Borderlands Potato-Cannon

Here's a potato-cannon that I recently built as a gift.

It is based on this instructable (http://www.instructables.com/id/AA-Battery-Powered-Tesla-Coil/) as I used a bug-zapper racket as the driver for the flyback.

Borderlands is one of my friend's (the gift recipient) favorite games so we made some stickers to decorate the potato-cannon as one of the game's weapons (Helix Rocket Launcher by Torgue weapons).

I apologize for not going through the step-by-step process of how the cannon was built (there are plenty of instructables like that already), my intention is only to show another option for decorating it and the setup of the handles and trigger.

Step 1 Parts

Basically as in all potato cannons you need to build a combustion chamber and the cannon itself, I did mine with a 6inch Schedule 40 PVC for the combustion chamber a nd a 2.5 inch cannon (also Sch 40).

Therefore you need something like this:
- 0.5m (~20") 6" sch 40 PVC pipe (the combustion chamber)
- Two Sch 40 6" couplers (to fit the reducer bushings)
- 6" to 2.5" Sch 40 reducer bushing (this goes to the cannon)
- Two 2.5" Sch 40 90 degree elbows (combustion chamber to the cannon)
- 1m (~40") Sch 40 pipe (the cannon, could use a larger one if you wish)
- 6" to 3" Sch 40 reducer bushing (this is where you spray the Aqua Net, ideally it should be large enough to insert your arm so you can clean the goo but the larger I found was 3")
- A small piece of 3" Sch 40 PVC pipe (to fit the reducer bushing above and the male adapter below)
- 3" male adapter
- 3" female cap (these last three form the cap that you have to screw in order to access the interior)

For the ignition system you need a flyback and driver as described in this instructable:

http://www.instructables.com/id/AA-Battery-Powered-Tesla-Coil/



The attached files show the cannon after the PVC was put together but prior to the painting.
The handles are made with 1" cable duct, the big one is partially filled with concrete to set a piece of 3/8 threaded rod at both ends that holds to the aluminum frame. The small handle (the one that holds the trigger beneath is held with a metal piece from a chair but can also be held with a piece of bent threaded rod set in concrete).


The cable from the trigger goes into a metal electrical conduit, this is not neccesary but it looks nice.

The flyback, its driver and the batteries are inside a plastic ballaster case (shown in the fourth picture). This picture also shows the DC Voltage meter that indicates how the internal capacitors are charging prior to triggering the spark gap (not neccesary but looks cool). Unfortunately it has a 15k ohm inner resistance so it only moves to the second mark (otherwise it wouldn't allow the capacitors to charge over 1k V).
 

Comments

[shenzer]

This is sooo beautiful because it looks so clean.

[aprobst pruneda]

My BD gift!!... such great work!!

[Makavilletc]

lucky you! *envy*

[Reffner]

Coolest thing I've seen on instructables in a long time. Very well done!

[aesquivel]

Thanks!

[Kaelessin]

fantastic build! though, it's in dire need of a demonstration video :D