Comments on: ELECTRIC MACHINE GUN IS SILENT

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:22:47 +0000

No, Firebrand38, top marks to YOU for finding the “Zero to Eighty” excerpts that I failed to locate.

Our mad Google skillz be dovetailin…

By: Firebrand38

Firebrand38 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:18:53 +0000

Randy: Top marks on finding that patent!

I checked out Northrup as well but none of his designs seemed to match this.
lifeboat.com/em/chapter.1.pdf
http://www.coilgun.info/northrup/home.htm

By: Randy

Randy — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:11:14 +0000

You are right, of course, Firebrand38, my ravings aside… Muzzle velocity and projectile mass are the two most important characteristics of a firearm (since it is basically a kinetic energy weapon) and neither are mentioned.

This could be the gun in question: http://www.google.com/patents?id=E4V5AAAAEBAJ

On the other hand Edwin F. Northrup was doing experiments on electromagnetic propulsion for space launches in the 1930’s and apparently built several prototype launchers, but I haven’t been able to find any substantial information about them.

By: Firebrand38

Firebrand38 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:47:18 +0000

Randy: Aw raspberries!

By: Randy

Randy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:38:09 +0000

And don’t reply “star-mangled spanner” either…

By: Randy

Randy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:35:51 +0000

Nah, the projectile moving that fast through the air will melt it right away, and it will be like a shaped charge (or like Arthur Clarke’s “liquid metal bayonet” weapon in Earthlight).

Remember, in space noone can tell how far in your cheek your tongue is.

By: Firebrand38

Firebrand38 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:10:13 +0000

Randy: (Buzzer sound) Assuming facts not in evidence!

Yeah, a couple car batteries at the guys feet and a barrel a few feet long, that’ll boost it up to near light speed!

And of course leaving the barrel that fast air resistance has nothing to do with anything.

And thanks for playing.

By: Randy

Randy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:16:37 +0000

Well, the one in “Eraser” had near-relativistic speed for its projectiles so assuming this was similar, as an anti-aircraft gun it would be perfect–no need to lead the target at all no matter what the aircraft’s speed. Just point and shoot.

By: Firebrand38

Firebrand38 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:19:39 +0000

Revan343: Rate of fire for one thing (or lack of rate of fire) in comparison to the Browning machine guns of the time. Weight of the power supply and the limits of battery life. Also there’s no mention of muzzle velocity.

Stuff like that.

By: Revan343

Revan343 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:42:07 +0000

Wait, wait, wait.

How did this not catch on?

By: Jim Demers

Jim Demers — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:34:05 +0000

If I’m not mistaken, those are batteries at the guy’s feet. Capacitors capable of holding enough juice to accelerate bullets to a useful velocity are nowhere in evidence, but those cables are impressive.

By: knr

knr — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:04:57 +0000

Made a very much simplified version some 45 years ago when I was a member of JETS. I highly recommend that technically minded youth look to the excellent group for direction.

By: Lisa the traveller

Lisa the traveller — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:57:38 +0000

Steampunk lives!!!!!

By: justenuff

justenuff — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:40:30 +0000

Awsome….with no carbon foot print….perfect!!

By: will

will — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:59:53 +0000

oh my god! its the Gauss rifle from fallout 3!

By: sdin

sdin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:20:48 +0000

slik, modern coil guns are capable of rapid fire, the only limitation being the ability to provide enough power to the capacitors, however newspapers back in the good old days always inflated the numbers for a better sale. I would say it’s perfectly plausible to have a 150 rpm coil gun given a large enough power source, however the m/ps of the projectile might not be much faster then throwing it by hand.

By: Dragon

Dragon — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:28:16 +0000

If the comutator is most likely electrically turned to contact the circuits.

And if you use a high power pulse circuit precisely tuned and timed you can bypass any need for capacitors. because the caps are used in the circuits not of nesesity but because the caps have a faster discharge rate than the average battery or conventional power supply. with suficient pulse climb and timing the need for the caps disappears. another option is to switch the caps out just as fast as the coils are being fired for a recharge if caps are even used.

By: Chris Russell

Chris Russell — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 07:34:29 +0000

Don’t believe the 30’s hype.

By: slik

slik — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:47:36 +0000

150 rounds per minute most coil guns you have to charge it with capacitors and then fire taking the rate of fire down to about 10 rounds per minute

By: Jeffery Wright

Jeffery Wright — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:56:33 +0000

that would look great mounted on my jeep…

By: jayessell

jayessell — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:05:35 +0000

The wheel on the side is probably a commutator spun manually or electricly to energize the coils sequentially to accelerate each projectile.

By: avatar28

avatar28 — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:59:16 +0000

Actually, from the description given, it would be a coil gun, not a rail gun. A coil gun uses a series of electromagnets to propel the projectile down the barrel of the weapon. A rail gun uses a different effect called the Lorentz force.