top of page

Ghostbusters Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit Project

About this Project

The Ghostbusters Proton Pack is likely the most frequently replicated movie prop of the Ghostbusters series.

 

Not that these replicas carry an endorsed lifetime guarantee for protection against all the foul evils of Zuul’s Underworld, but they sure look fabulous and attract a lot of interested attention from the grateful adoring public.

​

For constructing a contemporary Proton Pack prop replica, the more creative amongst us are quite capable of making their own backpack shell or there are a few kits of backpack empty shell plastics available. Though the available shells may vary in quality, they basically have the same authentic-looking features, hopefully with provisions for some Power Cell and Cyclotron lights and that’s where this Proton Pack Lighting project comes in.

Bringing Your Proton Pack To Life

Overview of the Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit

The inanimate nature of plastics, however perfect looking, can benefit from some nice attractive visual motion to breathe glowing life into them.

 

Here we’ll look at the new high-tech Proton Pack Lighting Kit. In a dramatic updating of technology since the 1980s original, the filament bulbs are replaced with high-brightness LEDs, the spaghetti of hot electronics is now a small PCB containing a microprocessor and the battery required is just a  little 9V PP3.

What You Get In Your Lighting Kit

Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit Components
Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit Wiring

This comprehensive kit includes all the electronic components and the wiring needed for lighting up the Power Cell and Cyclotrons of your backpack. You need some electronics construction and soldering ability to build the PCBs from their step-by-step instructions, but once they are built, the wiring together of the PCBs is straight forward. All achieved with push-fit connections and screw terminals, so there’s no risk of melting a nasty hole through your otherwise immaculate looking backpack plastics.

Power Cell Control PCB and Lighting

Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit Power Cell LEDs
Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit Sideways LEDs

The 112mm x 35mm Power Cell Control PCB has ten massive 10mm diameter bright blue LEDs, which ‘fill-up’ cyclically as a vertical bar from bottom to top, just as they do in the movie prop. For installation flexibility, you can fit the LEDs flat against either side of the PCB or you can face them at 90 degrees outwards towards the side of the PCB, whatever is best for fitting into your shell. You could also opt for flying-lead wiring of the LEDs and have them remotely attached to the PCB or you could fit 5mm or 8mm diameter LEDs instead. The LEDs are mounted so they shine through the rectangular Power Cell viewing slot in your shell.

​

There’s also a pushbutton on the PCB that reverses the direction of the ‘fill-up’, thus giving the convenience for you to install the PCB into your shell either way up.

​

Also on the PCB is a Speed Control, so you can set the rate at which you want the Power Cell to ‘fill-up’. In the movies this is about once per second.

​

The screw terminals on the Power Cell Control PCB are for supplying it with battery power and for connecting the wires to the Cyclotron PCBs. If you prefer, you can omit the screw terminal connectors and solder wires direct to the Control PCB.

​

​The four M3 size holes in the PCB can be used for mechanical fixings. Hot glue or adhesives might also work but may be more difficult if you ever have to remove the PCB for any reason, and you also have to be careful of heat with electronic components.

Cyclotron PCBs and Lighting

Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit PCBs

Each of the four 25mm diameter Cyclotron PCBs has three huge 8mm diameter bright red LEDs, or you could fit 5mm LEDs instead if you wish. The four Cyclotrons are illuminated cyclically one after another; every time the Power Cell LEDs ‘fill-up’ to the top, the next Cyclotron in sequence is illuminated.

​

You can choose if the three red LEDs on each illuminated Cyclotron are shown statically-on like the filament light bulbs in the movies, or if they spin around giving a higher-tech animated effect.

​

You fit the LEDs onto the top of the four PCBs to face outwards through the four circular shell holes and the wiring connectors go on the bottom of the PCBs towards the inside of the shell.

​

The kit comes with a choice of wiring connectors, straight or angled, so you can easily choose how best to wire up your Cyclotrons to the Power Cell PCB. Alternatively, you can dispense with the connectors and solder wires directly onto the Cyclotron PCBs.

​

Mechanical fixings are provided by two M2 size holes in each PCB and, as with the Power Cell Control PCB, beware the caveats of hot glue or adhesives.

Easy to Wire Up

Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit Wired Up

Each Cyclotron has a group of four 50cm wires that drive it, coming from the screw terminals on the Power Cell Control PCB. The four connections are straight forward and direct, simply labelled +A, +B, +C and Minus. You just need to wire +A to +A, +B to +B and so on for each Cyclotron.

​

The PP3 9V battery power supply is wired to a couple of screw terminals via whatever power switch you’d like to use.

Instructions and YouTube Video

Proton Pack Cyclotron Lighting Kit Detailed Instructions

Your kit comes with fully illustrated detailed assembly instructions explaining how to construct the PCBs and how to wire up your project, and there’s a YouTube instructions walk-through video showing you every aspect of assembling and testing.

Watch the full step-by-step instructions video on YouTube:

Your Finished Proton Pack Lighting Project

Your complete Lighting Kit really looks remarkable and will for sure attract a lot of admiration.

​

If you want your Proton Pack lighting to be that little bit more special and unique or if there’s any electronics or lighting effects for your other movie prop replicas that you’d like, drop us email with your thoughts and we’ll be very happy to help turn your imaginations into enviable reality.

​

Just remember that however amazing and authentic looking your finished Ghostbusters Proton Pack is with this fabulous lighting kit, if there’s something strange in your neighbourhood you probably want to give the experts a call.

bottom of page