One Maker Turned a Decade-Old Dream Into a Working EMP Rifle

Years ago, a teenager became obsessed with basic high-voltage gear and dreamed about something bigger. Fast forward to now, and the maker known as Schizo, has just finished building a full-sized handheld device that emits a strong electromagnetic pulse.

Before he could print anything, Fusion software had meticulously planned out the entire project. He’s also made certain that the high-voltage components do not come into contact with the grip while it is in place. The ground wire exit is securely hidden away in an exterior tube to prevent accidental shorting, and slots around the top allow an insulated screwdriver to bleed off any stray charge once he turns it off. That’s because this machine handles with so many volts that you’d be crazy to feel safe at any time.

Bambu Lab’s A1 Combo printer turned the digital files into actual pieces, giving the gun the smooth, clean finish you’d expect from a professional. The way everything came together was also seamless, as the rifle houses everything from the batteries in the foregrip to the main pulse components by the muzzle. Metric screws are all over the place, holding everything together while also allowing him to make adjustments on the fly. There’s no fancy work or frills here; simply sensible, utilitarian design that keeps everything balanced and ready to go.

At the center is a Marx generator made up of several stages, each with two 15kv ceramic caps wired in series to relieve some pressure. Resistors snaffle the charge for the capacitors from a flyback transformer powered by a ZVS circuit. When the voltage reaches a certain level, the first spark gap fires, followed by the others, and suddenly, whoosh, everything releases as a single, quick hit rather than a trickle. The end result is a bloody intense pulse that travels through a copper coil at the front, creating a shifting magnetic field all around the gun.

He gets the show started with two 3 cell lithium ion batteries, and a safety switch and spring-loaded trigger are linked to a limit switch that controls when it fires. A motor governor regulates the voltage, allowing the generator to operate smoothly.It’s also worth mentioning that he’s taken great care in routing the wires and has even gone above and beyond to smooth out all of the solder connections after spotting tiny corona discharges leaking energy during early tests, which improves performance and keeps it from getting too bulky.

Electricity and magnetism interact in relatively simple ways that anyone can understand. A changing magnetic field induces current in any nearby conductor. The faster the magnetic field changes, the more of a push you receive. The Marx generator is one of the devices capable of delivering such a quick shift. When the coil lets go of its charge, the pulse radiates out and produces voltages in any neighboring circuits. Sensitive chips are the first to notice the effect because they typically operate at extremely low voltages and cannot simply ignore the additional energy. It all comes together with Maxwell’s equations, but the basic calculation is rather simple: a rapid pulse indicates a broader disruption.

Testing began cautiously, as the first shots from the coil caused a pocket calculator resting just a few inches away to flicker and reset, for example. Next, a multimeter detected the induced voltage from a distance but eventually failed when brought closer. A desktop computer, on the other hand, felt the effects through its glass case from more than four feet away, but only had occasional faults on screen. In a darkened environment, you could see the spark gaps inside the cannon illuminate in fast small flashes through the printed infill. Intermittent results improved slightly, but the overall range remained rather small. Nonetheless, it was evident that the gadget operated far better than the maker’s previous attempts.