Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Coilgun Handgun
by rwilsford07 on November 13, 2007 Table of Contents License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Coilgun Handgun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Charger Circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: General Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 5 8
step 3: Coils, Capacitors, and Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 step 4: Bring It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 step 5: Projectiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 step 6: Coilgun Research and General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 step 7: Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
This simulator is about 30% accurate on average and is a great design tool for you to use, it has some issues but once you get the hang of it it is very useful: Very Useful Coil Gun Simulator Experimental research shows that as the magnetic flux increases above 4-5 Tesla the actual efficiency dies off dramatically, which is not shown in the simulator. Useful Electronic Goods Sites: - Mouser Probably the best Distributor I've come across, vast selection of items, best pricing for a non-wholesale electronics site, and best navigation and organization. - Goldmine Great prices on useful parts - Digikey Good for hard to find parts and best customer service and shipment speed. - MPJA Great place to buy magnetic wire and LEDs - Electrostore Large high voltage capacitors at cheap price and other high power components. - Surplus of Nebraska Great prices on magnetic wire if bought in large quantities. - Alltronics An OK surplus store NEED CAPACITORS CHEAP? HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT? LET ME KNOW, I have hundreds of photoflash capacitors just sitting around, help me find them a home. All funds go toward my SVPAR-1 coilgun super rifle, let's make the world a safer place.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. Permenant internal relay power supply 2. Integrated laser sight 3. Internal LED Flashlight 4. Ammunition clip 5. LED Flashlight/LASER switch 6. Bolt Action 7. Single 400V 470uF Capacitor 8. ON/OFF 9. Before Completion PAR-1
Image Notes 1. Charger Circuits 2. Capacitor Bank 3. 22 AWG Coil, 8 Layers, 30mm Long 4. Relay 5. Relay Power Source, 4*9V Batteries, later replaced with one 9V 6. 2 AA Battery Holder, One on Each Side Of Gun to power two Charger Circuits. 7. Unsupported Barrel, Was Later Supported by Vertical Panes of Plexiglass 8. This was my first coilgun, I have since inproved greatly on it's design as well as others. I keep it on here to show how I started.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. CLICK THE "i" FOR THE ORIGINAL (Legible) SIZE
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. Input Wire ( positive battery terminal) 2. Ground Wire(Negative Battery Terminal and Capacitor Positive) 3. High Voltage Output to Capacitor Negative( White strip)(About 500V at 3V input) 4. Final Connections 5. Transistor Bottom 6. Transformer Bottom 7. Be careful not to short the above wire and the circuit below. 8. Diode
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. Multiple Finished Mini Chargers 2. Transformer 3. Transistor 4. LED 5. Diode
Image Notes 1. 8 Charger Bank In Parallel 2. HV Negative Out 3. Positive Input Wire (3V to be safe) Using a higher voltage may destroy your circuits. 4. Negative In and HV Positive Out 5. Electric Tape for insulation between Circuits 6. Double layer Insulation Tape to prevent shorts.
Image Notes 1. Input Wires 2. - Input Negative 3. + Input Positive (3V max for safety. Use more at your own risk.) 4. Output Wires 5. ++ High Voltage Positive 500V at 3V input 6. -- High Voltage Negative Output 7. Transformer 8. Transistor 9. LED 10. Diode 11. Connection Wire 12. Single Lead From Circuit Split into two. 13. SMT (Surface Mounted) Resistor
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. You can place Plexiglas washers inside the steel washers and super glue each layer to them to get a better made coil. 2. grove put in washer to fit the initial wire.
Image Notes 1. Finished Coil 2. Wind Your Coil as Perfectly as you can. 3. You can also use Plexiglas washers to aid in winding the coil as well as give the coil extra structure when taken off the winder.
Image Notes 1. Capacitor Leads Connected 2. Negative Side Has Stripe 3. An Example of a capacitor bank
Image Notes
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. Spring Return 2. Nylon Injection Pin 3. Nylon Injection pin glued into 1/2in Bolt armature 4. 1/2in Bolt(Armature), this is the device that is pulled into the injection solenoid and therefore pushes the projectile into the Optical Sensor which fires the Primary Accelerator Coil. 5. Rear Support, The Injection Solenoid is very powerful and must be fitted to the structure very strongly. 6. Injection Solenoid, 20-40 Layers, 26-30 gauge wire, 20-30 mm Length 7. Ammunition Magazine/Clip 8. Projectile 9. Primary Accelerator Coil Support: This Support must be fitted to the Coilgun Structure as rigid as Possible. 10. Optical Sensor, Senses the Projectile and Fires the Primary Acceleration Coil. A contact Sensor may Also be Used Here. 11. Primary Accelerator Coil: I did not use a barrel inside the coil so that the coil and the projectile would be as close to each other as possible. A thin layer of superglue inside the coil was used to protect the coil from damage. 12. A Barrel was fitted to the front of the Primary Accelerator Coil's Structure in order to guide the Projectile out of the gun. 13. Plexiglas Washers: 5mm 14. Please Click on the i to the left to view the full size diagram.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. Coil 2. Relay 3. 9V-12V( N ) 4. Fire Switch 5. Capacitor Bank 6. Charger Circuit Bank
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. !Charge Switch Must be turned OFF before firing! 2. Check Data sheet for SCR Pin Outs
step 5: Projectiles
Projectile Material: The projectile material is the MOST IMPORTANT part of your coilgun system, I won't go into detail here but it determines probably 80% of how your coilgun will perform. -Basically your projectile must be ferromagnetic, i.e contain mostly Iron, Nickle or Cobalt. -It must be magnetically soft, which means that if a magnetic field is applied to it the material will not stay magnetized. -It must have the highest magnetic saturation point possible The Best Materials I know of are listed below from best down: Nickle-Cobalt Nickle-Iron Pure Iron >$100 Low Carbon Steel (Steel with a rating of 10XX where XX is the lowest number possible, such as 1006) Stainless Steel - Most stainless steal is NOT ferromagnetic, it must contain at least 80% Iron to be considered ferromagnetic. Round Low Carbon Steel 1006 from McMaster-Carr will be the best material I found for your projectiles for a reasonable cost and availability. It is the lowest carbon steel I could find for "low quantity" purchasing. If you want efficiency in your coilgun but don't have the tools, time, or effort to make your own projectiles buy HERE , you can customize your rod cuts for a considerably low price and you don't have to do the tedious work, and the steel is low carbon, which means higher iron content and more efficiency. Also they sell acrylic for my casings, which is a plus. Projectile Fabrication Now this is the "Hardest" and most time consuming part. In order to make the projectiles, cut the heads off of the nails using a Dremel tool with a reinforced cutting disc (will wear quickly) or a large grinder with a cutting blade. You can also use a hacksaw with a steel cutting blade, credit for this idea goes to member jondo huang , I never even thought of it. This is the preferred method as it is cheaper and the cut is much better. Then cut the rest of the nail to the correct length ( They should be 3/4 to 5/4 the length of the coil). If you are looking for efficiency, i.e. velocity, simply grind the edges of the projectile to a rounded flat surface and not pointed. Mine are sharp so they can do more damage. In order to do this I placed the projectiles in a drill press and used the grinder to grind the edges down, if you use the Dremel you can get a smoother finish and finer point. This can be a long process, but well worth it. You can glue smaller diameter straws to the end of the rounds to stabilize them, usually the longer the round, the longer the stabilizer will have to be.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Image Notes 1. Grinder 2. Used to hold nails in place while cutting 3. Dremel
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
IDEAS POSTED HERE MAY BE OUT OF DATE (4/28/08) Key Things to Know: I would recommend reading "all" of the following as a good understanding of system maximization is key to build a worthy gun. Some Very general characteristics to help you create and maximize one are as follows. A Few Variables (These statements assume all other variables are unchanged and are as simply put as possible) (Maximization is reached at the greatest efficiency) (These are SUPER Generalized statements and are Approximate (in reality there are many, many more factors). But these statements do provide a simpler understanding of the system.) -The coil : -The larger the wire diameter and the fewer layers it has the more Capacitance is needed to maximize it. -The smaller the wire diameter and the more layers it has the less Capacitacne is needed to maximize it. -The shorter a coil is, a shorter pulse time is needed for maximization, Therefore more layers for shorter coils is required for maximization resulting in a lower maximizing capacitance and a faster pulse time. -The longer a coil is, a longer pulse time is needed for maximization, Therefore fewer layers for longer coils is required for maximization resulting in a higher maximizing capacitance and a slower pulse time. -18-22 guage magnetic wire and 30mm Length seems to be a common place in most guns. Capacitance : (Discharge time constant(discharge to 37%) is determined by the product of capacitance and resistance) t=RC(for a simple RC circuit) -A larger Capacitance has a longer pulse time and therefore affects the projectile a longer amount of time and so longer or heavier projectiles are needed for maximization. -A smaller Capacitance has a shorter pulse time and therefore affects the projectile a shorter amount of time and so shorter or lighter projectiles are needed for maximization. -The pulse time also relates to the length of the coil, a longer pulse time will be nessesary for a longer coil and a shorter pulse time will be necessary for a shorter coil. ...Take a Breath... Voltage : -There is a point where Higher voltage will taper off the output energy of the gun through power dissipated through heat. Power loss=I2*R (where I is current and R is system resistance) -As far as I know an Increase in Voltage provides an increase in the output of the coil gun, to a point. That point is reached when the dV/dT (Change in voltage over change in Time) is significant enough to produce a large amount of eddy currents. -Through research and experimentation it seems the best voltage range lies in the range of 200V to 800V, reason being 200V is a low enough voltage to where the wire needed to discharge the same amount of energy is significantly larger, which reduces the current density and increases the coil cost and size. The Upper limit of 800V is due to the higher dV/dT which results in large eddy current losses, experiments with 900V capacitor banks show significant (ie the firing of non-metallic projectiles via eddy currents) eddy current losses. -In general I recommend using 50J per stage for 200V banks and 200J per stage for 900V. (These are vague at best, but the limits produce better results) Projectile : -Ferromagnetic (objects which can be attracted by a magnet but not perminantly magnetized) material is what your projectile should be made of. I use large galvinized steel nails cut to size. Usually the nails will flip through the air, but if you attach a straw on the back the projectile will be stabilized (The longer the projectile the longer the stabilizing straw must be) -Greatest effeciency according to projectile length can be reach with experimentation, but in general a projectile the length of the coil and as snug fitting as possible will yield close to maximized projectile deminsions. -Smaller nails, screws, or even sling shot ammo can be used if power tools are unaccessable to you, but you will not get much effeciency with them, expecially spherical projectiles. System Resistance : I am still in the process of simplifing this as many factors in coilgun performance relates to resistance. -Resistance is ultimately the defining aspect of a coilguns maximization. Many think that less resistance is always better, but this is not always the case. The fact that resistance is indirectly related to current (I(current)=V/R) and a greater current produces a greater magnetic field; this points to less resistance and more current for a greater projectile acceleration. Although this is true, resistance also plays a direct role in pulse time, which determines the amount of time the capacitor takes to discharge, and the amount of time the projectile is under acceleration. -In conclusion one can say the higher the resistance, the longer the pulse time and lower the ampere peak; the lower the resistance the shorter the pulse time and higher the amperage peak. -Also, with very low resistance ringing occurs in the system due to the coils inductance, resulting in the possible need for a protection diode reverse and parallel to the coil, resulting in a much longer pulse time and current leakage through the diode.(see topic below) -will be continued... Protection Diode : -Many coilguns use a protection diode to prevent back emf(high reverse voltage that results from the coils induction) and to prevent system and capacitor failure. I did research with and without diode protection and the results explain the higher efficiency which my coils have been operating at compared to other much more advanced multistage guns. Experimentation showed an average of around 1/4 velocity loss with a reverse diode compared to no diode protection. As of now no damage has been done to the capacitors or any circuits due to back emf. I will continue to do testing. I may be wrong on some, or all, of this. : ) USE THE SIMULATOR ON THE FIRST PAGE FOR YOUR APPLICATION Disclaimer I take no responsibility for your actions. If you shoot, shock, or otherwise injure yourself or others, Your
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
step 7: Updates
News: -The clip spring for my new rifle was completed and works properly, for the most part. 11/17/07 -Drilling through the back of the rounds proved a hard task and did not result in stabilizing the round completely, although it did mildly improve accuracy and velocity(Loss of mass). 11/16/07 -I just got a Velocity Chronograph to experiment more accurately with maximizing velocity.(Unfortunately it only works in sunlight and I'm not home to often during the day; Progress will be slow) 11/18/07 -Larger(C and D) Batteries provide the coil gun with a MUCH faster load time(Due to ampere increase) with the same amount of batteries. Used with 2 in series lined up with others that are 2 in series via Parallel) 11/18/07 -The general concept of more Charger Circuits for a curtain amount of Battery Power is flawed: I found that for every Battery Power there is a maximizing amount of circuit Boards to use but more batteries are always better unless you surpass the power rating of the charger circuits.( More research for different size Batteries is needed) 11/18/07 -Surprisingly Faster Charge Systems leading to large automatic coil guns possible. Due to Battery Breakthroughs. 11/19/07 -Solenoid that was bought doesn't contain a push back spring, new solenoid was found and will be installed shortly after arrival. (Another long wait for the main; which always seems to come right before work) -Next Generation Coilgun will be a multistage rifle due to research into contact triggers(Goal is 75m/s, Possibly automatic which seems a simpler task than semi-auto if charge time is reduced significantly, I figure aim high)(HAMSEMLA I ).11/21/07 -Final Research Design Before Rail gun research will be a multi barreled Mini gun type gun(Because it looks cool; O and it will allow the coils to cool between shots)11/24/07 -Research into the maximization of the coil of EMILA II has lead to an interesting discovery, the Kinetic energy of the projectile is maximized (As well as efficiency) when the projectile is the length of the Coil, while Velocity is maximized at about half the length of the coil. A worthy compromise between the two is a projectile at 3/4 the length of the coil. 11/24/07 -Placing a smaller straw at the ends of your projectile make them fly very straight, which although good, means that even flat headed rounds fly through two inch thick Styrofoam with ease. 11/24/07 - In general, for a certain coil in specific conditions, the center of a round must be a certain distance from the center of the coil no matter how long the round is. This means that for Larger Rounds, more placement inside the coil is needed, while smaller rounds require placement that may be outside the coil; eventually the small round is too far outside the coil, significantly decreasing its energy taken from the coil in terms of Kinetic Energy.11/24/07 - I experimented with a 12 layer coil(30mm Length) and some new capacitors(4 470uF 400 V). I used one 470uF 400 V capacitor and was able to more than match the velocity of the 1080uF 380V handgun. Efficiency of this is the best so far. 12/3/07 - I experimented later with the 12 layer coil and the new capacitors(4 470uF 400 V) I was able to align them to get 800 Volts at 470uF and was able to fire it around 8 times before the charger circuit's transistors started smoking then exploded(I used 8 charger circuits with 16 C Batteries lined up to get 12 Volts and a 900 Volts output( I also used a wall transformer and it basically exploded from the demands of the Capacitors before using the batteries). The result was an extremely powerful coil gun which when fired pierced 1mm thick steel plate as well as an entire tin can. See pictures below. 12/3/07 - I have not been able to make much progress on the newer hand gun and the charger meltdown is a huge set back. It will be a while till progress continues. 12/3/07 - Charger circuit tests show that you can use up to 6 C cell batteries in a 3V configuration with one charger circuit without burning up the transistor, I would recommend using just 2 per charger circuit, also using more charger circuits reduces resistance in the system and power capacity of the charging unit. 12/11/07 -Charger circuit tests show that you must use 3 charger circuit for just 2 D batteries at 3V in order to not burn up the transistors. I would recommend using at least 6 Chargers per 2 D batteries. 1/28/08 -Reverse Diode Across coil- Every professionally made coilgun uses a "protection" diode across the coil to prevent back emf. Research was done pertaining to this matter and a great deal of efficiency loss was examined. Several coils were tested and a average of about 1/4 of the velocity of the projectile was lost to the diodes prolonging the electromagnetic field. More research will be done but as of now great efficiency may be due to the lack of diode in my system. Also tests with a high rated diode connecting the coil to the capacitor which allows current flow one way, prevents a prolonged field, and prevents reverse voltage from back emf will be tested as well as other means to prevent back emf. 2/20/08 -Work on my new PA-III has been slow, but initial firings without maximization seem to put the gun as having great potential. The projectile ripped through a tin can and kept going until it suck in my drywall. -PA-III Main support structure, Ammunition casing, and Power source construction has been completed. Next will be the autoloader and possibly a reduction in total stored energy as efficiency at high levels appears to dies of. A relationship between Increased voltage and Energy levels effect on efficiency will be mapped soon. -I have moved and extensive work on my new workshop will be needed until research and other projects can be continued. 07/01/08 -Work on PA-III will be suspended until proper tools are accumulated again. 07/07/08 -The PA-III was redesigned and subsequently named PA-III-B, It is nearing completion and only requires painting as of now. Also previous research into camera circuits
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
reveled that the number of camera circuits DOES NOT change the output of the circuits, but simply allows more power to flow through the them before failing. The ampere-hour rating , or capacity, however does directly relate to the output power, ie the more batteries you have in parallel (increasing capacity) the higher the output of the camera circuits until the point to which the chargers fail. Once time allows a graphical representation and report will be completed and posted as a link, time however is short so it may be a while. 11/11/08
Image Notes 1. Simple gun made on vacation (high velocity low mass)
Image Notes 1. More Capacitors 2. 400V 470uF Capacitors Bought at Electronic Goldmine for $2.
Related Instructables
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
Advertisements
Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 2511 comments
Feb 10, 2010. 11:47 AM REPLY
Barrettkg says:
Can discharging your capacitor bank destroy capacitors?
Gladiater says:
Feb 8, 2010. 12:31 PM REPLY oh and stupid as i am i forgot to ask one thing; that is how much chargers will i need? i've got alot of them from old disposables, but i dont know how much to use really.
Gladiater says:
Feb 8, 2010. 12:14 PM REPLY Yeah, this is a great instructable, and i'm curious to see the APA-1 when finished. im building this too for a sience project and my exams kinda relie on this so its a bit important hehe. but ive got 2 questions. 1: lets say i use 4 400V 470uF caps is that enough power? and 2: i cant find any roll of spooling cable that has a clear coating longer than 23 metres :-/ . what would be better; If i roll a coil of this, 30 mm long 8 mm InDia and like, 9 layers or if i solder 2 together? i'm afraid soldering 2 together will give a huge loss of power, so much that the coil will become useless. any tips/help/hints?
moshee says:
Hey rwilsford, is your project pretty much dead now?
eggman says:
i think he mentioned before that college was taking his time, but i have noticed that be basically stopped updating his site.
rwilsford07 says:
Feb 7, 2010. 3:34 PM REPLY The APA-1 Project is still alive, unfortunately I've had my free time full making power supplies and filling orders for others. The good news is I have most of the parts, I just have to finish the current orders I'm working on first and hope no other orders come in.
moshee says:
Well, it's great to see you're actually making money for this. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this turns out.
eggman says:
awesome. i cant wait to see how that gun comes out.
skiz1989 says:
Whats the point of D1?....is it to make sure the current will always flow one way?...or does it prevent "suck back"?
moshee says:
It's to prevent "back EMF" which can damage the capacitors and possibly blow them up.
hunter566 says:
can i use 220uF 400V capacitors and still get enought power to shoot omething a couple feet away
eggman says:
Jan 31, 2010. 3:56 PM REPLY absolutely. throw a few of those in parallel, and you've got yourself a formidable coilgun. depending on whats available to you, i'd aim for 5 or 6 of those capacitors in parallel.
hunter566 says:
if i used 7 how many cameras do you think i would need
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
eggman says:
that puts you at 1540uF i would use 6 or 7 chargers running on 4 D batteries at 3V.
JamesRPatrick says:
Jan 28, 2010. 6:40 PM REPLY I'm considering turning a barrel out of aluminum with a spool for the coil built in. would this create any problems with conductivity? The barrel wall would be around 1/16" thick.
eggman says:
Jan 29, 2010. 7:19 PM REPLY this would cause large problems with eddy currents inhibiting the force of the field getting to your projectile. you can inhibit these currents by cutting slots lengthwise in the barrel to eliminate continuity along the circumference, but it is best to use a plastic barrel. i like the idea of milling the spool right onto the barrel, maybe you could use a block of teflon or something of the like.
JamesRPatrick says:
Thanks. I feel so stupid not thinking of that...
hunter566 says:
I cant fine any disposible cameras around where i live is there a web site or somewhere else i can get them
kerneykid1 says:
this is pretty amazing man
hunter566 says:
Can you use a heavy duty toggle switch instead of the heavy duty rocker switch
riku1 says:
Jan 21, 2010. 6:54 PM REPLY yes you can but if u get 1 with an led it wont light up and dont try to super glue it in place because it will ruin the switch it really po'd me when that happened to me i had to learn the hard way. and use one with any volt that is rated 12v or higher and it will work and it has to be at least 30amps. i didnt want to use a relay either. but mine worked well witha toggle switch. and if anyone knows the location and price of hobby composite that is used to make ice rinks ic christmas villages i would apreciate it if u could tell me(using that to fix my bb gun im puting my coilgun in) reply A.S.A.P. plz O_o
Gladiater says:
Jan 13, 2010. 9:37 AM REPLY is it bad if i use chargers from different kind of circuit boards? cause i've got alot of disposable camera's, but they're from like 5-7 different brands of camera's. Oh, and another question i've got quite some capacitors but the microfarads or voltage are not imprinted, how can i find out? if you need, i can supply some pictures if necesarry.
rooftoptile says:
you need to get a multimeter. theyre like ten bucks at radioshack
eggman says:
most multimeters won't measure capacitance. we generally disregard unmarked capacitors.
Gladiater says:
Jan 20, 2010. 6:19 AM REPLY So you're basically saying i should throw away the capacitors? that would be a problem cause i dont have any others. no other solution?
eggman says:
Jan 20, 2010. 1:26 PM REPLY as a last ditch effort you could just assume they're ~300V and ~80uF. there are big problems with this though, as they could easily overvolt and explode gloriously. if you reallllly needed to use these, you could go out and get a capacitance meter and then find the rated voltage.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
eggman says:
Jan 19, 2010. 2:38 PM REPLY do you know how much current a bank of 5 chargers would pull? i tried powering them with an lm317 at 2.5V and it only charged to 48V before it overheated and shut off. this vreg was rated to 1.5A
rwilsford07 says:
Jan 19, 2010. 5:30 PM REPLY In my experience the camera circuits will pull as much as they can, which is why your power source, i.e. how many batteries at 3V you have in parallel, determines the output power and the camera circuits will break themselves before limiting the input current. For my PAR-1 the output power of the 6 chargers was about 50W with 8C batteries at 3V. That means that that charger bank pulled 16.7A from the battery bank, so quite a bit more than 1.5A, although the LM317 probably limited this to less than that. If you can't use 3V worth of alkaline I really recommend a Buck converter to lower the voltage instead of a linear one, as the linear converter will decrease the voltage conversion efficiency by much more than half (For example if you plan on pulling 3V at 1.5A from an 18V source the linear regulator will have to dissipate the difference in voltage times the output current (18V-3V)*1.5A = 22.5W, that's a 16% conversion efficiency. One the other hand a buck converter will only take a little over the required power and operate usually around 90%. Keep in mind the charger circuits operate around 16% efficiency. Of course in the end a boost converter will win out on both size, power, and total efficiency (usually about 70%).
moshee says:
Why would you use a voltage regulator for camera circuits?
eggman says:
i need to bring 18V down to 3V to power the chargers.
Barrettkg says:
Ok, I'm having a BIG problem trying to figure out the size of the coild from the 'ible using 22 gauge wire, how long should I make the coil and around what size bolt should i wrap it around?
tim.vrakas says:
I have some old NP1 12v batterys how do i make them work
tim.vrakas says:
could someone tell me where to get camareas
max0506 says:
Jan 13, 2010. 10:22 AM REPLY Hello guys I am making a coilgun made of a disposable camera and some capacitors. I have made a drawing with google sketch-up. Could you please check if I have made all the connections right? ( I am not an expert yet) www.elektronica_stuff.webklik.nl/page/voorpagina please reply
Gladiater says:
oh and one more thing: you say its safe to put 3v on the chargers, but they normally work with 1.5v, so what's up with that?
riku1 says:
Jan 12, 2010. 4:45 PM REPLY how well would a 15-25 layer coil work ifit was about 2-3 cm long on a straw and was out of 20 gage wire that is in most down step transformers and how many micro-ferads at 330v would it take to launch the round at least 20yds as a single-stage coilgun?
riku1 says:
so even if i dont mod the circut and just put it in the coilgun how it is when u take it apart i would need another relay?
JamesRPatrick says:
Are you even reading these responses?
riku1 says:
Jan 11, 2010. 4:49 PM REPLY yes i am and there are 2 types of relays one uses an electro magnetic switch and keeps it turned on when pored is applied and the other converts dc current into ac current i took two relays that were different off of a circut board and checked their serial#s and then took em apart and one stayed there and the other moved back and forth really fast
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
that is how i know this and on top of that u only NEEN a relay if u mod the camera circut because they already have one in them and u can yust use an on off toggle switch to fire though it can shock u if not hooked up correctly
eggman says:
Jan 11, 2010. 7:05 PM REPLY "you can use a very high rated toggle switch for this, but it is usually more expensive and larger than a relay of the same rating." also, i don'y know why you're so convinced that there is a relay in the circuit already. there is not. all there is on the camera boards is the large capacitor, two transformers, and some miscellaneous smd resistors, capacitors and diodes.
riku1 says:
u know the small transformer thing that usually has yellow tape and a green wire coming out of it? that is a very small relay that turns the light on when it is done charging the capacitors and u definately dont liuve in alaska because a toggle switch is cheaper up here
rwilsford07 says:
Jan 12, 2010. 12:57 AM REPLY riku1, the small transformer is just a transformer, the transformer together with the additional transistor and resistors turns the 3V DC into high voltage AC and the output diode rectifies it into DC which charges the capacitor. A relay is an electromechanical switch, I recommend goggle. In most cases a 30A toggle switch will be more expensive and larger than a 30A relay. It is not used in the charging circuitry, it is used to switch current from the charged capacitor bank and through the firing coil. Eggman knows what he is talking about
riku1 says:
Jan 12, 2010. 12:22 PM REPLY i know how the circut it works and the camera circuth i am using are different then the ones you are using that is why i am saying this im not tryin to be an ahole about it but the ones i am using have a relay 2 or 3 diodes 1 led and 1 transformer they are set up the same way the camera circuts u used but are built differently and this orignally started out as askin if the relay is used in the moded circur because if it was i didnt need to buy one because the ones im using already have one in them and im not moding the circuts because the ones i have are totaly diferent than the ones you used and if i made anyone mad i am scinceerly sorry but i thought i mentioned that the circuts are different and had i mentioned that we would have avoided this once again i am sorry
eggman says:
Jan 12, 2010. 1:09 PM REPLY post a picture of the circuits you are using. chances are you will need a relay because the one that may possibly be on your board is definitely not rated to switch 30A
riku1 says:
Jan 12, 2010. 2:26 PM REPLY i decided to not use a relay and to use a toggle switch instead because i found 2 30 amp toggle switches in my room not in use and that are rather small but i do appreciate your help and it will prove useful in the future & unless my mom decides to be nice i dont have a camera to take pics with
riku1 says:
Jan 12, 2010. 12:29 PM REPLY and the reason i thought it was used in the charging circut that u used was because of the way the yellow wires conect toh the cap bank and the charging circut in pic#2 on step 4 srry for the frustration and confusion
riku1 says:
Jan 12, 2010. 4:46 PM REPLY how well would a 15-25 layer coil work ifit was about 2-3 cm long on a straw and was out of 20 gage wire that is in most down step transformers and how many micro-ferads at 330v would it take to launch the round at least 20yds as a single-stage coilgun?
eggman says:
Jan 11, 2010. 2:08 PM REPLY i really don't think he is. the relay is a SWITCH. it has nothing whatsoever to do with converting ac to dc, or transformers, or anything. all it is is a high rated switch.
eggman says:
are you sure you're clear on what a relay is and what it does?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/
riku1 says:
Jan 9, 2010. 5:55 PM REPLY iv done that it didnt help and i asked my uncle who works with electronics every day what a relay dose and he said that it converts ac current into dc current and he knows that kind of stuff
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coilgun-Handgun/