Gun Turret Built Into A Cake Box

Couch potatoes have a new line of defense thanks to this remote-controlled turret. The gun itself is a hacked down airsoft model. The mount started with a servo motor in the center of a plastic cake box. A thin strip of plywood was added, along with a couple of sliding furniture feet to stabilize the platform as it rotates. A second servo mounts to that platform, which allows the trajectory of the projectile to be adjusted up or down. A PIC 18F4520 controls both of the motors, as well as the firing of the airsoft module, all while listening for commands from an IR receiver. Just adjust the firmware to match an unused device on your universal remote and the power to annoy your roommates will be at the tips of your fingers.

You can see an overview of the build process, as well as a demonstration of the final project in the video after the break. The page linked at the top has a very detailed build log but some of the ‘next’ buttons on that page don’t work for us. Luckily you’ll see a table of contents in the right column which lets you navigate around these bad links.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHS1PFXkgnM&w=470]

[via Dangerous Prototypes]

17 thoughts on “Gun Turret Built Into A Cake Box

  1. It is very clever using furniture sliders as bearings, I will use that on my projects. If you have any problems with it pick up a lazy susan bearing at your home improvement store for about $5, I have used them in the past and they work quite well.

  2. Should bake these controls in a chocolate cake and shoot hot fudge.
    Also, it is refreshing to see an IR controlled robot, after the relentless flurry of TCP-IP bluetooth bridges as of lately.

  3. I like this, but I am wondering why he used a continuous command for actions (left, right, up, down, fire) and a clear or stop command. Why not just make it move 10 degrees each press or fire 1-3 shots per button press. That seems like unnecessary programming. Plus, if you press fire, then rotate, it could quickly move out of range and be shooting directly in the face. Maybe an RF remote would have been a better idea. Or even Wifi, okay, time to go buy an airsoft and a cake box. I can see the Wal-mart cashiers face now. “You’re gonna make WHAT?!?”

  4. @JamieWho
    Your Walmart cashiers actually speak English and/or talk to the customers? That’s a massive surprise.
    Ones down here are rude as hell and barely know enough English to get hired.

    I envy you.

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