Fallout AER-9 Laser Rifle Questions

Hey all!
It's been a while since I've been on here, but I now have a new project!

I plan on tackling the laser rifle from Fallout: New Vegas, but first, I need second (and third, and fourth, and fifth...) opinions on my different options.

First, the back story. I am planning on taking this to a convention in July, so I'd like the battery life for the thing's electronics to be more than 3 minutes.
The system I have planned uses a small monitor for the scope modification, and it needs a 12 volt power supply...
I researched batteries with decent Amp Hours, and they were all BRICKS.
For example, my current best bet: Amazon.com: 12 Volt 5 Ah Alarm Battery (12v5ah , 12 V 5 Amp Hour , 12v 5ah): Electronics

To see what size I'd need, I talked to a friend on the forum who also made one of these bad boys.
He said the rifle's overall length was about 39 and a half inches. So, taking my model pulled from the game...

[/IMG]

And scaling it in SolidWorks to 39.5 inches, I discovered I'd need a barrel (Meaning the red part, green in unmodded model) width and height between 4 and 4 and a half inches.
So, I designed everything, including the brick battery, around that size.
But today I discovered that the barrel height on one amazing online blueprint is only 2.5 inches, and the length is 32.5 inches...



Also, thank you NeXxt for that! It is also 5-7 inches longer than jm419's build, which is also concerning.

Anyway, I don't know what to do! My options at this point are:

a) Make the laser rifle bigger than the other ones, making it so I can have 4.5 AH and a scope, OR

b) Scale it down, use a teeny-tiny battery, ditch the scope (because I can't find a small enough screen for it at that scale)...
And make it with just the LEDs and no fancy doo-dads.

I was really hoping for plan A, but I want your opinions before I go on!
I guess what I'm really asking is, do you think it'll be way oversized at 39.5 inches?
Are there any ways I can still get plan A while scaling down?
And lastly, what the hell does that lettering on the side of this picture say?!



I can make out, "Class VI, _______ Optics, Weapon Modification System."
I just can't make out that one word!

So, to make a long post short, help me please!

-Pierce

I think the word is "Modified"

Class ## (v2 ? )
Modified Optics
weapon modification system

If you're worried about the battery pack, you can try using 8 NiMh D-Cells. You'll get about 10,000 to 12,000 mAh. The difference is that those are going to cost you a bit more money but you'll also have at least twice the battery life.

D NiMh Rechargeable Batteries

If you go with C-cells, you'll get about 6,000 mAh.

Another plus is that you can get the rifle balanced a bit better and have the weight distributed along the length of the barrel instead of all in one spot.

I still think it says "Science" or "Shifted" or something. I can definitely make out the IFT in the middle, and what looks like an SC at the front. That said, "SCIFT.." is a bit strange.

I think it probably says "Modified" too... I just don't know if I like having modified and modification in the same few lines is all, so I may change it up a little bit just to make it flow better.

I could definitely see it saying V2, but it could also refer to its being a Class VI laser device like on the original AER9. What do you think would be most accurate???

And Drewid, super good idea with the D-Cells! It would be super nice to have distributed weight as opposed to a 5 pound brick in the middle of the barrel. I'm not exactly a veteran electrician though... I'm good with LEDs and AC stuff, but I have no clue how to do the battery pack. Would I connect them in series or in parallel? Also, would either of these chargers work?

http://www.amazon.com/D1724-Battery-Switchable-Single-Stage-Alligator/dp/B001G8AIMU/ref=pd_sim_e_4

Tenergy 01005 Smart Universal Battery Pack Charger: 7.2V - 12V, Current Selection

For the screen on the monitor, I could also tear apart a digital camera/camcorder... That could give me something the right size for the smaller model, but I'm not exactly excited to drop so much money on a maybe. Any opinions?

Also, thanks everyone for the help so far!

It says "CLASS VI LASER DEVICE" on the side of the original AER9.

I did notice the class VI laser device decal on the original too. That kinda makes me lean toward "VI" as opposed to "V2."

Also, an update on the scale issue! I decided to scale it to my height based on a screen capture of the courier standing next to it.

[/IMG]

When I did some quick math, I found that the rifle would be equivalent to 38.6 inches for my height. In my opinion, this should be close enough to the 39.5 inch plans, which means I don't have to mess around with camcorders or anything!

And, an update on the convention. I just heard from a coworker that the weapon policy there is super strict, and the rifle has to stay attached to me at all times. So, I'll also be making a sling!

As for physical progress, I am modeling the entire thing in solidworks to the correct dimensions, so I can just print the plans out and start cutting.

Let me know if you guys have any tips!

theP13RC3 said:

And Drewid, super good idea with the D-Cells! It would be super nice to have distributed weight as opposed to a 5 pound brick in the middle of the barrel. I'm not exactly a veteran electrician though... I'm good with LEDs and AC stuff, but I have no clue how to do the battery pack. Would I connect them in series or in parallel? Also, would either of these chargers work?

Amazon.com: UPG D1724 Sealed Lead Acid Battery Charger (6V/12V Switchable Single-Stage with Alligator Clips): Electronics

Tenergy 01005 Smart Universal Battery Pack Charger: 7.2V - 12V, Current Selection

Click to expand...

To increase voltage, the batteries go in series. To increase current, the batteries go in parallel. In this case, you need voltage, so you'll want 8 to 10 NiMH batteries connected in series. Make sure to check the rated voltage on the batteries. Most are about 1.2V and others are closer to 1.5V.

An easy way to make an 8-cell pack would be to use two of these:

Battery Holder: 4xD ( Long) With 6" Wire Leads (end to end) - RoHS Compliant

You could put them side-by-side but pointing in opposite directions. That way you can get the positive and negative terminals together (series).

Sadly, I didn't quickly find any 5 or 10 cell holders. They do sell batteries with solder clips on them to make your own packs.

Tenergy 10103-1 - 1 Piece Tenergy D 10000MaH NiMh Battery for building packs 10A (with Tabs)

You'd probably want to solder two sets of five together and soldering the sets together at one end to form a U. Shrink wrap or electrical tape is then used to hold it all together (and protect the exposed connections). Then wire on your favorite connector and you're good to go. RC hobby stores have these so they aren't hard to find.

That second charger you listed looks to be a better match. You'll want to charge the pack up at 1.8A and it'll take about 6 to 7 hours for full charge (based on the specs).

A sling? Where would a sling go on that?

Drewid, thank you so much for all of this help! I'll probably end up just soldering them all together just to save some money! Hopefully I can figure it out.

My next hurdle will be using a transistor setup with an arduino in order to get 12 volt output from its pins, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there...

As for the sling Jm419, it shouldn't be too difficult. Probably pretty much the same as any other rifle, like this:


It wouldn't be anything permanent. Just something to make it so the rifle isn't hanging useless from my belt loop for the entire con. With a sling I can shoulder it and actually have some freedom of motion.

:rolleyes :behave :lol

I know what a sling is, lol. I was curious where you were planning on attaching it - on the focusing box and somewhere on the stock, probably? We're just talking about a sling to carry it, and not a functional shooting sling, right? The support bar would seem to get in the way, but I'll be interested to see how you pull it off.

If you do it, it'll be another first for this build. So far, we're at:

-First upgraded AER9 build
-First functional set of optics and lit barrel vents
-First large scale build (as far as I know, all other builds are scaled at 32")
-First con-worthy setup (AFAIK, anyway. Not sure about Ryan Palser's build)
-First AER9 with sling

This one's going to be fun to watch.

This looks absolutely incredible... I can't wait to see the finished product.

This looks absolutely incredible... I can't wait to see the finished product.

theP13RC3 said:

Drewid, thank you so much for all of this help! I'll probably end up just soldering them all together just to save some money! Hopefully I can figure it out.

Click to expand...

No problem . It's actually not that difficult though it sometimes appears to be. If you do run into problems feel free to PM me. Another thing you can do is to hit up your friendly neighborhood RC hobby shop. They'll be able to show exactly how everything lines up, gets connected, and what not. They'll probably also have the non-conducting shrink wrap for your newly made battery pack.

New updates from the weekend:
*Solidworks modeling -- DONE
*Scale Changed from 39.5" to 37-ish
*Sling design and mounting placement -- Figured out
*Original Scope Plan -- Scrapped
*New Scope Plan -- In development
*Supplies Purchased:
-1/4" Plywood
-1/2" Plywood
-Metal Bar (For Reinforcing)
-1"x1" Fencing Stakes

And now for Q and A!

I was curious where you were planning on attaching it - on the focusing box and somewhere on the stock, probably? We're just talking about a sling to carry it, and not a functional shooting sling, right? The support bar would seem to get in the way, but I'll be interested to see how you pull it off.

Click to expand...

Good questions! It will be connected to the bottom of the stock and the right side of the front focusing box. That way the bar can't interfere and it can be a "functional" shooting sling. Only problem is it may be awkward for a left-handed shooter... Good news is, I'm not left handed! :lol

So far, we're at:

-First upgraded AER9 build
-First functional set of optics and lit barrel vents
-First large scale build (as far as I know, all other builds are scaled at 32")
-First con-worthy setup (AFAIK, anyway. Not sure about Ryan Palser's build)
-First AER9 with sling

Click to expand...

You actually just listed my entire set of goals for this project! Well, all but the one where I try one-upping you...
However, a couple of them may change soon.

For one, I may scale the thing back to 37.5 inches, just for more accuracy to the in-game model.

Secondly, the scope is looking to be more difficult than I assumed. If I scale the rifle down, the monitor I found previously won't fit in a proportional scope, and I don't want a giant brick sitting on top of my laser rifle.

Therefore, I will go "prospecting" for an old digital camera/camcorder that I can gut for a 1.75"x1.25" screen and a lens that I know will work. This also means that the majority of my power draw can be isolated from the main circuit, and I can actually go with less battery power! Then, my only issue will be how to rig it so one of the dials on the side of the scope can be an on/off switch.

If the camera quest goes south though, the scope may get scrapped for the time being simply for the problems of time and money... At the very least though, I can eventually make the scope a modular, standalone piece that can just be stuck on to the rifle when I finish it. Which would make it a legitimate mod!

This looks absolutely incredible... I can't wait to see the finished product.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the support CaptainVermont! I'll need all of it I can get in order to finish this project in time!

I'll post any updates throughout the week when possible, because I have school and that just generally makes anything fun difficult!

I may also have to take you up on that offer at some point Drewid! I'm an LED veteran, so that won't be bad, but I'm fairly new to everything else. My biggest stroke of luck is the fact that arduino's language is based in C! Thank you so much for all of the support. It's the people like you who make this community so awesome!

Ok, I see what you mean. So you're planning on just having the scope being completely independent, completely self contained? The removable aspect might pose a problem, but you could always come up with a way to lock it down.

Interesting. Dunno about the one-upping, though.

I probably wouldn't make it removable. Just separately from the rest of the rifle, so that I can just ignore it if I have to. Once attached, it'd stay attached.

One of the other big up sides to that plan is the fact that a camera runs on a much lower voltage system than my original plan, which means A LOT less battery weight. Plus, the battery pack for the LEDs and other planned additions (which shall not be named) will last basically an eternity without the scope. Meaning, if my scope dies, it'll still be cool and glowy for the rest of the day until I can charge the scope back up.

Overall, I think it'll work better. It could just be annoying to actually set up initially. But you never know, and you can't start out pessimistic!