ppg

[DaRkEnEdStAr]

what does ppg stand for ?

i allways thought it was personal protection gun ,
but someone told me it stood for phased plasma gun

who is right ?

 

[Sindatur]

I am relatively sure one of the "P"s does indeed stand for Plasma, if that helps any.

 

[B5_Obsessed]

The guns are Phased Plasma Guns, PPGs, which fire superheated helium bursts (in limited amounts, so you have to swap out energy caps after a fairly brief period)

 

[PillowRock]

Yeah, they fire plasma (essentially really hot gas) because "slug throwers" are a threat to hull integrity, which is a big deal in space.

The "phased" part, I would assume, refers to the plasma being somehow made to be all in the same "phase", all the same frequency in some sense. This would be analagous to light from laser being in phase so that it stays coherent and doesn't spread. That would be the same goal here, to have the "shot" of plasma be coherrent enough that it wouldn't just spread throughout the room and so that the energy wouldn't disperse over a wide area too soon for the shot to be effective.

Hence Phased Plasma Gun.

 

[Quagmire]

I belive the phased refers to it being a superheated gas. Perhaps the caps contain a solid or a liquid, don't know.

 

[Ninja_Squirrel]

If the ammunition is super-heated gas, have they ever explained how they keep the weapon cool enough to handle? I'm assuming it's possible that the gas is not heated until it is expelled, but heating it that much, that quickly, would probably take a lot of energy.

Also, Gonzo, you might be on to something. If one cap can contain several bursts, I would think that the ammunition would probably need to be stored in a more compact form, like liquid or solid. Perhaps it is the changing of the substance from solid or liquid into the gas form that is either the cause or the result of the "superheating" (I'm rusty on my science knowledge).

However it works, it's impressive that something with that much power (I'm assuming that the phase change and/or the superheating would require a lot of energy) would be able to fit into such a small hand weapon.

 

[fisheggs]

If the ammunition is super-heated gas, have they ever explained how they keep the weapon cool enough to handle? I'm assuming it's possible that the gas is not heated until it is expelled, but heating it that much, that quickly, would probably take a lot of energy.

Also, Gonzo, you might be on to something. If one cap can contain several bursts, I would think that the ammunition would probably need to be stored in a more compact form, like liquid or solid. Perhaps it is the changing of the substance from solid or liquid into the gas form that is either the cause or the result of the "superheating" (I'm rusty on my science knowledge).

However it works, it's impressive that something with that much power (I'm assuming that the phase change and/or the superheating would require a lot of energy) would be able to fit into such a small hand weapon.

How about a taser style weapon using phased plasma instead of a metal wire to conduct the charge.

 

[Flounder]

Yeah, bullets are a bad idea, incase you put make a hole into space.
But did anybody see the mythbusters episode where they put a plane cabin under the same pressure difference as in transit altitude, and then fired a gun through the window? The test dummy sitting next to the window wasn't sucked out. Far from it. The airplane window only got a regular bullet hole.

 

[phoenixrising]

From the PPG entry on B5 Tech.com :

'These weapons fire bolts of charged helium plasma, which is contained in a magnetic field. "Caps", are highly condensed helium storage units and a nuclear battery in the grip supply energy to the weapon. Helium is ionized by a laser burst then a strong electrical discharge forces the plasma out of the weapon at high speeds.'

This is also the reason yu don't see a lot of blood when a whole lot of people are being shot (like in 'Severed Dreams'). The heat of the PPG burst cauterizes the wound, thus causing very little blood loss (I wouild think having a major body part or internal organ vaporized would kill you rather effectively).

 

[galenskid]

The EF-7 has three power setting, each setting capable of inflicting a different level of damage. Setting ONE produces a strong kinetic/electrical impact with little burning. This is often referred to as a "stun" setting as the strong electrical charge can render a person immobile or unconscious. Setting TWO is the weapon's kill setting, capable of causing serious surface damage to organic tissue. Setting THREE is the highest setting on the EF-7. While this can reduce the number of shots per cap to as little as four, this setting guaranties a kill and is strong enough to burn through metallic alloys.

Oh,so we can set it to kill or stun....I was wondering why some die after one shot and some don't

 

[B5_Obsessed]

I always wondered why Aldous Gaijic died after a ppg hit to the arm.