When we first saw the ray gun (lonesoursurfer’s), we thought it looked very familiar. Of course, it looks like an old-fashioned ray gun, which you may see in dozens of 1950s movies or TV programs. But there are some strange familiarity. Facts have proved that its core component is an old-fashioned timing lamp, which is used for automobile adjustment.
This is not an unobtrusive Star Trek phase shifter. It looks solid. It has a cool sound generator. It not only has something to do, but also has a cool control knob on the top of the gun. If you want to recreate the build, the design file for the sound circuit is located in the Google drive folder.
The timing light is already shiny silver, and the lens holder is even suitable for the speaker of the gun, which does no harm. An old mobile phone battery supplies power to the whole system. The audio board is absolutely old-fashioned, using 4000 series IC oscillator, CMOS VCO and ubiquitous LM386 audio amplifier.
If you’re going to a party as Buck Rogers, rush Gordon or even proton captain, this gun will look good on your belt. You can still buy timing lights, but they’re not always like this. You may have to go to a pawnshop or a second-hand shop to find a suitable one. Or, like [lonesoursurfer], buy one on eBay.
Many parts come from the trash, so your build may look different. However, this is an interesting project, just in time for the masquerade ball season.
The last time we saw lonesound surfer making a ray gun, he was cutting the welding gun. If you want something with a real laser, pay attention to everyone’s eyesight.