DIY taser in flashlight

Don't build this if you are a dummy and want to go around shocking people.  You will be charged with assault at the very least.  Don't try it on anyone with a pacemaker or possible heart condition.

I built this taser for my diy video podcast.  (check out my shirt!) I thought I would make an instructable to enter in the flashlight contest.  The design I used gives a jolt of 1200 volts which I promise you can really feel!  In the video we have an exclusive interview with Geoff Desmoulin from Spike TV's show "Deadliest Warrior" where he talks about the science and effects of tasing people.


Please check out my other instructables

Step 1 Materials

The shopping list is on the downloadable pdf.  The only things not included there are: 9v battery, 9v batt connector, housing (mine was a flashlight) copper circuit board, a small amount of wire and a switch.

Total cost in parts should be around $30

Tools required are:
drill
1/32" , 3/64" drill bits ( I also used a larger bit for mounting the switch but the size will depend on your switch)
soldering iron and solder
wire strippers and snips
copper etching kit
Some tape
a clothes iron
I used an angle grinder with a zip disk to cut the circuit board


If you don't know how to solder, check out this guide:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Soldering/

If you don't know how to etch copper, here are a few good instructables, I used the methods described in the last one.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Sponge-Ferric-Chloride-Method-Etch-Circuit-Bo/
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Saltwater-etch-process/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Etching-a-circuit-with-toilet-bowl-cleaner/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Stop-using-Ferric-Chloride-etchant!--A-better-etc/

Comments

[joehudy]

do you think you could do it on a bread bord & have pictures of the componints im having troble with it ive found it one line befor & had troble .its frusterating. please respond

[dave spencer]

While I will not rip apart mine to redo it on a breadboard, I will have a look at yours if you post pictures of it. Breadboards are so bulky though, you should do the copper etch. Its not very hard.

[joehudy]

i dont have the copper etchis thought and idont know how + i allredy took it a part

[dave spencer]

I went into more detail on etching here: http://mechanicalmashup.tv/videos/episode-7-chroma-key-and-etching-copper/
there are also several great instructables on it.

[joehudy]

it sounds expensive

[dave spencer]

Not at all you can make a circuit board for under $20 (probably under $7 because you will have materials left over)

[joehudy]

thank you soooo much for your help and quick responce

[HarveyH44]

What's the difference between a Taser, and a Stun Gun?

[godofal]

taser's are for close "combat" while stunguns shoot something (needles?) attached to a wire, making them kind of long-range. the actual circuitry is pretty alike though

[dave spencer]

Whether or not if it is correct, Taser seems to be the term used for both types of devices. generally a stun gun is something you hold against a person and a taser shoots the darts. Maybe it was last years meme of "don't tase me bro" but he was hit with a stun gun.

[HarveyH44]

Yeah, know that tasers fire the electrodes, and usually only available to law enforcement. Stun guns are usually just a scary light show, and only have some effect when in contact. Most people hate getting shocked, most of these little shockers get used by kids to annoy their friends, family, and pets (until retribution). I've played around with electronics, since i was in my teens, but mostly stick to low voltage stuff, where ever possible, because I really hate getting even a little tingle. Oddly enough, I built a 250KV Tesla coil, and a Jacobs Ladder out of a neon sign transformer, just to watch the arcs. Have been zapped many times by both, neon sign is the worst of the two.

[reoozeit]

I agree with you on the neon transformer being a good one. Years ago, I worked in the neon department of a sign shop. My job was "processing" the neon- I hooked it up to a vacuum manifold set-up and to the high-voltage leads that came down from electrified wires running over my head and heated the heck out of the tubing to remove all of the impurities before installing gas in them. VERY dangerous job in many ways! Then, I had to hook up the units to neon transformers to "burn them in". One day, through nobody"s fault but my own, I took 12,000 volts through my hands (and the rest of me) for a bit until I broke myself free. Low current thankfully, and no damage done except getting frazzled. Surprisingly, I went on to become an electrician!

[markee2]

12,000 volts is quiet deadly. I am happy you're still alive.

[dave spencer]

12000 volts is not deadly, even 1000000 volts can be handled by the human body. The voltage makes you jump the amperage is what is dangerous. The amperage is well below the danger threshold.

[dave spencer]

From what I have heard and understood, taser is actually a brand name. People have been calling all stun guns whether they fire darts or not tasers like people used to call all portable cassette players "walkmans" So yes the use of the word is technically incorrect but it is the most established term. Did I just date myself with the "walkman" reference?

[markee2]

checkout this simple stun gun powered by two 1.5v AAA battery

[markee2]

i have seen similar circuit but it is used as a driver/ inverter for busted fluorescent tube. 
see link below
simple Fluorescent inverter project

[PetBennett]

is this legal? O.O

[dave spencer]

That all depends on where you live. As it would have trouble getting through clothes it's not so much a weapon but a phone call to the local boys in blue can't hurt.

[PetBennett]

k

[Nothing0]

Taser is a brabd name for the gun-styled electric weapons that fire little steel barbs. Stun gun is a generic term for any melee weapon that has steel nubs that don't shoot out. Fun fact: Taser stands for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle.