Control Your Lamp or Other Small Devices Using an NES Zapper

Anyone who grew up in the ’80s and owned a Nintendo system surely played their fair share of Duck Hunt. In the game, players used the NES Zapper to shoot 8-bit ducks as they appeared on the TV screen. But what do you do when you still own the iconic game accessory? If you’re Warner Skoch, you transform it into a controller for your lamp or other small device.

To accomplish this, the developer used a couple Arduino clones — one in the Zapper with an IR emitter, and another in a box with an IR receiver. This box is also equipped with an outlet to plug in your lamp or other gadget.

The zapper sends a message to the receiver, which then turns the relay inside the enclosure on and off. The actual IR receiver part is actually mounted behind a duck made from Perler beads.

Have an old Zapper lying around? Then check out Skoch’s tutorial here!