Old Zapper Gun Into T-Rex Game Controller OR Meet Quit Button and Many More

Hi, makers, in this instructables, we are going to transform a old zapper gun, into a T-Rex Game controller or "Google Meet" quit button. Not this only but you can perform any other action by changing the shortcut-key. Now let’s see how to transform it.

• Old Zapper Gun
• Raspberry Pi Pico with Soldered male Headers
• Micro USB Cable
• Male to Female Jumper Wire x5
• 330 Ohm Resistor x1
• LED x1
• Buzzer x1
• Screw Driver
• Soldering Iron
• Solder Wire
• Thonny IDE

From this Zapper Gun, here we need only the trigger push button, trigger clip with the zapper gun case. For more clarification you can refer to the above images.

Here we are soldering the female wires so that in the further steps we can connect them to the male header of the pi pico.

Now solder the one male to female jumper wire to the common anode pin of the buzzer and led and another male to female jumper wire to the common cathode pin of the buzzer and led.

For Controlling the T-Rex Game OR performing any other action, here we are using the Pi Pico Microcontroller with the Soldered male Headers

·

• Long leg of LED & Buzzer → GP15 (Pico)

• Short Leg of Led & Buzzer→ GND (Pico)
• Brown Wire Pin of trigger push button → GND (Pico)
• Yellow Wire Pin of trigger push button →GP27 (Pico)
• Red Wire Pin of trigger push button → VBUS (Pico)

Now we are using the Thonny Python IDE for giving the instructions to the pi pico, so that when we trigger the push button then desired action can perform

·

• Download the Thonny Python IDE using this link
• Install it in your machine

• Download the CircuitPython UF2 file using this link
• Push and hold the BOOTSEL button and plug your Pico into the USB port of your computer. Release the BOOTSEL button after your Pico is connected.

Drag and drop the CircuitPython UF2 file onto the RPI-RP2 volume. Your Pico will reboot. You are now running CircuitPython.

add the adafruit_circuitpython_hid library for adding the keyboard and mouse capabilities in to the pi pico.

• Download the library by clicking this link
• Paste this lib folder into the Pi Pico Volume

Write the below code and save the file with the name of code.py. (If you are saving the file with some another name then in that condition you will have to upload the code each time when you plugged the pi pico.)

###################################################################################

import time

import usb_hid

import board

from digitalio import DigitalInOut, Direction, Pull

from adafruit_hid.keyboard import Keyboard

from adafruit_hid.keycode import Keycode

keyboard=Keyboard(usb_hid.devices)

btn1_Pin = board.GP27

led1_pin = board.GP15

btn1 = DigitalInOut(btn1_Pin)

btn1.direction = Direction.INPUT

btn1.pull = Pull.UP

led1 = DigitalInOut(led1_pin)

led1.direction = Direction.OUTPUT

while True:

if btn1.value:

led1.value = True

keyboard.press(0x2C)

else:

led1.value = False

keyboard.release(0x2C)

#######################################################################################

If you want to perform some another action using the same gun then in the line no. 18 & 21 just change the shortcut key according to your desired action & run the code again that’s it.

Click on this link to see the key code of any keyboard key.

Thank You. If you have any question
regarding anything don’t hesitate to ask. And don’t forget to share your work also.