause the basic NO! is surrounded by exceptions, so that you can have a registered gun if you really (!) need one.
Markus