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DIY Bird Launcher AKA Zinger Winger Knock-Off

jagermeister

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A buddy and I undertook a pretty substantial project a couple weeks ago when we decided to build our own bird launchers, which are used for dog training and hunt tests/trials. A brand new launcher from the factory usually costs almost 400 bucks, and remote electronics add about another 300. When it's all said and done, we'll have less than $175 in each one including the electronics.

Here is a link to the Zinger Winger website. They, along with Gunners Up, make the two best bird launchers IMO.
http://zingerwinger.com/xcart/home.php?cat=265


So I did a TON of research before attempting this build. Homemade wingers are nothing new. Guys have been doing this for years, so I'm certainly not a trend setter by any means. One of the more popular DIY builds is done with PVC pipe. I had a conduit bender so we decided to go with 3/4" EMT conduit instead. I'm very happy with the results but I will say that drilling almost 40 separate holes in each winger (WE MADE 4 OF THEM---160 holes) was a royal pain in the fuggin ass. But it's incredibly stout and should hold up for a long time.

Sorry, I did not really take any pictures during the entire build process so this is a pretty shitty DIY thread but hey, you can't win 'em all. That's what Google is for, right? Besides, you can figure it out by looking at the finished pics anyway.

Right now I'm waiting on our remotes to ship from China so they are currently only manually-operated. In the meantime I am piecing together the actuator assemblies and control boxes. The pouch is clipped to a trigger-style bow release which is bolted through the lower crossbar. Off to the side of that will be a car door lock actuator that will put the trigger with small cable or PowerPro fishing line (no stretch). Running the actuator will be a 12V battery connected to a 2-channel RF receiver... One channel will operate the actuator, the other channel will power a Piezo 102dB siren (for getting the dog's attention when necessary). So, each launcher has 2 channels... The remotes are 6-channel remotes... So each remote will operate up to 3 launchers. Follow me? Each control box will house the battery, 2-channel receiver, a power switch so the battery doesn't go dead, the siren, and two external positive and negative studs for attaching alligator clips for a battery charger.

Let's get right to it. Here's a few pictures of the somewhat-finished product and a brief video showing the launch of a training bumper. It will launch a bumper close to 35 yds and will throw a dead frozen duck about 20 yds with a nice arc.







[video=youtube;oHdx8bAMVgI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHdx8bAMVgI[/video]

Here's a brief parts list for one launcher:
35' - 3/4" EMT conduit
4 - 3/8" zinc coated pulleys
1 - bow release (tru fire patriot)
Gunner's Up replacement parts - bird pouch, welded rings, pulley hangers
Thera band silver fitness bands (gotta experiment with these - ours are about 22" pre-stretch
x - zip ties
x - 1.5 and 2.5" 1/4-20 bolts, flat washers, nylon lock nuts
2 - tarp hooks
1 - eye bolt, washers, and lock nut for the pouch attachment

And the electronics are listed above.

It's going to be a couple weeks before I get the remotes but hopefully I can snap a few more pics to follow up. These are really nice training tools for hunting retrievers because they allow you to set up long throws without the need for a helper. I train a lot by myself in addition to training with friends so these will really come in handy. These launchers really open up a lot of various training opportunities.
 
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hickslawns

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Very nice write up. Think I'll put it on my blog, take full credit for the idea, and then pimp the story to some magazines as my own idea. (Isn't that what happened to your last DIY you posted? lmao)
 

CJD3

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Nice work Jim!
I don't have a bird dog but it did get me wondering what I could launch with it... mischeif.gif
 
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jagermeister

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Jim,
You realize you are This Close to getting into Punkin Chunkin!!!
(o sure. it all starts innocently enough...)


http://www.punkinchunkin.com/





Ha! Funny you mention that. Because pumpkin chunkin was a motivational tool for us. We strongly considered building a trebuchet design for launching birds instead of the winger-style. The trebuchet just wouldn't have been practical for our application. lol
 

jagermeister

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man this is sweet! I'm definitely going to have to build me some of these
Your new pup will thank you for it. They really aren't that difficult to build... Just a bit time consuming. I started on one of the control boxes last night and hopefully tonight I can test the electronics. Pics to come...
 

teej89

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Your new pup will thank you for it. They really aren't that difficult to build... Just a bit time consuming. I started on one of the control boxes last night and hopefully tonight I can test the electronics. Pics to come...

I was thinking of just buying em but if I can build it there's a lot more satisfaction out of that. Thanks for the idea! Can't wait to see how the electronics work out!
 

jagermeister

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In the midst of many other things I was actually able to get one of these control boxes finalized last night. I don't have time for the pics yet but I'll get them posted up soon as I can. I'm waiting on a few little parts to complete the other three but hopefully by this weekend it'll be done. Surprisingly, the range of these cheap little RF remotes and receivers is very impressive. With a clear line of sight, and the receiver's antenna extended, I was able to operate the control box from over 300 yards away. I think these are going to work out just fine. :)
 
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teej89

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Have you thought of trying to figure out a way to get it to set off a primer too? That'd be the icing on the cake!
 

jagermeister

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Have you thought of trying to figure out a way to get it to set off a primer too? That'd be the icing on the cake!
Yeah I have thought about it but I don't think I'm going to mess with it. I want the boom coming from my gun beside the dog not out there at the winger.
 

jagermeister

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Sorry, I know it's been a while but I finally got around to updating this thread. Below is a very much abbreviated breakdown of my homemade remote electronics.

Parts for each control box:
Plastic project box
Switch
12V rechargeable battery
102 dB piezo siren
2 - screw down audio jacks
2-wire pigtail
12V 2-channel RF receiver

OK so here goes. Basically the 12V battery is connected to the RF receiver through the switch. The receiver then feeds the piezo siren and the outlet pigtail, each on their own separate channel. This allows one button of the remote to activate the siren (to get young dog's attention) and the other activates the car door lock actuator (which triggers the release). Now, I wanted this box sealed up, but yet keep capability of charging the battery... So the screw down audio jacks are wired directly to the battery (not through the switch). With the box all sealed up, I just attach the clips from my battery charger to those two exterior lugs. After testing everything and happy with it, I epoxied the battery to the interior of the box so that it wouldn't jiggle around and fugg everything up.

So far everything works like a charm and I'm really happy with the control boxes. Just set up the launcher, plug in the control box, turn switch to ON, and she's ready to launch birds. Everything for my electronics was purchased through either Amazon or RadioShack.

Oh, and a really nice thing about these control boxes is that having the charging lugs on the outside also lets me power up other pieces of equipment. At a hunt test a couple weeks ago, I ran a 12V portable fan on Betty's crate, simply clipped to the lugs on my control box. Very slick.
 

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