Blast away your friends for hours on end with this custom laser tag system. Who needs to pay to play in an arena when you can make your very own game? Best of all, no special equipment is required, because the “guns” are regular universal TV remotes!
Step 1: Parts and Materials
This list includes enough parts to make two complete laser tag vests:
(2x) Safety vest
(2x) Arduino Micro (RadioShack #: 276-258)
(6x) IR receiver (RadioShack #: 276-640)
(2x) piezo transducer (RadioShack #: 273-073)
(6x) red LED (RadioShack #: 55050629) web only
(6x) 360 ohm resistor (RadioShack #: 55049382) web only
(6x) 100 ohm resistor (RadioShack #: 271-1311)
(2x) 1K ohm resistor (RadioShack #: 271-1321)
(10x) 0.1uF capacitor (RadioShack #: 55047557) web only
(2x) micro lever switch (RadioShack #: 275-016)
(2x) SPST slide switch (RadioShack #: 275-401)
(2x) 9V battery (RadioShack #: 23-2211)
(2x) 9V battery snap (RadioShack #: 270-324)
coroplast sheets (old political signs)
thread
sticky-back velcro
tape
Step 2: Design Overview
My main goals when designing the system were to keep it low cost and easily customized.
The main body is a cheap safety vest covered in bits of coroplast, which is the kind of corrugated plastic you’ll typically find in U.S. political campaign signs. Sensors are attached to hex-shaped cut-outs and sewn into the vest. I decided to use three sensors for my set of vests. Since they’re all wired in parallel, a “shot” to any one will trigger the whole system. An Arduino Micro serveds as the main controller for the system and is powered by a 9 volt battery. When any one of the sensors detects a “pre-programmed” hit from a remote, a piezo will beep a tune and LEDs will flash above the sensors.
Read more: Universal Remote Laser Tag