CD Launcher (spinfusor)

[Sir Diesal0t]

that's right, i've had dreams of building one. i wished i could have it by the LAN but no. after all....what else are you going to do with all those AOL trial CDs? i mean you only need so many coasters.<br><br>discussed this over on the LoS boards a while ago. We couldn't come up with a design that i was satisfied with. If I was desperate it would be easy to make some piece of junk that would throw a CD into the air spinning a little. but i want something that would almost compare with the spinfusor....minus the explosion bit...that'll come later<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> . I'm pretty sure it would need to be spinning a lot faster than it's traveling...so using the side of a 'barrel' to get the spin action from is out. otherwise the forces of the wind would be greater than the gyroscopic forces. i was thinking a few thousand RPMs might be enough... like 5000...from a hard drive motor or something *shrugs*. the loading apparatus to bring a CD from an ammunition stack (clip) to the axis it will spin on is complicated enough. but one of the biggest problems is devising a way to shoot the CD at a velocity high enough to <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><i> inspire fear in whoever it may be pointed at</i><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> without interfering with the rotation of the disk. mechanical? pneumatic? an electromagnetic rail gun system would be a pretty lofty goal but there's nothing on the CD that would be affected by a magnet since it's an alluminum alloy(right?). i don't want to have to modify every CD to be launched. and i still have mixed feelings as to wheter or not the axis on which the CD spins would be able to travel down the 'barrel', release the CD, and stop without self destructing AND maintain a good velocity and rate of fire. *shrug* if i was fluent with a 3D CAD program i might be able to have some kind of drawing for you(of what i don't know since i can't decide on a practical propulsion source). but the only program i know how to use is the one that my highschool cad class used-Ashlar Vellum. it is not very widespread to my knowledge and it is extremely expensive.<br><br>hmmm. i seem to remember thinking there are some physics and engineer heads here. ideas? <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Gambit]

TurboCAD is pretty decent and inexpensive, too, especially if you get a version or two old.<br><br>Those speeds are <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><b> dangerous</b><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->, dude. I take no responsibility for you breaking windows or slicing somebody's jugular. CD's can shatter, and at that rate of speed anything in the plane of rotation is at risk, including yourself.<br><br>Having said that, I'm thinking a two-part hub. The first part freewheels rotationally and is in a track to launch the disc out the "barrell". As it approaches the end of the barrel the track moves away from the barrel for a clean disconnect from the center of the CD. At the back of the barrel (the chamber), this part of the hub mates up with the second part, attached to the motor, to impart the rotation needed. When you pull the trigger the first thing that happens is the disconnect between the two sections of hub.<br><br>One problem you are likely to have is the vector at time of launch. It'd be very easy for the disconnect from the hub or the side of the barrel to add a sideways component to your CD. This MIGHT be overcome by a very careful calibration of a twist to the hub's track, so that the edge rotating exactly forward is the last point of contact for the CD.<br><br>Once again let me reiterate that you could literally kill someone with something like this, though likely not the person you're aiming at. If you do happen to build this, please only fire it in a wide open, empty area, and never at close range. <p><img src=http://www.xmenclan.org/xmengambit.gif border=0 align=left>XMEN member<br>Card-carrying DTM<br>OKL Fish-napper<br><br><br>Though a program be but three lines long,<br> someday it will have to be maintained.<br> <i>- The Tao of Programming</i><br>Life is complex; it consists of real and imaginary parts.</p><i></i>

[Sir Diesal0t]

yeah, i hear what you're saying about the danger. not that nobody ever does anything dangerous for fun. but i sure wouldn't want to kill someone with something i built for fun. maybe some speeds would have to be toned down....especially if a CD just typically isn't capable of holding together at those speeds. (actual metal disks from old hard drives anyone? naw naw, that's only if you really do want to kill someone)<br>i guess i'd need to put guards around the plane of rotation around the chamber and maybe all down the barrel.<br><br>several things i don't quite understand about what you're envisioning gambit. <br><br>your two part hub: what exactly do you mean? one part that contacts the CD to spin it up; the other part containing the axis/axle thing to freewheel the CD on to allow it to keep spinning? something like what CD players already use right? and they connect just so that you can be sure the mechanism that contains the motor to spin it up contacts it properly? is that right?<br><br>how does the one part of the two part hum move away from the barrel to release the CD? so there is a guide/track for the hub to follow down the lenth of the barrel, and it sinks down below the track/barrel so that it has to let go of the CD? in this case...the freewheeling part of the hub that holds the CD is just a rod? or does it grip the CD like a CD player does with those little ball bearings at the end of springs?<br><br>if the CD touches anything other than the freewheeling axis/axle it will mess up it's vector yes. i'm not sure if that kind of fine tuning is even possible let alone doable under a budget. is there a way to get the axis to release the CD without having the CD touch anything but it? during the whole process of launching it? <p></p><i></i>

[scratchmonkey1]

"President assassinated by home-made weapon inspired by video game. Games and machine shops to be outlawed! Film at 11."<br><br>(Scratch is a proud owner of several firearms, and is utterly disgusted by the nitwits who think outlawing or registering them actually protects anybody, instead of leaving us all the more at risk from malicious people who now know that we're all sheep.) <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

Just from aerodynamic forces alone, I would not trust a spinning disc to fly straight. It would curve.<br>It may also 'wobble' in its flight due to aerodynamics and/or its spin. <p><br><img src=http://www.xmenclan.org/avatars/ashaman2.jpg width=150 align=left><br><left><a href=http://www.dragontalonmercs.com>Dragon Talon Mercenary</a><br><a href=http://www.xmenclan.org>Member of the XMEN</a><br>Have a Nice Day!<br><br>"Politics, war, martial arts;<br>these are tools to bend the <br>universe to your will."</left><br><br><br><p><i>Edited by: <a href=http://pub3.ezboard.com/uxmengambit.sho ... ge=EN>XMEN Gambit</a> <img src=http://www.xmenclan.org/images/x.gif> at: 7/14/02 8:16:26 pm</i></p></p><i></i>

[BlackRider]

no ideas for CD gun... I'll look into it...<br><br>me... I'm a gun nut too... I'm getting a rifle for target shooting and when I'm 21 I'm getting a handgun... prolly no bullets until I go target shooting (minimize the risk of accidents) but being a gun nut is only 1/2 of why I'm going to own guns... other 1/2 is 'cause I have a right to and people want to take that right away so that only cops and crims will have guns <p>I'll fire aimlessly if you don't come out!</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub3.ezboard.com/ublackrider.sho ... ckRider</A> at: 8/14/02 6:18:54 pm<br></i>

[Sir Diesal0t]

yeah, i figured it would probably curve. at least the way a frisbee does. someone was telling me once though that the gyroscopic forces by nature will MAKE the disk tilt on its side and do a dive right away <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> . i still want one. <p></p><i></i>

[XMENRudeJelly]

Make a potato gun instead... They're fun and their relatively environmentally sound. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Check out the Backyard Ballistics website here for info on potato guns:<br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.frii.com/~bsimon/backyard.ht ... <!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p><table><tr><td><IMG SRC="http://webpages.charter.net/1ibcnya/mon ... I>Spreadin' the love with a butter knife...</I></B><BR><B>XMENrudejellyDTM{FF}</B><BR>Playing <B>F</B>or <B>F</B>un</td><td><IMG SRC="http://webpages.charter.net/1ibcnya/ame ... </p><i></i>

[Subpar]

you could use a frisbee for a disc <p><img src="http://home.attbi.com/~peter_aquino/Subparsig.jpg" border="0"></p><i></i>

[Spinning Hat]

I'd like to build a pneumatic spud gun, and shoot out windows across the pond from my house. <p><div align="center"><embed width="250" height="200" src="http://www.theta_mercenaries.homestead.com/files/sphat.swf"></div><p align=center><font color=#ff0000>Why Do I Always Die?!?!?!?!</font></p></p><i></i>

[LoSTimberWolf]

Try using a central spin driver setup. You can do this by having two rods meet in the center of the CD. They both will over lap on the inner part of the CD and touch in the hole in the middle. Then spin the rods to the desired speed, and then launch the rods down a track, one above and one below. Once the CD has gained sufficent momentem, have the rods retract and slow down to a soft stop, and during that time the CD will take flight using the momentem it has.<br><br>Beyond that point, there are too many variables to correctly calculate where it will hit. But be sure that when the CD breaks on impact, shareds will most likely fly either as far as it was launched or even farther. As for loading, it could be set up like an old vinel record player. You can have a mechanical arm pick up the CD from the clip and push it into possition were the two rods will then capture it. Then the arm retracts and the CD begins spin up.<br><br>"Today on the Five o'clock news, A maniac nearly kills himself with an AOL CD, by trying to bounce it off the water but it then ricochet off a couple of trees untill it hit a power line, which gave it an electric charge, and shattered, striking and destroying a near by car, mailbox, door bell button, and the very weapon that fired it." <p><b><u>-LoS-TimberWolf</u></b>_{vehicle specilist}<p><img src="http://65.108.58.179/image_upload/Mech3.jpg" align=left><hr>Click <a href="http://ngal.fateback.com">here</a> for wierd creatures.<p><p>"Don't Drink And Drive, Get High And Fly Home" said by Neckhole<p>"To Love A Woman Is To Know Heaven And Hell Personaly" Don't Recal Who Said This<p><hr></p><i></i>

[BlackRider]

maybe, instead, you could try melting the AOL CDs and reforming them into cute little spheres and play Marbles with them <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :p --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif ALT=":p"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p>I'll fire aimlessly if you don't come out!</p><i></i>

[scratchmonkey1]

The ultimate BB gun:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.pipersprecisionproducts.com/ ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>An alternative to spud guns:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.worldchampionshippunkinchunk ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>And if all this talk of weapons makes you want to hurl,...<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.trebuchet.com/">www.trebuche ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>