I used a 1/4" NPT tap for the fittings. Here's the one I bought: amzn.to/2U3NyoO All parts/tools are listed in the description in case you need any others as well.

It certainly could, only question is if they will rub on the inside of the barrel and pop before launch. I haven't tried it so I don't know, but if they do pop early you could lubricate the inside with a light coat of biodegradable soap. Thanks so much for watching! I love TKOR. What video was it? I didn't realize one of TKOR's linked to mine and you have me curious now.

@@HardwareUnknown Okay, that makes sense. Your project is similar to his, he also used lubrication on his version, as well as cut up plastic bottles for wads. (I heard that using paper bags tied to a string might work better.) Both designs are great, but I might go with yours since it looks easier and I am trying to make a portable version, like with the battery you used. I'll probably add handles externally somehow. For the video, he made an AK-47 style rifle that can be modified for water balloons. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7Z-L4GliAts.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_NaQBvfEGMU.html Check it out and let me know. I might try to do a mixed version, but we'll see.

I'm delighted you made it yourself for your physics class! How'd your build go? This is a fantastic question and one I looked into back when I played paintball. The thing about a projectile in a barrel is that it's not flying absolutely straight in line with the barrel. It rattles around in there to some degree. How well the size is matched to the barrel will influence this. Too small, and the projectile can move a lot (relatively) creating odd spin as it touches the barrel walls (more noticeable on spherical projectiles like paintballs), and also decreasing the potential velocity as air escapes around it. Too large, and the projectile will experience excess drag against the inside of the barrel, slowing it down. The length of the barrel also comes into play like you're suggesting. A longer barrel will tend to be more accurate as the projectile has more time to orient its flight along the barrel's axis. However, the longer the barrel the more collisions/drag it experiences (imagine a 100ft air cannon, the projectile may not even make it out the end). A shorter barrel will tend to be less accurate as there is less time to orient the projectile, and if you go too short, it will actually slow it down too. The reason being is once the projectile exits and is in the air, it's experiencing a lot more drag from air resistance. On top of that, it no longer has the pushing force of the pressured air behind since that disperses once it exits the barrel. In this scenario, the full force is not going into the launch. Rather, some is going in to push the projectile itself, while the rest escapes the cannon and pushes the air around you. Shorter barrels have the benefit of better maneuverability and portability, but they sacrifice in other areas for these. Combine all this together and you can see how there is a "sweet spot" in terms of barrel length for a given pressure/projectile size/projectile weight/etc. Lots of factors go into ballistics, but it boils down to you want a barrel that is long enough to allow the maximum amount of pushing force to be used for the launch, and not so long that undo drag is placed on the projectile. For maximum distance, ideally the projectile would exit the barrel the instant it stops accelerating. Teams of engineers can do all sorts of math and run all kinds of tests to determine the measurements to use for a given projectile/launcher. I ran some tests way back with tennis balls to try different air pressures, barrel lengths, air tank lengths (volume) etc. It was fun. Perhaps you can set up some experiments with your physics teacher for some extra credit demonstrating how you found the ideal barrel size for several projectiles!

I'm delighted it was helpful for you, thanks so much for watching. My panel work has been largely prototype or small production quantity products, and due to that we used off the shelf boards/single board computers. This meant we made use of panel mount buttons and switches, with custom cables made for the internal wiring (as opposed to a front panel mounted PCB design). If you have a circuit made up already and have prototyped it with protoboard, wires, etc., you're set to go with trying out a simple PCB for synths. If you have yet to prototype the modules, I would strongly suggest doing so with protoboard and wires to non-pcb mounted components. The reason being is that changes are much easier to make, and you can tinker with the circuit much more quickly rather than spending lots of time making a PCB only to find out you made a mistake, forgot something, or wanted to add a feature. For all practical purposes, once a PCB is made, it's made. You'll have to change the design, order a new set, wait for them to arrive, and test again. Also, consider the end use. Are you making this for yourself as a one off? Protoboard is easier to repair than a PCB (or change later, like I mentioned) if something breaks. Example of my own: my quad cannon's custom electronics from another video were done with protoboard since I just wanted the one unit. Are you making only a handful for friends or small volume sales? While not as sleek as PCBs, in the time you design a PCB you may be able to finish building several modules depending on the complexity of the synth. Now if you are looking at large volumes, or high end premium products that will command larger purchase prices, it could be worth sticking with learning PCB design.

@@HardwareUnknown Thanks so much for the comprehensive reply, brilliant!

I was thinking about that, even the potential for motorizing it. Would be nuts to outfit it with all those.

What can I say, I'm a better maker than I am a cook.

This is a good question, and one I tried to answer. From my tests, no, at least not easily where it would be worth the time. The reason is because the solenoid it comes with is enclosed. It's meant for water use and doesn't have an exit for air, essentially just a water valve. What that means for us is we don't get the pressure differential necessary to trigger the cannon. That's why I had to make use of a standard solenoid as you see here. Not that it cannot be done, you may be able to find a way by modifying it, but for the effort involved in doing so it was easier for me to simply attach the aftermarket one.

Ok, thank you so much!@@HardwareUnknown

Of course. Let me know if you have any other questions during your build. I can tell you've got a good eye for making things, thinking of how to make use of parts you already have. Can't wait to hear how it works out!

That not true lol I’m just broke and lazy@@HardwareUnknown

I have seen others use a standard ball valve. The benefit of the sprinkler valve is it opens near instantly. The ball valve must be turned manually and thus it opens slower. You'll lose a bit of force using one depending on how fast you open it, but you should still get plenty of distance. Those should be readily available.

@@HardwareUnknown Thanks for answering! I'll probably try it with the ball valve. Though could it work with a guillotine valve?

Theoretically yes, if you have one capable of withstanding the pressure and not leaking. From my brief search, though, I noticed that a lot of guillotine valves open using a circular handle that turns. My guess is that these require several rotations to fully open. This will take longer to do than the quarter turn of a ball valve, so you will get less power even with a valve of the same diameter due to air leaking out over time rather than exiting all at once. When you're dealing with air cannons, it may seem that the small length of time the air exits is fast, but it can be relatively slow with certain setups causing power loss. Try both! It would be a good experiment to see which works better.

@@HardwareUnknown I have seen some guillotine valves with a pulling mechanism and that seems to be pretty fast but I'm probably going to try them both! Thanks again!

My pleasure, thanks for watching and good luck on your build! Let me know how it turns out.

Thanks for watching, I'm so glad you found it valuable! Enjoy the build process, and please reach out with any questions along the way. Update me on how it turns out!

Its funny you mention that. I've always likened it to the Droideka blasters. It took me a bit to place the sound now I can't unhear it.

So glad you enjoyed! I hope it was informative and helps you along your way to designing your next electronic device.

Welcome to the start of your electronics journey! The resources I listed are what I used, but thankfully there are lots of options out there. I don't have another course I can specifically recommend but I would suggest looking at Udemy. I've found a lot of useful topics there, and with the selection of presenters you can find one that fits well for you. Search for "electronics for beginners", "electronic/circuit basics", and similar. You'll find multi hour courses going into more detail about the topics I covered here. I think that is a great place to start. I would also encourage you to get a beginner electronics kit off Amazon. Always practice safety when dealing with electricity, of course. Thankfully though, when you're dealing with low voltages and currents your biggest risk is typically at most frying a component. Follow along with the lessons by actually making the circuits. As you get comfortable, change little things. For example, the classic starting circuit is a battery, a lightbulb, and a switch. What happens if you add another light bulb in series with the first? You'll learn so much more by combining the theory with practical tests. The latter will help cement everything in your head. Good luck!

@@HardwareUnknown Thank you very much for the info. It is rather daunting, but when I was looking for components online to build something basic like an alarm trip wire I was getting really excited.

When I started I was quite intimidated by it all. At first everything looks like gibberish. Then you toy with it a bit and things start clicking. When I was learning about transistors I was so confused by it all. I was frustrated with a project and slept on it for a few nights. Then it all fell into place and I understood what was happening. Keep at it, it'll come with time.

The excitement means a lot to me, Kaiden. I've been quite busy with a move to a new city for a job that has been picking up quickly, and I apologize for not getting something out sooner. After I'm back from my next work trip I'll be organizing my new home and garage which will allow me to start on new material. I appreciate your patience, continued interest, and support.

@@HardwareUnknown its ok i understand i love your videos and im making your air cannon soon and i whever i saw your video i was like "oh this guy has a ton of subscribers" then whever i looked i was shocked because you only have 5k!! I think you are very underated and i wish more knew about your amazing channel. i wish the best for you! and may i ask, where are you moving?

I appreciate that, it means a lot to know my projects help others realize their potential for making. A number of life events put me on video hiatus including a move to another state for a new job. I'm getting settled there and thankfully should have more workspace when all is said and done. I look forward to sharing more projects then.

@@HardwareUnknown I’m glad you’re still around. The world needs more of your creativity than what youtube algorithm recommends.

There's some work involved for sure, but I did what I could to keep it as an afternoon project with some adhesive and basic cuts. I've seen much more involved ones, as well as even simpler. I felt this was a good balance between effort to make it while also having the ease of use of a propper trigger.

The extra projectiles.... uhhhh.... tenderize your food. Yeahhh... lets go with that. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I'm a better maker than I am a cook. 😆

We did too we used to take our boats out on the lake and literally have a blast shooting cans of beer at each other. Produced a few good injuries too. We also got a jet skier dude by accident. If ya got a boat with a nice paint job I wouldn't suggest this activity and the cops around here really frown on the antics big time.

The dorkiest. Haven't found one that beat it yet.

Great question! It would seem so right? Notice that the blow gun is mounted to the sprinkler valve on the side where (internally) the diaphragm contacts the spring. When you pressurize the cannon, you may be able to hear a small amount of air escaping the barrel. This is because it takes time for the air to pass through the small opening in the diaphragm to the spring side of the valve. Eventually, enough air is on the spring side of the valve that the air pressure and spring tension together are able to seal it off since they now overcome atmospheric pressure. When the trigger is first pulled, a small amount of air rushes out through the blow gun as you'd assume. You can feel this by holding your hand in front of the blow gun opening. The thing is, all that tank air pressure wants to equalize as quickly as possible with the atmosphere. When the "flood gates open" from pulling the trigger, all that air tries to rush out at once. Because of the pressure drop from the air exiting the blow gun, the diaphragm opens slightly, providing a second path of exit for the pressurized air. The air then tries to rush out both the blow gun and the barrel simultaneously, but you'll notice that inside the sprinkler valve on the diaphragm itself there is only that small hole for the air to pass through (through the small white plastic piece in the diaphragm). Initially, the only exit for the air was out the blow gun. Now with the diaphragm slightly opened it is easier for the air to pass through the large open barrel than it is to rush through the small opening of the diaphragm and out the blow gun. Pressurized air chooses the path of least resistance and tries to exit as rapidly through the barrel as possible. This causes the diaphragm to be forced open as the air pressure overcomes the spring tension. The air rushes out the barrel in one big burst and the cannon launches. Once the pressure equalizes to atmospheric pressure again, the spring tension resets the diaphragm and the process can repeat. All this is happening in a fraction of a second so it's hard to tell when one "phase" of the action occurs, but that's the order of operations each time you pull the trigger.

@@HardwareUnknown yep makes sense now, thanks for taking the time to reply, a great explanation very detailed .

Us: Excuse me I'm doing science. Police vehicles: Let me sing you the song of my people. Quite the harmony to the percussion of these cannons. Stay safe!

Clear , Launch !

You win!

Lol. What such thing were you doing? Were you shooting at the neighbours 😂😂

Indeed! Much easier and less expensive too. Prevent an accident in the first place. Most important is awareness and smart defensive riding, but a massive set of red lights can't hurt. 🙂

So glad you enjoyed! It was a lot of fun. I think my favorite scene has to be the one with the scotch glass.

I started using the under layer of cool colors and designs when building tattoo machines, often clear heat shrink tube is used over simple paper, money, stickers etc…. i figure the same can be done with headphones and studio cables. Say a few neon stripes , enough to make each cable stand out individually….

That sounds really cool. Would love to get my hands on some clear heatshrink. I wouldn't do an electronics project without it. Particularly in such cramped quarters, the chance for a short is too high. I like doing things right way, so that when I seal everything up I know it will last for a long long time. No potential loss of stickiness and unwinding like tape if it gets hot. A few times I've been joining together such a rats nest of wires that I incorrectly count how many pieces I need, that's always fun to go back and fix. XD Well worth it though. Definitely sounds like you could pull off what you describe with headphone cable. What's the deal with the UV reactive color coding? That sounds interesting. What are you going with UV reactive for? Is it for raves/venues that use black lights?

"Nobody saw that" is a noticeably frequent phrase when I'm turning wrenches.

@@HardwareUnknown I can sing in harmony to that one, too. It's a wonder I still have meat on knuckles.

If I'm making people smile, I'm happy. So glad you enjoyed!

Love the guy, his videos have top notch wit. So glad you enjoyed!

That's an option and would work fine. The reason I didn't is in case I want to change something. If you don't plan on that, go ahead and cement it.

I should try that. The form cards were interesting. Very convenient, I used them simply because I had them. I'd like to compare to other fast moulding materials.