Rapid-Reload Vacuum Cannon: Magnetic Piston, No Burst Discs

Рет қаралды 267,600

5 жыл бұрын

I made a new vacuum cannon and use it to blast some unfortunate plants and beverages. Thanks to my sponsor Squarespace you can make a great website easily! Check them out at: www.squarespace.com/nighthawk
Vacuum cannons are one of my favorite science experiments for demonstrating pressure differentials and atmospheric pressure. They never fail to get a huge response from a crowd. I've been improving upon my piston operated design over the last year, and while this new version adds some complexity to the design it has a number of improvements as well.
New features of this cannon:
1. Crank operated piston which eliminates the need to tether the barrel down and reduces the cannon's footprint
2. Magnetic piston allows easy attachment of projectiles
3. No home made burst discs required as they have been replaced with plastic cups
Check out my earlier vacuum cannon videos here:
Piston operated cannon v1: • New Vacuum Cannon Desi...
Follow up response to comments: • Firing A Clear Vacuum ...
Giant 4" diameter cannon: • How to Make a Large Bo...
How to make PVC pistons: • How To Make PVC Piston...
How to make a vacuum pump: • How to Make a Vacuum Pump
Thanks to all my Patrons for keeping these videos possible and supporting me no matter what changes KZfaq makes. A special thanks to my top Patrons: Syniurge, Matthew Leitzke, TheBackyardScientist, Enzo Breda Lee, John Johnson, & Thibaud Peverelli! / nighthawkprojects
As of uploading this video I have read over 213,000 comments over the last 11 years of my channel. Keep them coming! Thanks so much for continuing to motivate me to make the best videos I can.

Пікірлер: 862

@Nighthawkinlight 5 жыл бұрын

As of 8:53am this morning I've read 213,438 comments on my channel over the last 11 years, + a few thousand extra from before KZfaq started reporting comment data. I think that shows pretty well how much I value your feedback. Thanks for keeping me motivated all this time and giving me fresh ideas! For my next video I'll be back to the wood gas series, and after that I think I'll be building a new solar project I'm really excited about. That is, if I don't get distracted by some other idea in the meantime. Share my videos with your friends if you'd like to, and the best way you can help is to watch my videos to the end. KZfaq promotes videos based on how long people sit through them, so watching until the end really helps my videos be seen by others. I've got a Patreon link in the video description as well if you're interested in supporting that way. Thanks for watching!

@dashankannan 5 жыл бұрын

love ya

@joeydubbs763 5 жыл бұрын

NightHawkInLight very cool, gonna have to try this one out I think. Can you tell me something please? The "cutting lance" you made awhile back, does the steel wool need to be all the way through the 5/8 brake line? Or is it just to get it started at the tip?

@Nighthawkinlight 5 жыл бұрын

Just at the tip.

@sgibbons77 5 жыл бұрын

Been watching your videos for years and even emulated a few of your projects. You make the absolute best content on KZfaq for the DIY crowd - that's what makes you my favorite provider, even over channels like the King of Random.

@BloodAsp 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all the hard work that goes into your videos! Also, IS IT SNOWING WHERE YOU ARE!?!?!?!?!?

@freddotu 5 жыл бұрын

The man has found a way to "force" people to listen to the sponsor bit. Watching the bird play kept me from closing the window.

@eidolor 5 жыл бұрын

His genius is omniapplicable

@TheGuruNetOn 3 жыл бұрын

Grabbing eyeballs!!

@m4th1js 3 жыл бұрын

I got that the first time I did see a video of him and thought "you genius!"

@stevenenglert2951 Жыл бұрын

Super slick

@ChemEDan Жыл бұрын

@ShifuCareaga 5 жыл бұрын

this video is an epic win for the engineering of simplicity alone

@tesla_tower 5 жыл бұрын

Yup

@deathsythelui 5 жыл бұрын

You get an instant like for that "cabbages hate him!" line in the thumbnail...

@ieuanhunt552 3 жыл бұрын

I'm reminded of the cabbage merchant from Avatar the last Airbender. MY CABBAGES!!!

@iliketobuildstuff7013 5 жыл бұрын

You should put a fog machine at the end of the air cannon (where the air comes in as it is fired) to show the movement of the air as it is fired. Would be really interesting.

@BobbyDukeArts 5 жыл бұрын

So simple, yet effective. Great design!

@pugboi4078 3 жыл бұрын

Oh hey, didn’t expect to see you here

@MasterBondOfficial 3 жыл бұрын

Yo hu bro

@shadowbread6616 5 жыл бұрын

Look. I'm not really sure why, but when you got to telling us about your sponsor my brain immediately skipped a beat and I thought you were going to say your bird was your sponsor. Your bird is also very cute.

@dhirajgupta9802 5 жыл бұрын

while everyone else is just putting out random videos to increase their volume you are putting enough time and research to make great videos love your work keep the quality content coming. hope you get a bigger team soon so as to create more content so that you can earn more so that we get to see more cool stuff.

@souravzzz 5 жыл бұрын

The idea of using plastic cups and rubber hose as burst disks is awesome in its ingenuity and cost-effectiveness. I love your long-running experiments the most; because they showcase the incremental nature of scientific progress and the long hours put by you into your projects.

@benjaminking4286 5 жыл бұрын

How about sabot ammunition? You might be able to penetrate multiple cabbages!

@canwenot573 5 жыл бұрын

I like that idea! Reminiscent of the US Navy's rail gun. Perhaps a small, fin stabilized projectile housed inside a polystyrene sabot. The projectile could be made of aluminum or some other lightweight substance and the magnets could be bonded to the sabot.

@TheEpictrooper 5 жыл бұрын

I've thought about that too. Using some sort of light foam (possibly pool noodle or even the foam that fake plants have) you could make the discarding aspect of the sabot and the projectile itself could be a nail or bolt. The fun part would be figuring out effective fins for stabilization.

@tylerchiu7065 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, just stuff multiple projectiles in there

@Edramon53 3 жыл бұрын

Would be interesting to see if you could shoot a real arrow or crossbow bolt like this, along with how large a vacuum would be needed to get equivalent force to the real weapon.

@Aquapod9 5 жыл бұрын

You know it's going to be a good day when NightHawkInLight uploads!

@brainfreeze1499 5 жыл бұрын

he's not a weird bird, he just knows what he wants and doesn't care what others think. and Awesome vacuum cannon!!

@rcbif101 5 жыл бұрын

Ditch the hand crank and string and replace with extra long wormgear actuator. Program it to jog back and forth pausing 3 seconds at each end. You can then rapid fire as fast as you can load and add the cup seal.

@coztac1991 5 жыл бұрын

1.3M subs and 52k views in a week, guys what the hell this is one of his best videos the amount of ingenuity needed to design this is amazing!

@stspy212 5 жыл бұрын

I could *almost* make this an semi/semi-automatic cannon with a few modifications. First, instead of pulling the piston all the way out of the pipe, add adequate ventilation holes to the pipe a foot or two before the tail end of the pipe. This will allow you to break the vacuum seal WITHOUT having to pull the piston out of the pipe. I imagine some power may be lost due to a slightly decreased air flow, but probably not much. Second, behind the ventilation holes add a large cutout that is large enough to compensate your projectiles. This is going to be your magazine receiver. After firing, pull the piston back behind this point which will allow another projectile to be loaded in. Third, add a pulley system of strong magnets that runs the length of the barrel. After you've fired and dropped another round in, the pulley system activates which pulls the piston back to the front of the barrel. You may need very powerful magnets for this. Some other trigger drops a cup into the end of the barrel (not sure how to accomplish this one). An automatically reloading and firing vacuum cannon that fires as fast as you can rotate some driving motor.

@joshlewis5065 5 жыл бұрын

Finally someone got this type of gun to fire good. I love this concept because it eliminates gunpowder and is pretty simple for the results you get

@cyphre 5 жыл бұрын

Fantastic idea with the plastic cup! Really simplifies the sealing process.

@jkimm7 5 жыл бұрын

A number of years ago I made a vacuum cannon nearly identical to your first one based off some designs I had seen online. I had always wanted to find a better burst disc and vacuum system that allowed for a faster reload. I'm so glad to see how you've improved this design over the past few years, it feels like you picked up where I left off and never got around to testing different methods. Keep up the awesome work! Always love your videos!

@unvergebeneid 5 жыл бұрын

As a new subscriber, I'm really impressed with the quality of the projects and the craftsmanship Wil Wheaton exhibits in these videos. Looking forward to future videos and supersonic styrofoam! :)

@back40snuts 2 жыл бұрын

what a phenomenally designed simple vacuum cannon. many people could make this with little skill and delicacy and its robust, cheap, effective, has faster use and is safer all from being well engineered. Well done!

@snigwithasword1284 5 жыл бұрын

So cool to see this old project become so refined!

@dividingbyzerofpv6748 4 жыл бұрын

Quite possibly the most refined and simple design yet.

@stuartpatterson1617 4 жыл бұрын

Longer tube you say? Did I just watch a video on bending PVC pipes with hot sand.... Coiled vacuum cannon here we come!

@sgibbons77 5 жыл бұрын

@thereindeertherabbitthebat592 8 ай бұрын

Could you imagine a discarding wadd with wooden buckshot or even round ball??? 🤔 Lead?!? 😱 Amazing design! Thanks for sharing this!

@SHRUGGiExyz 3 жыл бұрын

Honestly, your hard work and dedication to designing, engineering, and improving projects like these is exactly what I strive to be able to do someday. Tackling the challenge of making a vaccuum cannon AND making it this simple to build (for anyone who has access to a hardware store) is super impressive! I can't wait to see what new projects and refinements you come up with.

@julius2510 5 жыл бұрын

Since your last video I have thought about the valve problem in the front quite a lot and I have to say the cup is a genius idea. Great video!

@joeynovak07 5 жыл бұрын

That is awesome, I love the plastic cup seal, genius.

@dbayboyds409 5 жыл бұрын

Brilliant evolution of ideas. I’m so impressed at the refinements and simplification of the overall design. Thank you. I love how it keeps me thinking about whether I would have one up with the same solutions! Love your work!

@Jons007 3 жыл бұрын

Phenomenal!! I tried it with what I assume are bill collectors that came every week, knocking at my door at 7 am on weekends. I haven't seen them since. I assume it worked, but I won't know until they're released from the hospital. I'll keep you posted.

@lakedewitz7126 5 жыл бұрын

Can’t wait for the extra long vacuum cannon!!

@hilltop4847 5 жыл бұрын

I love seeing your "workaround solutions" for these projects, they're always simple yet elegant and make me go "Oooohhhh, makes sense." Thanks for such great videos, always look forward to your posts.

@askquestionstrythings 5 жыл бұрын

Very nice update. Looking forward to seeing your next project and the wood gas updates.

@eelcohoogendoorn8044 5 жыл бұрын

Really loving the simplicity of this design; its rare that someone innovates on something as tried and true as a vacuum cannon; so thats pretty awesome.

@Robslakes 4 жыл бұрын

Watched several of his videos now and they have this mesmerizing" how it's made" vibe to it I could just watch back to back to back.

@thefox347 5 жыл бұрын

Amazing improvements in design, I look forward to seeing future versions that I'm sure will be nothing less than ingenious.

@AndrewBennettScience 5 жыл бұрын

Darn it ... Looks like my "things to build for classroom demos" list just got longer. This is so much simpler to understand and more intuitive than a vacuum pump and burst disks. Time for an update to one of my favorites demos. Thank you!

@gary.richardson 7 ай бұрын

Another approach that might get a boost is to create a gun cotton or flash paper packing composite that can instantly disappear before encountering resistance. The cup idea is brilliant!

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Very nice creation! :-) Powerful.

@lloyd8620 5 жыл бұрын

Your videos are great and a lot better than The King of Random, especially because you actually build stuff and make improvements to things you have built, you don’t just fill balloons with flour or pour liquid salt in everything like they do, you definitely deserve a lot more subs.

@nobodysbusiness7773 5 жыл бұрын

Mr. Night Hawk Light , I am looking forward to seeing your videos and as soon as I get back to work. I want to help you with your needs to provide the great insight and share it with the rest of the geeks of Technologies. God bless. Thanks

@Pauls-Welt 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome how you improved the front sealing. This is truly genius! Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

@tjmmcd1 3 жыл бұрын

I've never taken even a high school level physics class before but I love how he explains it all in layman terminology. Blows my mind that the when 'broken,' the force of the ambient air entering the hand-made vacuum is such that it can send a projectile with such amazing velocity. He should be making millions of dollars by selling his demonstrational, real-life applicational videos as a supplement to school physics courses. Bravo!

@gazorpazorp9798 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the upload! Great video!

@Wraithsong 4 жыл бұрын

just a thought. make the end plug the projectile. simply have it recess just inside while wedging a bit near the edge. one less loading step perhaps

@vandmike87 5 жыл бұрын

The content you make is right up my alley and I love learning new things which each of the videos you make do.

@phil1692 5 жыл бұрын

Hey, I'm a long time fan of your channel and your videos are still the greatest!!! Would still love to see some of your oldschool homemade fireworks, but any of your projects is so interesting! Keep up the good work!

@RichardBronosky 5 жыл бұрын

These are great improvements! You've finally made it so attainable that I can justify making it with my daughters and giving it to my local Maker Space.

@Nighthawkinlight 5 жыл бұрын

Note that these cannons can backfire occasionally, so keep safety in mind.

@Kalanchoe1 5 жыл бұрын

very nice to see the development in these projects!

@anatineduo4289 5 жыл бұрын

Impressive upgrades! You are really refining this old favorite nicely!

@theophrastusbombastus8019 5 жыл бұрын

Because you read all the comments I take this opportunity to say that you are awesome, your ideas are awesome and this video helped me relax before an imoprtant exam tomorrow. Thank you. Also your bird is awesome.

@vcokltfre 5 жыл бұрын

*Sees you uploaded a new video* *Drop everything and watch sciency stuff*

@TheEpictrooper 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this innovation. I've been wanting to make either a scaled or full sized air cannon based off of German AT guns (have not decided which model). I sat there watching your older videos and thought "Could a chain or something else pull the piston?" I was worried to experiment myself but thanks to you it shows it will work just fine. Huge fan of yours. I'll probably start construction come spring.

@ThistlesGarden 5 жыл бұрын

I love that you've continued to perfect your design. I'm looking forward to the website; in addition to the finished products consider having PDF blueprints of some of your products as well.

@CriticalEatsJapan 5 жыл бұрын

Nice ---love all the improvements you made on this cannon!

@DEtchells 2 жыл бұрын

Great, clever solutions to the engineering challenges you encountered!

@Aquila67280 5 жыл бұрын

So many smart ideas in this project! Good job!

@michaelmaldonado7903 5 жыл бұрын

I have been a sub for at least 5 years still by far one of my favorite channels. Keep up the great work!

@alyssakent9925 5 жыл бұрын

This is a really fun looking toy, I have been playing with the wood gas myself as a byproduct of charcoal making. looking forward to seeing future vids.

@coolnegative 5 жыл бұрын

watching stuff blown apart like this still makes me giggle like a little boy! thanx for the smiles!

@jonkinzel6241 3 жыл бұрын

Man you should be really proud of yourself so simple but so brilliant the world is a better place for people like you in it!!!

@dwaynewladyka577 5 жыл бұрын

You have great videos. Love how you make projects and how you explain the science behind them. Keep up the great work. Cheers!

@rossmennie4903 5 жыл бұрын

Very interesting!! So simple yet so ingenious. Would like to se longer range.

@sachinsolanki7329 5 жыл бұрын

I’ve been watching your channel for many years now. Very worthwile

@ragingwillie483 2 жыл бұрын

you always make incredibly intelligent designs. so may ideas i can make with my children, to attempt to make learning fun for them. I, as well as i can be sure countless others, greatly appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us!!! THANK YOU!!!!

@russianfirepower5338 5 жыл бұрын

It takes time and hard work to upload on your channel, the results are always good, keep up the good work Ben!

@hamzaraissouli 5 жыл бұрын

Happy to see a new video! Great idea and execution. Would love to see the magnified version of it.

@darkpheonix77 5 жыл бұрын

my thought "hey that is an amazingly simple design and I could build that. almost anyone could" so I am going to. thank you very much. you are a great engineer.

@oddjobbob8742 2 жыл бұрын

At about 90 secs in I realized you would use the cord in the drum to pull the piston back and I wondered how you would get the cord back. Clever using the magnet. Cool gun. The cup corking the end is very clever. And as you draw the piston back the vacuum seats it better and it won’t distort, then as the projectile moves forward the pull in the cup lessens so it is easily discharged from the end. Cooler gun.

@gabewrsewell 5 жыл бұрын

awesome video, you've improved on the original design so much. love videos like this!

@the_golden_ingot 5 жыл бұрын

Great work as always! Can't wait for another Video!

@jayduffy7615 2 жыл бұрын

I love watching your videos. Keep up the awesome job! I'd really love to see you make a wood gasifier. FEMA posted the plans for one online. I really want to make one but if I watched you do it first, I know that I would learn much more. Especially about the science of it and the safety measures required to build or use one. Thanks again!

@TheEngineeringDutchman 5 жыл бұрын

Dude your video quality standards are always so high! Love it. Please do more with fire, love those slowmo's

@MinecraftTestSquad 5 жыл бұрын

Didn't even realize I was watching an ad since you trapped me watching that bird, lol

@AF6LJSue 2 жыл бұрын

Very Cool this works better than I would have expected.

@jojolowe2019 5 жыл бұрын

The idea to reload by using a magnet to drag the hook back is a really great idea!

@omegahunter9 5 жыл бұрын

Favorited! This design is awesome!

@JohnFleshman 5 жыл бұрын

This is a very solid win!!! I am so gonna make one someday.

@dontquestionjustbelieve5757 5 жыл бұрын

thank you so much for making videos they bring me so much joy

@tobyguthrie8726 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the amazing content been a huge fan for many years!!

@Brucey 5 жыл бұрын

*This is actually SOO COOL!!!😍*

@havemannmachineco9652 5 жыл бұрын

Nice video man. I always really appreciate your videos, they always inspire me to want to do my own projects!

@fryncyaryorvjink2140 5 жыл бұрын

How am I just now seeing this? Excellent work, I love the development of this new super weapon to surpass metal gear

@CreatingCreations 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome project! I really really want to try this one!

@ErikHerman 3 жыл бұрын

This is brilliant. I'm going to make one, today, for the Physics Bus!

@richardk6695 5 жыл бұрын

I absolutely love your videos you always have my direct attention as soon as your videos start your very well informed on all your topics thanks for all your videos

@JohnSmith-td7hd 5 жыл бұрын

Great idea! And great execution, too!

@b.a.t.. 5 жыл бұрын

Your projects are always amazing

@pikachu.922 5 жыл бұрын

the bird is a great way to get people to watch the sponsor spot

@ye11oman 4 жыл бұрын

This is going to be a great project for my Scout Troop

@zell9058 5 жыл бұрын

An elegant iteration on an already amazing creation! You deserve a Blue Ribbon.. hope you saved a few. 👍🍺💥

@TheLordReverend 5 жыл бұрын

Nice work I plan on making one over the summer when I have my sister's kids

@jjohnston94 5 жыл бұрын

You've got to get yourself a chronograph. No serious shooter is without one.

@tommysedin 5 жыл бұрын

Oh, looks like I'll be making a stop at the hardware store on the way home from work tomorrow!

@make485 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome video! Your filming and editing is really professional as always!

@ryanwatcher3747 3 жыл бұрын

You should be a host of a science tv show. You have a great voice and speaking ability. Or ever a narrator for a show or documentary. I can also relate to your regrets of not paying attention in school to all the math and now that you’re older wish you would have studied it harder.