It isn't a launcher, but it is pneumatic...
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:04 pm
I really enjoy playing pranks on people, so the inspiration for this project is pretty self explanatory. It is a remote controlled air horn, with both a wired and a wireless remote.
The air horn came from an old tractor trailer that I found at a local junk yard (and it was only $10, which I think is a pretty good deal). The horn was in pretty good shape, but it had a little bit of rust so I cleaned it up and gave it an International Harvester paint scheme.
The way it works is very simple for us spudgunner types. It has a 20 oz. co2 tank as a main air chamber (filled with compressed air, not co2) which is filled to around 200 PSI, then it has a regulator, and an expansion chamber that is filled to the desired pressure, which is determined by the volume of noise you are looking for, but generally between 75 and 200 PSI. With the main chamber starting at 200 PSI, and the expansion chamber regulated down to 100 PSI, there is enough air for the horn to honk continuously for about 10 seconds, which is more than enough to scare multiple people.
The horn uses a wireless remote control system that I made to fit almost all of my launchers. It can be unplugged and switched between different launchers very easily. The wireless remote will work from up to 500 feet away, so the range is more than adequate. The horn also has a wired remote with a 20' cord, so that I don't need to use the wireless remote all the time. The wired remote is very handy for when I put the horn in the bed of my truck.
The horn also has a pressure switch that will turn on an led on the wired remote when the pressure in the reservoir drops below 100 PSI, so it is easy to see when the pressure starts to run low.
The project isn't entirely finished, so the wiring and everything else inside the box is very messy, but it will be cleaner when I finish building it.
The air horn came from an old tractor trailer that I found at a local junk yard (and it was only $10, which I think is a pretty good deal). The horn was in pretty good shape, but it had a little bit of rust so I cleaned it up and gave it an International Harvester paint scheme.
The way it works is very simple for us spudgunner types. It has a 20 oz. co2 tank as a main air chamber (filled with compressed air, not co2) which is filled to around 200 PSI, then it has a regulator, and an expansion chamber that is filled to the desired pressure, which is determined by the volume of noise you are looking for, but generally between 75 and 200 PSI. With the main chamber starting at 200 PSI, and the expansion chamber regulated down to 100 PSI, there is enough air for the horn to honk continuously for about 10 seconds, which is more than enough to scare multiple people.
The horn uses a wireless remote control system that I made to fit almost all of my launchers. It can be unplugged and switched between different launchers very easily. The wireless remote will work from up to 500 feet away, so the range is more than adequate. The horn also has a wired remote with a 20' cord, so that I don't need to use the wireless remote all the time. The wired remote is very handy for when I put the horn in the bed of my truck.
The horn also has a pressure switch that will turn on an led on the wired remote when the pressure in the reservoir drops below 100 PSI, so it is easy to see when the pressure starts to run low.
The project isn't entirely finished, so the wiring and everything else inside the box is very messy, but it will be cleaner when I finish building it.