Harold Barnard
1 kJ Gauss Gun
While working with pulsed-power accelerators at Sandia National Labs, I decided to create my own pulsed-power device in my apartment. It works by sequentially discharging capacitors through solenoids to create magnetic field pulses. Each capacitor is discharged by a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), each of which is triggered by optical sensors that detect the projectile as it moves through the barrel. It is currently configured to operate with magnetic iron projectiles (each ~1 gram). Its timing can also be reconfigured to inductively accelerate aluminum projectiles.