Second FIRST Ball Launcher

[generalbrando]

For the record, it wasn't targeted at the light. We did two test fires. The second one you saw. The first hit the wall 3 ft below the ceiling. This difference is obviously due to holding the plate in place rather than mounting it. The ceiling looks damaged in the video, but it's not. The panel popped up and we put it back in. We did more damage with the tetras and our robot arm last year.

So again, while I emphasize that I agree this was not safe, I'll argue two points: We took our time reducing safety hazards and we made this prototype and posted the video here for the benefit of everyone knowing that kit parts can do launch the ball effectively. Diagrams and math are great, but we rest easier at night knowing that we won't build a complex mechanism only to have the ball go no more than 5ft.