One of the major drawbacks of making and operating a pneumatic cannon is the need for a new air charge for each shot. This need for re-pressurization of one's cannon can really eat up a lot of time and cut into the fun factor of a day of spudding, chunking, flinging etc.
In order to maximize the "up time" of one's pneumatic cannon, multi-shot capability is essential and must be incorporated into the design of the cannon from the cannon's inception - carrying around a bulky air compressor or a large secondary tank for an air supply is far too cumbersome for me.
When I started drawing up plans for a new pneumatic cannon, the limitations I described above really turned me off. I wanted to make a "do everything" small bore (1.5" to 0.5") cannon with good power, low maintenance, and high portability. On top of that, as a full-time student, I had a fixed budget and limited facilities.
Since I don't have an air compressor other than a bike pump, I researched possible sources of pressurized gas for such a cannon. A few stood out: high pressure air (HPA), CO2, or... well that was it. So I looked up the average prices of CO2 and HPA tanks. I ended up buying a 5lb CO2 tank with a dual gauge regulator for about $100 total (Amazon). To me this made the most sense. CO2 is easy and inexpensive to refill plus one can pack a bunch of it (since it's stored as a liquid) in a 5lb tank. HPA, while a good clean source, probably would have been harder to fill and would have yielded less medium power shots (for the same amount of money).
A 5lb CO2 tank and regulator is the "base" I used for this cannon. The other essential parts sort of "flowed" out of that. We'll get to the required parts in the next steps.
I recommend that you read all of the steps prior to building rather than jumping right in. A better understanding of what is happening will help when it comes time to build (I promise!).
In order to maximize the "up time" of one's pneumatic cannon, multi-shot capability is essential and must be incorporated into the design of the cannon from the cannon's inception - carrying around a bulky air compressor or a large secondary tank for an air supply is far too cumbersome for me.
When I started drawing up plans for a new pneumatic cannon, the limitations I described above really turned me off. I wanted to make a "do everything" small bore (1.5" to 0.5") cannon with good power, low maintenance, and high portability. On top of that, as a full-time student, I had a fixed budget and limited facilities.
Since I don't have an air compressor other than a bike pump, I researched possible sources of pressurized gas for such a cannon. A few stood out: high pressure air (HPA), CO2, or... well that was it. So I looked up the average prices of CO2 and HPA tanks. I ended up buying a 5lb CO2 tank with a dual gauge regulator for about $100 total (Amazon). To me this made the most sense. CO2 is easy and inexpensive to refill plus one can pack a bunch of it (since it's stored as a liquid) in a 5lb tank. HPA, while a good clean source, probably would have been harder to fill and would have yielded less medium power shots (for the same amount of money).
A 5lb CO2 tank and regulator is the "base" I used for this cannon. The other essential parts sort of "flowed" out of that. We'll get to the required parts in the next steps.
I recommend that you read all of the steps prior to building rather than jumping right in. A better understanding of what is happening will help when it comes time to build (I promise!).
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Signing UpStep 1: Safety First!
As with all homemade or "custom" projects, the safety of the user and those around him/her are paramount.
This project in particular requires extra concern since lethal muzzle energies and extremely high pressures can be produced.
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Building:
- Use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment when working with tools, especially power tools.
High Pressure:
- Only use pressure rated materials
- Do not, under any circumstances, exceed the pressure rating of the weakest component. The lowest pressure rating on any component in my cannon is 125psi.
- Take great care in following the proper procedures for installation and use, as provided by each part's manufacturer, for all of the materials used.
- Tighten/torque all connections to specifications. Use pipe sealant on all pipe connections.
Projectiles And Cannon Use:
- Wear impact glasses with use of any projectile shooting device, whether it be a firearm or a homemade cannon.
- I recommend wearing gloves. The parts can get very cold very fast.
- Treat the cannon like a loaded firearm at all times. Point the barrel in a safe direction. Be aware of your surroundings.
- Unless the muzzle energy of the cannon is so low that it can't possibly harm someone, don't even point the cannon at someone, much less shoot someone. (One of my intended uses is for Nerf, and in this case the calculated muzzle energy is less than half of those of paintball marker. Basically just be aware of how powerful your cannon is.)
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What you do with your cannon is up to you. Just remember the limits of your design and the force that your cannon produces.
Use common sense
I am not responsible for any harm resulting from building or operating such a cannon. Build at your own risk.
This project in particular requires extra concern since lethal muzzle energies and extremely high pressures can be produced.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Building:
- Use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment when working with tools, especially power tools.
High Pressure:
- Only use pressure rated materials
- Do not, under any circumstances, exceed the pressure rating of the weakest component. The lowest pressure rating on any component in my cannon is 125psi.
- Take great care in following the proper procedures for installation and use, as provided by each part's manufacturer, for all of the materials used.
- Tighten/torque all connections to specifications. Use pipe sealant on all pipe connections.
Projectiles And Cannon Use:
- Wear impact glasses with use of any projectile shooting device, whether it be a firearm or a homemade cannon.
- I recommend wearing gloves. The parts can get very cold very fast.
- Treat the cannon like a loaded firearm at all times. Point the barrel in a safe direction. Be aware of your surroundings.
- Unless the muzzle energy of the cannon is so low that it can't possibly harm someone, don't even point the cannon at someone, much less shoot someone. (One of my intended uses is for Nerf, and in this case the calculated muzzle energy is less than half of those of paintball marker. Basically just be aware of how powerful your cannon is.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What you do with your cannon is up to you. Just remember the limits of your design and the force that your cannon produces.
Use common sense
I am not responsible for any harm resulting from building or operating such a cannon. Build at your own risk.
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1) would it be possible to rig a barrel to fire a non-tipped arrow? (like a basic archery arrow that doesn't have anything attached to the pointy end. Or maybe something smaller and shorter, like a flachette?
2) have you considered testing a barrel with a load similar to a black powder rifle? The average black powder ball (lead) is similar to a 50cal round, except its just a round lead ball. Since you wouldn't need powder, all you'd have to do is load it exactly the same way but just skip the powder load. You'd just need to pack the barrel with proper wadding and then drop the projectile in and pack it down. There's no real practical use for it, aside from the fact that it'd prolly be a blast to fire and would certainly get some curious looks from gunners at the range.
One more thing: have you seen the wrist weapon that the black widow (Scarlett johannsen) used in the avengers? It looked to me like about ten individual barrels wrapped in a ring around her wrist that fired darts or flechettes. Do you think it's possible to rig up a smaller version of your design here to power something like that?
Yours is without question my -favorite- kind of instructable because reading yours just gives me a flood of ideas and inspiration to work on something that I had either never considered or always thought was outside my comfort zone. Work like yours makes work like mine better simply by proxy!
Well done!
-steven
It's hard to tell in the pictures but it looks like you have the quick connect Tee connected to port R in the Step 3 picture, but in the later pictures your assembled cannon appears to have it hooked to port P. Looking at the diagram for this DCV valve I think you want to hook to port R, this should allow CO2 to flow to the chamber in the solenoid relaxed state (port R to A), and fire (exhaust port A to P) in the energized state. This will make the electrical firing circuit simpler, just wire the NO firing switch and the NO safety key in series. The battery won't drain trying to keep the solenoid energized all the time. The system should be safer because you won't get an accidental discharge if the battery drains or a lead pops off.
Pneumatic diagrams are tricky, the use of open and closed is the reverse of the electrical meaning. A normally closed electrical device allows current to flow completing a circuit, when actuated it opens and blocks current. A normally closed pneumatic/hydraulic device is off (think of closing a valve) blocking flow, and when opened allows the gas or fluid to flow.
One last thing. It is possible for the CO2 regulator to fail, that would dump 900+ psi into the gun. I am sure the air hose or clamps would fail and act as a relief, but you could replace the tee with a cross and put a real relief valve there.
The CO2 regulator that I am using has an inline safety pop-off valve, which is nice. Nobody want's stuff to burst on you.. That wouldn't be good.
I'm close to finishing your net gun attachment. Im so excited to try it out! Hopefully I'll finish it soon, but all of that engineering homework comes first.
P.S. how much did it cost in total?