Tesla-inspired Nerf gun

My first experience with how a Tesla coil works was not entirely scientific, as it was set in the battlefields of Command & Conquer, the unbelievable world where tanks are stopped by the presence of sandbags. Well, hacker Rob Flickenger sure has a better way of implementing the wonders of Tesla in the form of a Tesla coil gun which uses the Nerf gun as its starting point. Obviously, the end result is not something to be sneered at, but rather sinister looking to boot.

The Nerf gun’s plastic could not stand up to handle all the electrical power, and Flickenger had to recreate an exact replica with the use of aluminum and ABS plumbing pipe. Power will be derived from a 18-volt battery from his electric drill, while coils were hand-wound. Of course, with the amount of custom work being done here, it ended up being pretty expensive at $800 thereabouts, but this is truly a one-of-a-kind “weapon” to tote around. What would you give for this to be mass produced?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: nerf, Tesla