Mark IV Circuitry Design

The most complex part of the experiment was the design of a charging system to generate the power needed to make plasma and accelerate it. Again, do not even attempt to make this type of device unless you know exactly what you are doing and seeked professional advice. The capacitors were the absolutely last parts of the system to be installed.

Mark IV Charging System

 

There was over 100 feet of wiring used for this system. The design itself was made to be feasible in the amount of time we had to build the system. There were multiple subsystems that were created outside of the main system, then installed in parts and integrated with the other subsystems. This allowed us to pinpoint an area that was not operating quickly by isolating the systems.

 

An ATX PC Power Supply was used instead of batteries because of how much less it costs. With 120 rounds being fired, it was not feasible to use batteries that make charging time slow down over use. With a constant power supply, we were able to speed up the experimentation process, along with the added perk of higher current coming out of the power supply. The higher currents create a stronger magnetic field in the camera circuits, despite being the same voltage. When current goes throw a wire, it creates a magnetic field. Thus, charging time was much faster than with batteries with the same voltage.