This DIY Laser Shooting Game Is a Blast!
Arnaud Atchimon's Open Laser Blaster features Arduino Nano-powered shooter and target assemblies.
No, this blaster won’t help you dispatch enemy spaceships, but instead started out as a weekend home hackathon for Arnaud Atchimon's son. As with many such builds, this project morphed from what was originally intended — a cardboard blasting game — into something much more involved, a 3D-printed blaster and moving target system.
Atchimon's blaster features an interesting one-piece frame design, and when a button is pressed it fires using a 5V laser diode. Shooting is controlled by an Arduino Nano, allowing it to regulate the number of shots you get before reload (which can of course be changed in the code).
You can also set it up for fully automatic shooting mode for unlimited shooting, enabling you to blast away until the battery runs out. It even includes a small speaker that plays a familiar tune or two.
The target assembly is controlled by a Nano as well, and senses shots on target with an LDR sensor. When shot it either falls back and down for desktop use via a 9G micro servo, or can be switched to wall mode where it instead falls forward. The target LDR is surrounded by a 24-LED NeoPixel ring, letting you pick out where to shoot with ease.
Check it out on display in the video below!
