How does the laser gun work?

[amazon10x]

Ok, I would like to know how those laser guns work (e.g. The orange gun that was used for Duck Hunt on NES). A link would be fine if thats all you've got.

[cack01]

They are actually called light guns. When you shoot, the TV screen refreshes, and there is a line drawn across the screen when the refresh happens. Remember this is at 60hz (depending on where you live) so its not easy to see. Anyway, you're pointing your gun at the screen, and the gun is essentially a light sensor. When the part of the screen which the gun is pointing at gets drawn over with white, the sensor in the gun detects it and then tells the game "I can see white now, I'm pointing at the part of the screen you've just drawn". At this point the game can work out how far down the screen it has drawn, and how far along the current line, which gives a pretty accurate position of where the gun is pointing. At this point it no longer needs to flood the screen in white and can carry on drawing the game scene for the rest of the frame.

The game then draws a "splat" mark or whatever on the screen where the gun is pointed and kills off any baddie or whatever at that position on the screen. You think you've shot them, when it's actually the screen firing at you.


Edited with better info and to make sense.

[cack01]

here is a pic of the inside of one of my guns. Its a very simple circuit. The solenoid on top is used for recoil.

[TommyHolly]

Also, it confuses the gun when you set the brightness all the up on your TV into thinking you hit your taget becuase it registers light.

When you usually hit something, it paints light at a certain spot, but when you turn the brightness up...EVERYTHING has light and it thinks you hit your target.

[jacheatamobits]

so could you go to the arcade, and rig up a battery powered LED on the front of the gun, and like, totaly destroy any shooting game there is?

btw Silent ScopeII is still my fav.

[SniperXX]

cack01- Nice description and dead on correct. You explained it better when I tryed explaining it to my friend the first time, lol. Also, thats an interresting pic, thanks for posting.

[amazon10x]

Hmm, thanks for explaining that cack, The other day I was using one and I thought, "How do these things work?". Now it all makes sense, also, thanks for the pic.

[TommyHolly]

and knowing is half the battle... Yoooooooooo JOE!

[DayUSeX]

oh very cool they work alot differntly then i though, thn xfor the nfo

[Robrules18]

Tommy I can't resist when you said that, heres some funny parodies of those GIjoe learning things after the episode, WARNING: foul language but no suggestive themes.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/gijoe.html

my fave is the 2nd one from the bottom or the "penultimate" one there i used my big word of the day.

[Remove]

THOSE ARE FRIKICKING HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[Falcon-K]

i love when the fire guy says pork chopped sandwhiches

[Smartiepants]

Wow, I always wondered how those things worked.

[Aktunka]

Who wants a body massage?!

[amazon10x]

body massage? Is that from the video's? I think we have gotten a little off topic

[BigSmokey]

Originally posted by jacheatamobits
so could you go to the arcade, and rig up a battery powered LED on the front of the gun, and like, totaly destroy any shooting game there is?

btw Silent ScopeII is still my fav.

I would like to know about this. Do the arcade guns work the same?

[cack01]

Yes they work the same.

I doubt it would work. The gun is looking for the exact moment it sees light (white), it then compares it to where the game drew the object. So basically its a timeing thing. I think it would just really mess with the games head. But I could be wrong though.

[Blue_Dragon1521]

amazon10x u have 'duckhunt'? cool same here the lil orange lazer gun rite.? i took it apart and made myself a gun like the ones they have in lazer quest... it kool.. how it works i am not that sure. i can look into that though:D