Electromagnetic Cannon Kit

Name: Electromagnetic Cannon Kit
Brand: The Science Hut
SKU: 1005006834622386-Default Title
Price: 29.95 USD
Availability:  InStock

$29.95

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Build Your Own Electromagnetic Cannon...

The coolest thing you'll build this year!

Build a real working electromagnetic cannon and discover the science behind magnetic propulsion. This electronics kit is a thrilling way to learn about circuits, energy transfer, and electromagnetism. A really cool kit to get your kids interested in science and a fantastic weekend project to do together! If you're looking for your next DIY electronics project, or shopping for a gift that will excite, this kit delivers. Great for teens and adults alike — it provides hours of hands-on building fun and a seriously cool gadget to impress your friends.

It's easy to assemble following our step-by-step illustrated instruction manual and packed with educational value. This kit is ideal for school demonstrations, science fairs, or just purely for the fun of the assembly. Once built, it shoots metal projectiles (included) using magnetic force—no gunpowder needed!

Refer to the dropdown sections below for further product information.

What's Included?

Includes all components required to build the Electromagnetic Cannon:

1 x Base printed circuit board (PCB)
1 x Top PCB
1 x Gun coil
6-pin magnetic ring inductor
1 x DS-316 push button
1 x Hull switch
1 x 2EZ91D5 Zener diode
1 x 1N4148 diode
1 x S9013 transistor
1 x 1000 µF 100V electrolytic capacitor
Resistors (1 kΩ, 10 kΩ, 5.1 kΩ, 470 kΩ)
3 x 5mm LEDs (red, green, blue)
Red and black wire set
1 x 2xAA battery box
1 x Cannon barrel
Cannon projectiles (metal slugs)
1 x Acrylic case (with fixtures and screws)

Refer to the image gallery for photographs of each component.

Learning Outcomes and Benefits

This kit is thrilling and fun to build, and comes with the added benefit of teaching all of the following:

Electromagnetism in action: Learn how electric current generates magnetic fields that can be used to create motion—think Maglev trains!

Capacitor energy storage: Explore how capacitors charge, store, and rapidly release energy and how this energy pulse can serve useful applications.

STEM engagement: Great tool for teaching physics and electronics through exciting, visible results.

Soldering and electronics skills: Develop hands-on skills assembling and testing real electronic circuits.

Scientific experimentation: Try launching different shapes and sizes of metal projectiles for comparative testing.

Electronic circuit comprehension: Learn how resistors, diodes, transistors and switches interact in real circuits to create functional devices.

Critical thinking: Sharpen your troubleshooting and problem-solving skills during build and testing phases.

Safe energy awareness: Learn about high-voltage components and proper handling of capacitors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is this kit safe for kids?
A: Yes—with adult supervision. The kit is designed for ages 12+ and uses safe low-voltage components. However, the 1000 µF capacitor requires care: always observe correct polarity and never exceed its voltage rating. Always discharge the capacitor before handling. Our detailed instruction manual covers safe handling of the capacitor in appropriate detail. Also, once the kit is assembled, the user is protected from touching the capacitor during use by the acrylic case. There is no risk of harm from the exposed copper coil on top of the cannon.

Q: What type of projectiles can I use?
A: The kit includes some lightweight stainless steel slugs, but you can experiment with different sizes and metals. For best results, stick to small ferromagnetic projectiles (steel and iron work well—try making your own lightweight slugs from steel wool). Lighter projectiles generally travel further.

Q: How powerful is the cannon?
A: It’s designed for educational use, not as a weapon. Projectiles launch at low velocity and are unlikely to cause harm. Still, always use with care—don't aim at windows, people or animals.

Q: How accurate is the launch?
A: The cannon is reasonably consistent, especially after a few test fires. Expect a variation of ±10–15% in distance over multiple launches due to slight differences in projectile placement, timing, and charge retention.

Q: Is this kit suitable for teaching students in schools/colleges?
A: Absolutely! It's far easier to set-up and maintain than the traditional rail-gun experiment that school/college physics labs traditionally use, and teaches the same concepts. It also takes up considerably less space!

Product Specifications

Dimensions (approx., when completed):

Length (including barrel): 12.3 cm
Width: 8.8 cm
Height (including coil): 7.8 cm

PCB Type: All through-hole components.

Case material: clear acrylic with steel and brass fixtures.

Power Supply: Includes a battery compartment for 2 x AA batteries (not included) - operating voltage: 3.0V DC.

Projectiles: Stainless steel, weight: approx. 1.0 gram each.

Input (charging) current: approx. 50 mA

Emission (firing) current: approx. 75 mA

Assembly and Usage Info

Anyone can build this Electromagnetic Cannon kit following our detailed step-by-step instruction manual which can be downloaded from the link below. The password to open the manual was sent to the same email that you placed your order from. Can't find it? Just Contact Us!

Download: Electromagnetic Cannon Kit Instruction Manual

Skill Level: Intermediate
Age Rating: 12+ (adult supervision required for under 16's)
Assembly Time: Typically 2-4 hours

Tools and Materials Required

Tools required for this kit

Soldering iron
Solder wire

We sell these items as a bundle for just €25.95 (or currency equivalent) which saves 10 percent! Just click the link below to select your countries plug type and add to your order.

SOLDERING IRON & WIRE BUNDLE

Of course, you only need to buy the tools once; you'll use them again and again for your future electronics projects!

Links and References

Our blogs & videos related to electronics kits:

Ultimate Guide to Electronics Kits

STEM Electronics as a Hobby

Youtube video: Tools, tips and tricks for soldering electronics kits

Shipping and Warranty Info

Shipping Information

Orders are processed and dispatched within 1–2 business days. Typical delivery times for this product, depending on region are:

EU: 7-14 days
UK: 5-12 days
US / Canada: 6-11 days
Australia: 7-14 days

All orders are shipped with tracking, where available. Please refer to our Shipping Policy page for further detail.

Warranty & Satisfaction Guarantee

All electronics kits come with a 14-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy with your purchase, contact us and we’ll arrange a refund or replacement — no hassle. Please note that to qualify for a replacement or refund, kits must be in their original, unused condition. Please refer to our Returns and Refunds policy for more information.

Packaging

We aim to minimize waste while protecting your order. All electronic kits are securely packaged in padded mailing bags containing anti-static ESD bags and/or rigid plastic boxes (depending on the product) to ensure the safety of the electronic components. An example of electronics kit packaging can be viewed HERE. If you're purchasing this item as a gift and would rather that it was in a box, we also sell quality gift boxes at the following link: Quality Gift boxes.

Ships from: International Warehouse

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appears to be a quality kit

have not had time to build it yet, parts appear to be of high quality, only negative is the print size of the instructions wish they were big print. instructions for the kit, UPDATE 4 July 2025 i was finally able to download the instructions from the website for the kit, they are an easier print type to read and understand. i will probably change my rating to 5 stars after i assemble the kit. great customer service.

Hello Sceca, thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate it. Note that the instructions that are included with the kit are very basic. Please access the comprehensive instruction manual available from our website at the following link: https://thesciencehut.com/pages/electronics-kit-instruction-manuals - the manual requires a password to open which was emailed to you after your order was placed. Feel free to reach out to us on info@thesciencehut.com if you need any help.

Fun Buils

Only one issue regarding the firing coil picture and description which was resolved quickly via email with you. My second build, heart being first. Satisfaction with both. Definitely recommend this company.

Hello Walter, thank you for taking the time to leave this review, we really appreciate it. Glad we were able to help you resolve the issue and that you managed to successfully build you electromagnetic cannon. And thank you so much for your recommendation of our company, it's what we strive for every day :)

Well designed

It's a good toy. I found it easy to assemble, despite my 75 year old eyes. The solder resist on the board really helps making good joints with little spillage. It works OK. I didn't expect anything spectacular, but the kids find it a bit underwhelming. The instructions say you can fire conducting non ferromagnetic materials with it, but mine won't fire aluminium. Nor will the red LED come on.

Hello Steve, thank you for taking the time to leave this review; we really appreciate it and happy to hear you enjoyed building it. With respect to firing of other materials, I've passed your feedback onto the technical team to see if some clarification or correction is needed in the instruction manual—if changes are made, we'll of course reach out to you to let you know. It can take 2-3 minutes for the red LED to come on, depending on the quality of the batteries being used. Our team tested the device with many different batteries from different providers and they found that new Duracell batteries performed the best, allowing the greatest number of full charges before they couldn't fully charge the capacitor up fully anymore. Word of caution is where you purchase the batteries—lot of thrift stores sell batteries that are branded as 'Duracell' and other mainstream brands, but they are in fact knock-offs that just don't have the 'juice' required to charge this device up fully.

Three Major Issues!

Got this for my 10 year old grandson's birthday. It was a great project to work on together, and plenty of soldering and different components to teach proper skills and understanding. The anticipation of seeing the cannon work was palpable. However, after assembling it (about 5 hours), it didn't work :(. Fortunately, I have a multimeter that allowed me to check various parts of the circuit out. It turns out that there are two major issues: 1. Step #11 (concerning the wiring of the capacitor) is incorrect and 2. There are two traces (wires) missing on the top PCB board (leading from the push button to the coil). This could never work as provided. After figuring that out, I installed 2 new wires and the system worked just fine and 3. The system never charges to 100%, leading to a rather pathetic 2 feet or so of flight time when level. It charges to 50% in 10 seconds or so. It works well enough to have lost a metal pellet under some furniture :). I wonder how many of these kits ended up in a drawer or the trash due to these issues?

Hello Richard, thank you for taking the time to review this product. We have sold many of these cannon kits and have excellent reviews (as you can see below), so many customers are happy with the kit. I assure you, there are no missing connections/wires on the PCB... each unit is produced by an automated computerised manufacturing process that makes every one exactly the same and the kit works when assembled as per the instruction manual. You mention the coil was missing wires, we suggest you double-check the installation of that component since there are 6 colour-coded wires on it—if they are not soldered to the correct locations on the PCB, your cannon might not work. This is probable since you stated that you installed two new wires to the coil and it worked afterwards... the additional wires you installed likely bridged an error in the installation of the coil which is why you got it to work after installing them. With respect to the firing efficiency, please ensure you're using high-quality batteries that have sufficient charge in them—low firing efficiency is almost always due to spent or low quality batteries that just don't have the 'juice' to be able to fully charge up a 1000µF capacitor. We have a technical team that can support if you'd like help in troubleshooting further, just drop us an email to info@thesciencehut.com including photographs of your soldering connections.

Got my 12 year old this

Fantastic kit. Needed a bit of tinkering once it was made which was a very good learning curve because most things you build do. Would definitely recommend.

Hi Adam, thank you very much for taking the time to leave this review, we really appreciate it! Nice to hear that you've enjoyed the project and learned something along the way.

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