From the darkest examples of steampunk and dieselpunk to games like Red Alert, the idea of turning Nikola Tesla's work into a weapon is hardly new. Those who understand how a Tesla coil works know very well the main risk factors involved in its use, so this portable ray gun is not supposed to kill anyone... but it still looks awesome.
The Tesla coil is one of the most interesting projects any DIY enthusiast can undertake. The market even offers options like the oneTesla kits and tinyTesla that come with all the necessary parts. Needless to say, playing with high voltage requires a bit of care, and if for some reason you are afraid of electricity, the Tesla coil is not recommended. Of course, that doesn't stop us from admiring such a device, and what some people have done with it. The latest example comes from the Smarter Every Day channel, where Destin begins his video by breaking a oneTesla (yes, they have limits), but then goes to visit Cameron Prince, the administrator of the Tesla Universe portal. (Editor's note: Warning for headphone users. Please lower the volume.)
Prince has two very special Tesla coils. The first one is huge, 2.75 meters tall to be precise, and uses capacitors extracted from an MRI machine, which gives us a solid idea of its power. That coil is already impressive on its own, but it is accompanied by what is literally a ray gun. From a technical point of view, the gun is a portable Tesla coil, but that is much easier said than done. Prince adapted a pack of lithium batteries as a power bank, and the critical components use liquid cooling.
The proof that the Tesla gun is (all things considered) safe came through Prince and Destin. They basically placed their hands in front of the cannon, and the rays struck both without problems. Despite the high voltage, the current intensity is very low. Convinced to build something like that? Don't hesitate to share your results if you do.
