If you’ve got a broken DVD-burner laying around, then why not use it to make your own “high-powered laser”? Full instructions here.

The laser pictured above has a peak output measured at 225 mW (average output 200 mW). It’s a visible red at about 650nm. It can light matches, pop balloons, cut electrical tape, and so forth. It can do pretty much anything a Pulsar 150 from Wicked Lasers can do, because it’s basically the same thing. The only differences? This laser was home-made, and cost about 1/3 the price

[via HackedGadgets - Make]
from techeblog

One of our readers just sent in a Military Channel documentary on the Metal Storm Weapons system, which is “based on an electronically fired gun-and-launcher design with multiple rounds stacked in a single barrel.” For those who missed our previous post, check it out here. Video after the jump.

The reason for the 36 barrels was simply to indicate to ourselves and to others the future versatility of this system, in that with the 36 barrels we had 540 rounds on board and, based on the 45,000-round-per-minute rate per barrel, that gave us a maximum firing rate of 1.62 million rounds per minute,” the inventor says

[via PopularMechanics]
from techeblog

So you’ve seen what spud guns are capable of, now find out how to make your own with this tutorial. Parts needed include, a cannon barrel, reducer coupling, end cap, female adapter, two clamps, hardware (nuts, connectors, etc.), stun gun, and wiring.

You can use the Night Lighter both day and night, but when it’s dark, the clear PVC provides an excellent view of the interior ballistics. Also, the stun gun gives better performance than weaker sparks from piezoelectric or flint/steel igniters. It’s fun both to fire and simply to watch in action

[via Make]
from techeblog

Heck yes. We’ve been trying to utilize our Lego collection for the production of projectile apparatuses ever since the Pirate sets stopped coming with those flickable cannons. Now it seems our sad attempts have been eternally showed up by Sebastian’s ULTIMATE Lego Chaingun, which has 8 barrels, a 64 shot capacity, and an eleven rounds per second firing rate. The rubberband chaingun took over a month to build, and is powered by an honest-to-goodness Lego motor. Sebastian has all sorts of ideas how to mod up his gun even more, including an ammo counter or even faster firing rate, but whatever he manages to do it’s clear all we’re going to be bringing to our next rubberband fight is a white flag.

[Via digg]
more info
from engadget

The ultra rich have sportscars to spend hundreds on thousands of dollars on, if not millions. What do the SUV crowd do when they win the lottery? Buy a Gurka by Armet. Cousin site Jalopnik, who we have constant toy-envy of, says it best:

The squat and hedgehog-lookin’ 19,000 lb beast-of-an-armored-vehicle ain’t just built to shrug off a roadside bomb with its high strength ballistic aluminum armor, or stop a bullet from an AK-47 with its ballistic glass. No, it’s also pretty fast for its size — with a top speed of 93 mph.

At 93 MPH, you’re not winning any races, but it doesn’t matter when you can plow through the opposition. A steal at only $200,000.– Brian Lam 

Armet Gurkha [Jalopnik]
from gizmodo