Hands down, the single most disappointing fact about science fiction is that we don’t yet have the technology to create the lightsaber. Second only to this is our global shortage of ray guns and phasers, stunning or otherwise.
Thankfully, as long as we have electricity, we’ll have the ability to simulate the aforementioned fantastic weaponry, and thanks to the good folks at Adafruit Technologies, provided a 3D printer and some basic knowledge of circuitry, we’ll all be able to create our own light painting ray guns.
Videos by VICE
The Instructable itself, viewable here, will guide you from printing the pieces themselves, through soldering and assembly, all the way to the FLIR imaging (forward-looking infrared) practices that will provide you the eye-popping results seen above.
From Adafruit, a taste of what you’ll be going through:
Here’s what the bare circuit looks like [above]. A bit different then the circuit diagram, right? You will need to ensure the MLX90614 temperature sensor is orientated the correct way in order to solder the connections properly. You can trim the terminals of the sensor. Be sure to use shrink tubing to secure the connections on the sensors.
Doesn’t sound too bad..
As far as the 3D printing goes, one should expect a Makerbot to take about 12 hours to produce all the pieces:
Then, it’s basically a game of thread-the-needle:
Sha-Zam! You’ve got your very own temperature controlled ray gun, perfect for FLIR light painting, Halloween costumes, and any situation that could use a Captain Kirk. Total estimated project time? 16-17 hours (12 of which are for 3D printing). It’s a fantastic way to spend a weekend, and an even better way to crush the oncoming Klingon horde.
Check out DIY FLIR Light Painting – Heat Map Photography for this project, and Adafruit Learning System for more. h/t 3DPrintingIndustry
Related:
Juicy Instructable Will Teach You How To Make Stained Fruit Glass
Andy Warhol’s Forgotten Floppy Disk Art Has Been Found
Terrifying Lamp Will Record Your Conversations Then Live-Tweet ‘Em
New Exhibition Turns Gallery Into Full-Fledged Candy Factory
