Introduction: Ping Pong Ball Bazooka
In this Instructable we're going to build a Ping Pong Ball Bazooka. An insanely fun toy for anyone to play with. The toy can hold up to 12 ping pong balls at a time and can launch them over 25 ft away!
The toy can be easily made in a few hours.
*While this is a toy and the ammo is just ping pong balls don't do anything with it that could hurt people or pets please!*
Step 1: Tools and Materials
Tools
- Soldering Iron
- Hot Glue Gun
- Hacksaw
- File
Materials
Ball Holder and Dispenser
- 1.5 x 18 inch pvc pipe
- 1.5 inch cap(Can be found at Canadian Tire for $1.99)
- Small geared motor(I'm using https://solarbotics.com/product/gm2/)
- 2.5 inch wheel that mates with small geared motor(I'm using https://solarbotics.com/product/gmpw/)
- 4 x 4 inch of foam board
- Toggle switch
- Push button
- Three 9v batteries, or however many you need to power your motors
- 9v battery packs,
- Tape
- Wire
Ball Shooter
- Two DC motors(I'm using http://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/solarbotics-regular-motor-2.html)
- Two 3 inch wheels(Ideally the diameter of the centre hole should be the same as the dc motor. This will make it easy to attach the wheel to the motor.)
- Finally we need a material to act as a platform for the DC motors. You can use wood, foam, or anything really. I'm using LEGO bricks cause I had a ton lying around.
Step 2: Build the Ping Pong Ball Shooter
Start off by making a 3.5 x 3.0 x 1.5 inch platform. You can carve this platform out of foam, cut it out of wood, or make it in any way you like. I made the platform with LEGO bricks.
Glue the DC motors in the front corners of the platform.
Mount a 3 inch wheel on each motor.
Congratulations! You have successfully built the main part of your ping pong ball bazooka.
Step 3: Wire and Test Your Ping Pong Ball Shooter
Wire the 2 DC motors in a parallel circuit, as seen in the diagram. Power the circuit with a 9v battery.
Elevate the shooter at a 30 degree angle and test it with a ping pong ball. The shooter should launch the ball over 25ft.
Step 4: Mount Tube to Shooter
Glue the front of the tube to the centre of the shooter. The tube should end just before the middle of the wheels.
Step 5: Cut Notch in Tube
Cut a 1.5 x .375 inch notch in the centre of the top of the tube.
Step 6: Make Ball Dispenser Part 1
Now, we must build the ball dispenser. This is a mechanism that will push ping pong balls, that are stored in the tube, into the shooter.
Cut a 3.5 inch diameter circle out of the foam board.
Cut a 1.0 x 0.5 inch arc on the side of the circle.
Glue your wheel onto the foam circle. Ensure the foam circle and wheel are concentric.
Attach the wheel to your geared motor.
Step 7: Make Ball Dispenser Part 2
We must now mount our ball dispenser onto the tube. There are many ways we can do this. The only requirement is that the ping pong balls will not pass from the tube to the shooter, unless, the foam circle is in the correct position. The circle is in the correct position when the arc is pointing downwards.
I built a small tower out of legos and glued the motor to the side of the tower.
Step 8: Make Battery Pack
Cut a strip of velcro and mount it on the side of the tube.
Take your three 9v batteries and wrap it in a strip of velcro.
Connect the two pieces of velcro together.
Step 9: Mount Push Button and Toggle Switch
Glue your toggle switch and push button onto the bazooka somewhere. The toggle switch will turn the toy on and the push button will control the ball dispenser.
When mounting the switches keep ergonomics and convenience in mind. You will want to be able to easily press the push button while holding the bazooka.
Step 10: Wire It Up
Wire up the bazooka.
Step 11: Test It Out!
Congratulations!
You have successfully made a ping pong ball bazooka. Hold the bazooka over your shoulder with one finger on the push button. Flick the toggle switch and test it out.