Lasertag Pistol (Las Pistol)

thingiverse

The Laser Tag Pistol (Las Pistol for short) features a grip inspired by the Enforcer from Unreal Tournament. This was created by Bart van der Westerlaken and is used with kind permission. The flying skull design is modified from an existing model on Thingiverse, but unfortunately, the original creator's name is unknown. The second Laser Tag project is this pistol, which is larger than the PPG. The design allows for various internal configurations depending on the electronics used. Some of these configurations may require specific custom PCBs, but there should be enough room to fit generic electronics for use as a prop with lights and sounds or your own laser tag electronics. The barrel uses a 16.5mm diameter lens with a 65mm focal length, the same one used in my Babylon 5 PPG project. This is because I prefer using common parts, and the performance on the PPG has been great. For power, there are two options: either fit a 4-cell 4.8V NiMH AAA pack inside the powerpack and use a DC connector socket in the powerpack to plug in the pistol so that the powerpack is actually the pistol's power source or fit 1 or 2 14500 lithium cells in the grip to give either 3.7 or 7.2 volts. If using the powerpack for batteries, I find it easiest to install the electronics in the grip and allow easy access later by opening the bottom with a single screw. If using the grip for lithium batteries, I install a small circuit in the body of the pistol. The magazine release requires a small 5mm diameter spring, which I used from a pen slightly cut down in length. You will also need a small pin to act as a hinge and switch retainers, which can be secured with M2x12 self-tapping screws. To secure the upper to the lower, use M3x25 screws, and for the powerpack top and bottom, use M3x10 screws. A 5mm LED bezel mount is needed for the IR LED. The required electronics parts include a trigger microswitch (V3 type), a reload switch 6mm tactile with a 7mm long post, a speaker 20x40mm low profile type, a muzzle flash led, an IR Led, suitable batteries (either a 4-cell 4.8V NiMH pack or 1/2 14500 lithium cells), a DC jack and socket for the powerpack connection, circuitry to drive everything unless you are just making it as a prop, wire to hook everything together, and a computer. These parts can be found on various online retailers such as Rapid Online, Mouser, Digitkey, or eBay.