# The ion ray gun - the closest device to a REAL proton pack!

**URL:** <https://forum.gbfans.com/t/the-ion-ray-gun-the-closest-device-to-a-real-proton-pack/28773>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Created:** [May 20, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/the-ion-ray-gun-the-closest-device-to-a-real-proton-pack/28773 "2011-05-20T17:17:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Devil\_Master](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@Devil\_Master](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/Devil_Master)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/the-ion-ray-gun-the-closest-device-to-a-real-proton-pack/28773/1 "2011-05-20T17:17:44Z")

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As I [wrote](http://forums.ghostbusters.net/showthread.php?t=8111) in the [Ghostbusters.net](http://Ghostbusters.net) forum, it’s impossible to build a backpack-sized [cyclotron](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/equipment/proton-pack/cyclotron), but there is a real device that comes very close to the operating principle of a [proton pack](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/equipment/proton-pack): the **ion ray gun**. It’s basically a portable pulsed high voltage power supply where the signals from two 555 timers are amplified through a transistor, two step-up transformers and a Cockcroft-Walton multiplier. This creates enough voltage to ionize the air near the discharge terminal; the positive ions so obtained are repelled by the terminal because it has a positive charge too.

I built an ion ray gun from the plans on Robert Iannini’s book **Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius** and made a video where I show some of the interesting effects that can be obtained with it:

[![](https://discdn.gbfans.com/original/3X/a/c/ac5530dfa4907c555994acf46a6a4ef2734dc67d.jpeg "Experiments with an ion ray gun") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LabLee1My-A)

The video also shows what is my absolutely favorite part from **any** episode of [The Real Ghostbusters](https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/games/the-real-ghostbusters-activison), because it’s the one that comes the closest to describing an ion ray gun. And after that clip, I **repeat** the experiment it showed! (of course, without any ghost 😃 )

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**Author:** ![Not404Error](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/ecb155/32.png) [@Not404Error](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/Not404Error)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/the-ion-ray-gun-the-closest-device-to-a-real-proton-pack/28773/2 "2011-05-20T20:03:58Z")

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This belongs in general discussion at best.

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**Author:** ![jackdoud](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/6a8cbe/32.png) [@jackdoud](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/jackdoud)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/the-ion-ray-gun-the-closest-device-to-a-real-proton-pack/28773/3 "2011-05-22T02:14:42Z")

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Are you from the upper west side?

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**Author:** ![Devil\_Master](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@Devil\_Master](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/Devil_Master)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/the-ion-ray-gun-the-closest-device-to-a-real-proton-pack/28773/4 "2011-05-22T13:33:28Z")

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> [@jackdoud](#):
>
> Are you from the upper west side?

As a matter of fact, yes, I am. 🙂

I’m from [Piedmont](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont), which, as you can see from the map in the article I just linked, is in the upper west side of Italy.