When we first saw [lonesoulsurfer’s] ray gun, we thought it looked oddly familiar. Sure, it looks like a vintage ray gun you might see in a dozen 1950-era movies or TV shows. But still, there was something oddly familiar about it. Turns out, the core piece of it is an old-fashioned timing light used when doing a car tune-up.
This is no unobtrusive Star Trek phaser. It looks substantial and has a cool sound generator that not only gives it something to do but also sports cool control knobs out the top of the gun. The design files for the sound circuit are in a Google drive folder if you want to recreate the build.
It doesn’t hurt that the timing light was already shiny silver and the lens holder even fit the gun’s speaker. An old cell phone battery powers the whole thing. The audio board is decidedly old school, using a 4000-series IC oscillator, a CMOS VCO, and the ubiquitous LM386 audio amplifier.
If you are going to a party as Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, or even Captain Proton, this gun would look great on your belt. You can still buy timing lights, but they don’t always look like this one. You might have to hit the pawn shops or the second-hand store to find one to suit. Or, do like [lonesoulsurfer] did and pick one up on eBay.
A lot of the parts came from the junk box, so your build will probably look different. Still, a fun project and just in time for costume party season.
The last time we saw [lonesouldsurfer] making ray guns, he was cutting up a soldering gun. If you want something with a real laser in it, be careful with everyone’s eyesight.
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