Here's a question for you to think about: Why does there appear to be no recoil when this cannon fires, but my last vacuum cannon recoiled heavily? Hint: The answer is not just because the cannon is held down more securely, though that's part of it.
I assume it has something to do with the projectile launching out as well as the air coming in from the other side of the cannon. The two forces cancel each other out? Hopefully you get what I am saying.
Maybe if you put the flap underneath the barrel it will move out the way before the projectile hits it because it won't have to work against gravity, hope this helps
Eren Thompson was thinking the same, he could just have a rope to hold it up before he has established a vacuum. Once he has moved that piston back just a bit, it would hold itself in place and he could release the rope. It would be faster, the question is if it would be fast enough. It would be really easy for him to test though
Actually... there are also two other simple solutions. 1. He could lower the mass of the whole value. (hinge out of plastic, hinge glued to the valve instead of screwed on with a nut and bolt.) 2. He could increase the (m/s)/rad of the valve. He could do this by mounting the other side of the hinge (opposite of the valve) directly to the top of the cannon instead of mounting it on top of that piece of wood and THEN on top of the cannon. Basically, by increasing the length of the valve arm, he's increasing the amount of force required to get the valve to travel 80 degrees and clear the barrel. Just like how you can apply the same force to a door from the handle and right next the hinge but pushing from the handle doesn't make it swing open as fast as pushing from right next to the hinge.
This is a phenomenal design! I did a science fair project on vacuum cannon barrel lengths a number of years ago and ever since I have wanted to find a way the same results could be achieved without a vacuum pump. I love the simplicity of this cannon with the same amount of power as your other cannons. Nice work Ben keep it up!
Thanks Grant! Feel free to use it, I would love to see what others can come up with for that piston. I was pretty proud of how simple they are to assemble.
I think I started following your videos maybe 10 / 12 years ago when I was in high school. I haven't watched your stuff since then. This video recently popped up and seeing you made it so far now with many other explorations is really motivating.
I am going to make this with my son this summer, it will be a great project with him to get him interested in working with some of the tools in my shop. Thank you!
Have you thought about using a Spring to open the Flap disk faster? You could use a Piece of String to hold it down while you are pulling the Vacuum, then release the string and the vacuum will hold it shut. as you fire the Spring will open it faster than the pressure alone, at least that was my thought Process. Maybe it is worth it to check it out? as alwysy Great Video Mate Best Regards Joe
super simple and effective design. I think it's amazing how sometimes projects start out very complicated but as you work with the ideas they become very simple. I also like this different style of production.
Don't give up on the flap idea. I'm thinking that you could use a much thinner and lighter weight flap. I would try either stiff aluminum sheet, or better yet, some carbon fiber sheet. The gasket could be made from Silpat (or any other silicone baking sheet). Also, that hinge looks pretty heavy as well; maybe just tape the top with a small length of scotch tape. With this design, the you are basically making a reusable disk more than a flap. Love your stuff! Never stop building!
One of my old blowgun designs used a hinged valve that popped open from POSITIVE pressure from within the tube and although it opened fast enough that the dart didn't hit it on the way out, I always worried that it might, given the acceleration of the lightweight darts I was using. So, I cut the bottom of the muzzle off at a 45 degree angle and fitted it with an elliptically-shaped valve to snap over the new opening. By doing this it reduced the number of degrees required to reach the fully opened position by half....hence, "It got outta the way faster", lol. Reducing the weight of your valve and adding a dual-acting spring might help, as well....one that just barely holds the valve shut but after a degree or two of movement jerks the valve open quickly. Well, that's MY two cents worth! really like your cannon as well as your other videos!
Would it be feasible to make a handheld version? Much like a toy or maybe close to the power of a slingshot? That would be a rather interesting project :)
That's a fair point man, but it could be more than just scaling it down ;) It could have added features which would facilitate it's handheld use, so it's no a cumbersome thing to use for quick recreational purposes. It could even feature a spring mechanism of some sort to aid in firing, something to make reloading even easier and also a working flap, so you don't have to carry lots of burst disks around with something supposed to be easily carried and used
Of course, however, remember the power comes out of all the air he is evacuating and a smaller tube would mean less power. It would also be much harder to draw back if it was made powerful.
Scaling down to hand held size would mean much less power, true. Hmmm... Perhaps a two person weapon, like a bazooka? One man holding and aiming the tube, and one pulling the piston. ... ... and now I'm contemplating a streamlined fin stabilized projectile...
I really love this video. The enthusiasm and explanations it's so fun to watch and I get a smile from ear to ear when I watch you talking about a amazing creation!!!
Inside the vacuum it would not work. But if you had smoke/flour behind the projectile (outside the vacuum) the smoke would get sucked into the pipe pushing the projectile out the other end leaving a trail of smoke behind it. The only way it would work inside the vacuum would be if you put a fine solid such as flour in front of the projectile and pulled back the piston to shoot it out.
I wonder whether its possible to build a miniature version for two handed portable operation with normal pvc parts. This cannon design is really good, it really has the potential to become as popular as a crossbow.
Absolutely smashing. Thank you. All I want to do is cheaply send a standard Nerf foam dart around 50 metres vertically - as simple and as basic as that. Your excellent innovative presentations give me lots of ideas but particularly this presentation.
Really enjoy your videos, and have done so for a few years. The number of supporters on patreon is a bit disappointing considering the quality of the videos you produce. I'd love to support you, but I don't have a regular income yet and no payment method available to use on patreon. But some day, I'll be there. Anyways, continue making great, well-produced videos showcasing awesome ideas!
Make a REALLY big one that you pull back with a winch on a truck. Im thinking 10" pvc thats 20' long would make enough force to get a preemptive strike on north korea.
I did the math: If you were to shoot a 5kg bowling ball with a 9" pvc thats 20' long the ball would reach slightly over 500km/h (310mph), that is however without friction and with a perfect vacuum.
That means it would have 346.455 Joules of energy. And you could do it with instead of a winch on a truck, just go back to the old design and use a large vacuum pump.
It's not fair. You're extremely inventive and ridiculously good looking! The rest of us have no chance! :) I really like the simplicity of this design. No pump, only one (well, two, if you count the projectile) moving parts, and it builds on a previous design (your PVC piston).
Yes, but making it larger would require a great deal more force to pull the piston back. You can make it smaller in diameter, but it still needs to be quite long to work properly.
Saving this to my "Project with Kids" playlist. Great way to get them interested in the science involved. Also Budget friendly. Thanx for the great content!
Grey hair happens early in some people for some reason, I'm sure Wikipedia could tell us exactly why. I went to school with this kid who's hair started turning grey at 14/Freshman year of HS, by the time we graduated he was grayer than my father, but more of a darker grey. Weird thing is, I saw him about a month ago at a gas station for the first time since 2011 graduation and it didn't seem like he'd aged a day. Genetic mutations fascinate me.
RUclips randomly recommended this video to me, and I'm glad it did. It's kind of weird because I just built a tennis ball launcher, using PVC pipe, for my dog yesterday. That cannon is awesome! When I'm done with this comment, im going to watch your other videos. Thanks!
Hey there, Kiwi fishing fanatic here. Just a thought on this Vacnon :) if you were to use line instead of the inner pipe and attach a winder to the base you could make it winchable :).. which would only really cut down on the distance behind your Vacnon but would make for an interesting change. Would make a great bait launcher.
Very nice . Brings many creative things to mind using this concept Show me a " burst disk " that can repeat or reset itself Good job with the video , thanx
Thanks for another awesome video, they have been an amazing source of inspiration for gear projects I've done with my kids. Just finished a ukelele using your cigar box guitar techniques. Just signing up to support your videos on patreon, very well earned thank you very much!
This is really a great super idea I was thinking about PVC cannon to throw the fishing bait, your idea is just amazing but only one problem is there (the fishing line) would be glad if you made a video about that
This is really awesome! I always told my high school physics teacher I was going to make a vacuum cannon and show him but couldn't do it without a vacuum pump. This design makes me want to try and make my own though!
brilliant idea! I was playing with the idea of the flap disc for my large bore vacuum cannon as well. I think if you attach the flap only on a thin string it might already be enough of a weight saving over the steel hinge to work.
This actually what my friend and I tried to do because we didn't have a vacuum pump and we didn't feel like making one. We went small scale first and made one that shoots BBs pretty darn far. We were think of making one out of larger PVC next. Anyways, pretty cool video!
Cool video of a great idea. You may wish to try using the plastic wrapper from a soda bottle, instead of aluminum foil. I've found it to be more convenient for the table tennis ball cannon I use.
I really like these video formats a lot. even if you aren't showing off something new its interesting and fun to have you explain the concepts behind how the cannon works. plus its nice to have a video thats less clinical than they have been in the past, which isn't to say that they aren't still great!
Hi NHIL I made a low power VC with a Dyson vacuum cleaner continually sucking on a T piece at the muzzle end and fed Guiness draught beer can widgets in the other end (nominal OD of widget was 32mm ID of pipe about 35mm, good tight fit). The burst disc was made with a business card at the muzzle end and like I say the loading end was permanently open. Now I tried to make a balanced flap at the muzzle end with a piece of tape as a hinge on the business card so that the card would get blown out of the way by the widget leaving the tube and then with a bit of gravity and suction the card would return and cover the muzzle end effectively resetting the burst disc. I gave up because the energies involved were just to low. Make the card and hinge strong enough to return in an effective and repeatable way and guess what the widget can"t move it. Anyway my idea was if it had worked a hopper of widgets at the load end for a full auto VC....then world domination...MWAH HA hA MWAha..cough. I worked for Guinness at the time so there was a plentiful supply of ammo. ANyway, you could drill three holes at 120 degrees about 300mm from the end of your barrel and then you wouldn't need to draw the plunger out the seal would break as you passed them. If you drilled these three ports at an angle you might get some spin on the bullet???
watching your videos is really refreshing. you don't only learn, but you also become fascinated by how it works. you do a really good job of keeping it interesting too. deserves more views :^)
I think it would be a cool idea to either use a fog machine or produce smoke at the end of the cannon, to show the rush of air into it. Just a thought! Great videos!
Completely awesome. I wonder if you could rig up some kind system that could be mounted to the cannon to push the piston so you wouldn't need guide wires. Something like a hand crank winch or rack and pinion.
This is a really cool idea. I had a few thoughts though that might make it a bit more portable. If you fasten a rope to the back of the piston rather than a long rod, you could crank it back with a crank attached to the breech end of the barrel. That would keep it from needing the bracing. You still might need a rod to push the piston back to the muzzle of the barrel for the next shot, but less force there, so again you wouldn't need the guy wires and braces. I think the trapdoor on the end is a great idea, and it would work, it's just a question of mass. The air pressure in front of the projectile isn't accelerating the trapdoor fast enough for it to get out of the way in time. It really needs to be something lighter than a hinge, metal plate, and bolt. A string dangling a piece of very thin aluminum or plastic against the muzzle might work. You could lower the moving mass too by putting the rubber seal on the muzzle rather than having it on the plate, maybe a groove on the muzzle face for an o-ring?
It may not be cost effective, but it would be interesting if you enlarged the projectile and mounted a gopro in the head to see the trajectory with some interesting visuals! Adding fins to the rear might stabilize it and pointing the barrel up would offer a nice arc! Love your vid man :)
I like this style of video where you speak directly into the camera instead of a voice over. Also, I love how you made sure we knew you weren't wasting the beer, that might be considered alcohol abuse :P
Here's a question for you to think about: Why does there appear to be no recoil when this cannon fires, but my last vacuum cannon recoiled heavily?
Hint: The answer is not just because the cannon is held down more securely, though that's part of it.
I assume it has something to do with the projectile launching out as well as the air coming in from the other side of the cannon. The two forces cancel each other out? Hopefully you get what I am saying.
Nope. Both cannons would have no recoil in that case.
Hmmm... you have me stumped here.
Maybe the Vacuum in the new design isnt as powerful as with the vacuum pump, and plus this one being secured better.
The vacuum in this cannon is actually even stronger than in my last one.
This is seriously the best cannon on youtube... So simple yet so powerful!!! I love it!
I like the coaxial piston cannon because you can pump it up walk around and fire at will no stands needed. Lotta fun mines awesome
Maybe if you put the flap underneath the barrel it will move out the way before the projectile hits it because it won't have to work against gravity, hope this helps
with just the right amount of rubber or spring tension pulling at it as well
Eren Thompson Was thinking the same as well
Eren Thompson was thinking the same, he could just have a rope to hold it up before he has established a vacuum. Once he has moved that piston back just a bit, it would hold itself in place and he could release the rope. It would be faster, the question is if it would be fast enough. It would be really easy for him to test though
Or he could just use a longer barrel...
Actually... there are also two other simple solutions.
1. He could lower the mass of the whole value. (hinge out of plastic, hinge glued to the valve instead of screwed on with a nut and bolt.)
2. He could increase the (m/s)/rad of the valve. He could do this by mounting the other side of the hinge (opposite of the valve) directly to the top of the cannon instead of mounting it on top of that piece of wood and THEN on top of the cannon. Basically, by increasing the length of the valve arm, he's increasing the amount of force required to get the valve to travel 80 degrees and clear the barrel. Just like how you can apply the same force to a door from the handle and right next the hinge but pushing from the handle doesn't make it swing open as fast as pushing from right next to the hinge.
This is a phenomenal design! I did a science fair project on vacuum cannon barrel lengths a number of years ago and ever since I have wanted to find a way the same results could be achieved without a vacuum pump. I love the simplicity of this cannon with the same amount of power as your other cannons. Nice work Ben keep it up!
This is one of the craziest cannons ive seen and probably good thing i didn't know about this as a kid
Fantastic application of the PVC piston!
Thanks Grant! Feel free to use it, I would love to see what others can come up with for that piston. I was pretty proud of how simple they are to assemble.
Grant Thompson - "The King of Random", future mash mellow shooter?
This makes me wonder if the concept could be turned into a vertical rocket launcher.
make youtube together
i dont think so. try searching for marshmallow in a vacuum. the projectile would expand and get jammed in the barrel.
That cannon has some serious power. Great video!
Maybe you can use a magnet to hold the projectile
that is pretty clever!
That's really clever. Why didn't I think of that!
thx
theres always a clever solution for everything it just has to cross youre mind
Rutger 420 NightHawk needs to see this!
you are an absolute genius, I would have never thought of using a vacuum like this to create a cannon. Thank you!!!!
Not to put down your narration videos, but I really enjoyed seeing you explain it in person rather than you narrating.
Great video! Awesome cannon!
Would it be possible to scale it down even further? My thought was to make it a handheld dart launcher using it like you would draw on a bow.
try syringe
Wouldn’t that affect the power? The longer the barrel the more power it can produce. Right?
I think I started following your videos maybe 10 / 12 years ago when I was in high school. I haven't watched your stuff since then. This video recently popped up and seeing you made it so far now with many other explorations is really motivating.
I really like this design! Great video too.
I am going to make this with my son this summer, it will be a great project with him to get him interested in working with some of the tools in my shop. Thank you!
Have you thought about using a Spring to open the Flap disk faster? You could use a Piece of String to hold it down while you are pulling the Vacuum, then release the string and the vacuum will hold it shut. as you fire the Spring will open it faster than the pressure alone, at least that was my thought Process. Maybe it is worth it to check it out? as alwysy Great Video Mate
Best Regards
Joe
super simple and effective design. I think it's amazing how sometimes projects start out very complicated but as you work with the ideas they become very simple. I also like this different style of production.
Thanks Schel!
I feel like you should patent this new, novel, and highly effective method of stamping aluminum.
lollolololol
Stamping at the speed of sound
Don't give up on the flap idea. I'm thinking that you could use a much thinner and lighter weight flap. I would try either stiff aluminum sheet, or better yet, some carbon fiber sheet. The gasket could be made from Silpat (or any other silicone baking sheet). Also, that hinge looks pretty heavy as well; maybe just tape the top with a small length of scotch tape. With this design, the you are basically making a reusable disk more than a flap. Love your stuff! Never stop building!
So simple, yet so ingenious! Great work!
One of my old blowgun designs used a hinged valve that popped open from POSITIVE pressure from within the tube and although it opened fast enough that the dart didn't hit it on the way out, I always worried that it might, given the acceleration of the lightweight darts I was using. So, I cut the bottom of the muzzle off at a 45 degree angle and fitted it with an elliptically-shaped valve to snap over the new opening. By doing this it reduced the number of degrees required to reach the fully opened position by half....hence, "It got outta the way faster", lol. Reducing the weight of your valve and adding a dual-acting spring might help, as well....one that just barely holds the valve shut but after a degree or two of movement jerks the valve open quickly. Well, that's MY two cents worth! really like your cannon as well as your other videos!
0:05 how to crack open a cold one with the boys
Irritation Gaming lmao
How to crack a boys with the cold ones 😂
Thank you for all the ideas and projects. My family loves your easy to follow teachings and expertise
Would it be feasible to make a handheld version? Much like a toy or maybe close to the power of a slingshot?
That would be a rather interesting project :)
It seems like it would be pretty easy to just scale this down. I don't think it would need its own video.
That's a fair point man, but it could be more than just scaling it down ;)
It could have added features which would facilitate it's handheld use, so it's no a cumbersome thing to use for quick recreational purposes. It could even feature a spring mechanism of some sort to aid in firing, something to make reloading even easier and also a working flap, so you don't have to carry lots of burst disks around with something supposed to be easily carried and used
Of course, however, remember the power comes out of all the air he is evacuating and a smaller tube would mean less power. It would also be much harder to draw back if it was made powerful.
Indeed, I was wondering about that, it may become rather unfeasible depending on how small we're talking about
Scaling down to hand held size would mean much less power, true. Hmmm... Perhaps a two person weapon, like a bazooka? One man holding and aiming the tube, and one pulling the piston.
...
... and now I'm contemplating a streamlined fin stabilized projectile...
I really love this video. The enthusiasm and explanations it's so fun to watch and I get a smile from ear to ear when I watch you talking about a amazing creation!!!
you should put smoke or fog behind your project where its sucked and record it in slo-mo
Inside the vacuum it would not work. But if you had smoke/flour behind the projectile (outside the vacuum) the smoke would get sucked into the pipe pushing the projectile out the other end leaving a trail of smoke behind it. The only way it would work inside the vacuum would be if you put a fine solid such as flour in front of the projectile and pulled back the piston to shoot it out.
Heinocraft how does it work? Or why do you say that?
What I mean is put the smoke or whatever outside of the vacuum. Like right behind where the air get sucked in so we can see it get sucked in?
Preston Blackard yup i wasn't specific enough huh. I meant outside, behind his project.being the end where the SUCC
I concur.
beautiful design.simple and functions smoothly.
I wonder whether its possible to build a miniature version for two handed portable operation with normal pvc parts.
This cannon design is really good, it really has the potential to become as popular as a crossbow.
Absolutely smashing. Thank you.
All I want to do is cheaply send a standard Nerf foam dart around 50 metres vertically - as simple and as basic as that.
Your excellent innovative presentations give me lots of ideas but particularly this presentation.
Really enjoy your videos, and have done so for a few years. The number of supporters on patreon is a bit disappointing considering the quality of the videos you produce. I'd love to support you, but I don't have a regular income yet and no payment method available to use on patreon. But some day, I'll be there.
Anyways, continue making great, well-produced videos showcasing awesome ideas!
As far as my Tastes go, you have to be one of the most if not, the most premier, RUclips creator out there man. Bravo once again.
I'm going to build this cannon and film it at 40 000 fps. I'm really interested to see how the burst disc works up close and personal.
If you do be sure to send me a link to the video. I'd like to see it
Spirit Please send me a link, too. I would like to build this vacuum cannon.
Spirit please can you send me a link too ? I'm very interested :)
Where's the vid bud?
1st time watcher... video well done. Amazing how much power is in nature without costing a ton of money.
Make a REALLY big one that you pull back with a winch on a truck. Im thinking 10" pvc thats 20' long would make enough force to get a preemptive strike on north korea.
Adam Moore YES this needs to be a thing. "Why are we not funding this?"
I did the math: If you were to shoot a 5kg bowling ball with a 9" pvc thats 20' long the ball would reach slightly over 500km/h (310mph), that is however without friction and with a perfect vacuum.
That means it would have 346.455 Joules of energy. And you could do it with instead of a winch on a truck, just go back to the old design and use a large vacuum pump.
A bowling ball going 310 mph seems like it would have alot more energy than 346 joules.
Yeah that surprised me too. Im not sure where i went wrong
It's not fair. You're extremely inventive and ridiculously good looking! The rest of us have no chance! :)
I really like the simplicity of this design. No pump, only one (well, two, if you count the projectile) moving parts, and it builds on a previous design (your PVC piston).
Is it possible to scale this cannon differently with the same principle but smaller or larger to fire different projectiles?
Yes, but making it larger would require a great deal more force to pull the piston back. You can make it smaller in diameter, but it still needs to be quite long to work properly.
Love RUclips.. learn something new everyday!
It would be so cool if you could pull the piston back using some king of crank or gear system
Yeah plus you would need a system like that to make it more powerful since otherwise you need to physically pull the force.
Maybe if he did a flat gear along the piston with the crank and gear firmly attached the cannon then it would not need to be anchored.
Vakus Drake ITS CALLED GEARING.
Your inventions are always so amazing to see and watching you build them is so Intriguing.
Saving this to my "Project with Kids" playlist. Great way to get them interested in the science involved. Also Budget friendly. Thanx for the great content!
His eyebrows go up every time he looks at the camera
But I love his contest more than I love his eyebrows
Holy shit he does it every time , now i cant see this
Dude! This is ingenious.
I have to go build one now. probably gonna make it tennis ball size.
How far can it shoot?
About 6
@@Sky20653 Yeah, more or less
I really love that you made this I wanted to make a vacuum cannon before but didn't want to spend the money on a pump thanks😃
How old is Ben? He has grey hair, but still looks like he could be 25 years old. Must have good genes
I'm 27. I've had gray hair since I was 17 or 18.
Wow, didn't know you could start getting grey hair that early. Still an awesome face tho. Love your videos!
Swekkinator I'm 15 and I have Gray hair it's normal
Swekkinator tru dat. he has a fabulous haircut
Grey hair happens early in some people for some reason, I'm sure Wikipedia could tell us exactly why. I went to school with this kid who's hair started turning grey at 14/Freshman year of HS, by the time we graduated he was grayer than my father, but more of a darker grey. Weird thing is, I saw him about a month ago at a gas station for the first time since 2011 graduation and it didn't seem like he'd aged a day. Genetic mutations fascinate me.
dude, like, coolest physics teacher ever
I was actually thinking of making a nerf gun with this principle for some time now
I've always wanted to make a cannon with my daughters. This is one we can do. Thank you.
Let me show you its features!
+1 for the Jörg Sprave Refference
I love how simple this is.
Can you try making an Asssasin's Creed grappling hook using this idea?
D1G1T4L PYRO That is Spring Powered. For Vacuum you need quite a big Pipe/Cylinder thing. Which is impractical in this case
D1G1T4L PYRO this ain't the Colin furz channel
***** I know, but still
Great idea! even though its impractical isn't that the point of mad science?
watched your videos for years, and I've always found them very engaging, useful and informative!
I love when you talk naturaly, like King Of Random.
unlike king of random he didn't trade his few jewels of videos for sacks of moneymaking crap every day!
Very interesting Ben. I like this more casual video format.
under 1 minute club
yoss
how are you still getting likes EVEN after 1min after the video?
creatorlater I'm happy to be in the 1min club
creatorlater you can get creams that numb sensitivity that help with that issue.
Bet the wife isn't happy with that...
Awesome! Just put on a vacuum accumulator on the muzzle to get rid of the back pressure, and you have a winner.
hello
WHY DID YOU READ THIS
creatorlater why the fuck not
creatorlater lookin for the song name
Volume
Dude, very very awesome! I love that it doesn't require a vacuum pump... Now to find time to build one.
thats fantastic, im gonna make one later. this is so elegant and simple i love it, just earned yourself another patron
Dick Cheneh but you have to use aluminum and duct tape on each fire...
Not all that efficient
theres nothing that cannot be fixed with this design
RUclips randomly recommended this video to me, and I'm glad it did. It's kind of weird because I just built a tennis ball launcher, using PVC pipe, for my dog yesterday. That cannon is awesome! When I'm done with this comment, im going to watch your other videos. Thanks!
Hey there, Kiwi fishing fanatic here. Just a thought on this Vacnon :) if you were to use line instead of the inner pipe and attach a winder to the base you could make it winchable :).. which would only really cut down on the distance behind your Vacnon but would make for an interesting change. Would make a great bait launcher.
I love all your videos it helps me to keep the kids busy
Awesome! It's really cool seeing a manually activated version. I'll re-patronize soon (I have some big expenses right now, moving into my new house.)
Very nice . Brings many creative things to mind using this concept
Show me a " burst disk " that can repeat or reset itself Good job with the video , thanx
Thanks for another awesome video, they have been an amazing source of inspiration for gear projects I've done with my kids. Just finished a ukelele using your cigar box guitar techniques. Just signing up to support your videos on patreon, very well earned thank you very much!
Thanks! Hope the ukulele turned out well. Email me a picture sometime, I'd like to see it.
This is really a great super idea
I was thinking about PVC cannon to throw the fishing bait, your idea is just amazing but only one problem is there (the fishing line) would be glad if you made a video about that
This is really awesome! I always told my high school physics teacher I was going to make a vacuum cannon and show him but couldn't do it without a vacuum pump. This design makes me want to try and make my own though!
brilliant idea! I was playing with the idea of the flap disc for my large bore vacuum cannon as well. I think if you attach the flap only on a thin string it might already be enough of a weight saving over the steel hinge to work.
One of your most professional feeling videos to date, well done!
This actually what my friend and I tried to do because we didn't have a vacuum pump and we didn't feel like making one. We went small scale first and made one that shoots BBs pretty darn far. We were think of making one out of larger PVC next. Anyways, pretty cool video!
Cool video of a great idea. You may wish to try using the plastic wrapper from a soda bottle, instead of aluminum foil. I've found it to be more convenient for the table tennis ball cannon I use.
I just saw your upload showing that valve orientation can't beat the projectile speed... I love the simplicity of the plastic cup cork!
I really like these video formats a lot. even if you aren't showing off something new its interesting and fun to have you explain the concepts behind how the cannon works.
plus its nice to have a video thats less clinical than they have been in the past, which isn't to say that they aren't still great!
This taught me so much with such a simple design. Excellent demonstration!
Hi NHIL
I made a low power VC with a Dyson vacuum cleaner continually sucking on a T piece at the muzzle end and fed Guiness draught beer can widgets in the other end (nominal OD of widget was 32mm ID of pipe about 35mm, good tight fit). The burst disc was made with a business card at the muzzle end and like I say the loading end was permanently open.
Now I tried to make a balanced flap at the muzzle end with a piece of tape as a hinge on the business card so that the card would get blown out of the way by the widget leaving the tube and then with a bit of gravity and suction the card would return and cover the muzzle end effectively resetting the burst disc.
I gave up because the energies involved were just to low. Make the card and hinge strong enough to return in an effective and repeatable way and guess what the widget can"t move it.
Anyway my idea was if it had worked a hopper of widgets at the load end for a full auto VC....then world domination...MWAH HA hA MWAha..cough.
I worked for Guinness at the time so there was a plentiful supply of ammo.
ANyway, you could drill three holes at 120 degrees about 300mm from the end of your barrel and then you wouldn't need to draw the plunger out the seal would break as you passed them. If you drilled these three ports at an angle you might get some spin on the bullet???
Hello dude! Thanks for the video. I appreciate the calm nature of your video. Looks like a fun project! Keep up the good work!
I love that PVC twang it makes when it fires!
I love the style of this video, very informative and more personal
I know where I'm going during the zombie apocalypse. You make all the cool toys!
Your production value is really good
Great design. Love the powerless option.
Great job on the project and the way you explained things. Thanks for the fantastic videos.
I love watching your videos. Can't wait to try out some of these projects you did with my son when he is old enough.
I've never seen a vacuum Cannon like this it's really cool
I waited entirely too long to watch this video. Awesome.
I think this is really well done all around.
Loved this video! I totally want to make a vacuum cannon now! Thanks for making this!
Love it!
watching your videos is really refreshing. you don't only learn, but you also become fascinated by how it works. you do a really good job of keeping it interesting too. deserves more views :^)
I think it would be a cool idea to either use a fog machine or produce smoke at the end of the cannon, to show the rush of air into it. Just a thought!
Great videos!
It's a good idea to upgrade and upgrade our project and learn about it more and more
Best use of Pabst I've ever seen
i like how you have become comfortable in front of the camera now.
Completely awesome. I wonder if you could rig up some kind system that could be mounted to the cannon to push the piston so you wouldn't need guide wires. Something like a hand crank winch or rack and pinion.
This is a really cool idea. I had a few thoughts though that might make it a bit more portable. If you fasten a rope to the back of the piston rather than a long rod, you could crank it back with a crank attached to the breech end of the barrel. That would keep it from needing the bracing. You still might need a rod to push the piston back to the muzzle of the barrel for the next shot, but less force there, so again you wouldn't need the guy wires and braces. I think the trapdoor on the end is a great idea, and it would work, it's just a question of mass. The air pressure in front of the projectile isn't accelerating the trapdoor fast enough for it to get out of the way in time. It really needs to be something lighter than a hinge, metal plate, and bolt. A string dangling a piece of very thin aluminum or plastic against the muzzle might work. You could lower the moving mass too by putting the rubber seal on the muzzle rather than having it on the plate, maybe a groove on the muzzle face for an o-ring?
It may not be cost effective, but it would be interesting if you enlarged the projectile and mounted a gopro in the head to see the trajectory with some interesting visuals! Adding fins to the rear might stabilize it and pointing the barrel up would offer a nice arc! Love your vid man :)
I love the simple design.
You are a genius!!! I have been thinking about how to do this!
You sir have a niche for being able to "teach" some Hella difficult concepts n make them "oh, yeah... That's why"... Thank you.
Very simple design! Would be cool if you could maybe visualize the air being pulled in with some smoke or something.
I like this style of video where you speak directly into the camera instead of a voice over. Also, I love how you made sure we knew you weren't wasting the beer, that might be considered alcohol abuse :P
Oooh Imma try my hand at a mini one to fire plastic bb bullets! Should be some genuine fun!