The Hacksmith: Mei's Ice Blaster

2019-03-22 | By The Hacksmith

License: See Original Project Programmers

This project was created by Engineering Superheroes of Hackmith Industries.

DO NOT ATTEMPT to Re-Create

If you play Overwatch, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of having your character slowed by her blizzard or having an ice wall dropped in front you when you’re about to get an elimination. Mei’s endothermic blaster allows her to manipulate the climate on a small level, causing extreme temperature drops and effectively makes it a cold-gun. Think Mr. Freeze or Captain Cold from the DC Universe.

Naturally, the Hacksmith team couldn’t resist making one.

There have been several Overwatch projects made for the “Make it Real” series over the years. On Maker.io, there is Zarya’s Particle Cannon and Torbjörn's Turret. On the Youtube channel, there are even more Overwatch creations, like Reinhardt’s rocket hammer, Genji’s sword, and Doomfists’ hand cannon.

Elena, a student from the University of Waterloo, took the lead in designing this re-creation of Mei’s endothermic blaster. You might remember her Pandora's Box re-creation. See how it works in the video below!

How Does it Work?

The source of the cold is a CO2 fire extinguisher tank that can be carried like a backpack. The high-pressure CO2 is plumbed to a nozzle in the blaster, and when triggered, the rapid pressure drop causes an extreme temperature drop.

The tank is lit by LEDs and is powered by a 12-volt battery and is activated by a switch. This switch also connects the battery to the linear actuator, so the tank needs to be turned on in order for the blaster to shoot ice. The 12-volt battery also powers another LED on the blaster.

When the trigger is pulled, the linear actuator opens the valve to release blasts of dry ice. A 12V to 5V voltage regulator is used to step down the power to power the linear actuator. A 2 relay module was also added to the linear actuator and will close if a hose breaks instead of spraying dry ice blasts all over the place. The gun also has a laser to help with aiming.

More Hacksmith Creations From Overwatch

If you’d like to see more projects from Overwatch, be sure to check these ones out on Maker.io! You can also find more on the Hacksmith Youtube Channel.

Torbjörn's Turret

Zarya’s Particle Cannon

More Hacksmith Video Game Projects on Maker.io

There are more Hacksmith projects on Maker.io from games like PUBG, Fortnite, Warcraft, Rainbow Six and more!

Electric PUBG Buggy

Fortnite Krypton Slicer Sword

QWOP Made Real

Rainbow Six Siege Twitch Drone

Rainbow Six Blitz Shield

Making Frostmourne's Aura Come to Life