List of Ghostbusters equipment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghostbusters equipment is the equipment used by the Ghostbusters in the 1984 film and all subsequent Ghostbusters fiction used to aid in the capture and containment of ghosts. The form of these devices varies between the different mediums, but the overall archetypes and concepts for the equipment remains the same.
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[edit] Active combat equipment
[edit] Proton pack
The main equipment used by the Ghostbusters to capture ghosts is the Proton Pack: a reportedly unlicensed Particle accelerator which fires a positron ion stream that polarizes with the negatively charged energy of a ghost allowing it to be held in the stream while active.
[edit] Slime Blower
As seen and developed in the movie Ghostbusters II, this piece of equipment is a metal tank strapped to the back of its user, with an attached sprayer used to project streams of the psychomaganatheric "mood slime" that has emotionally been positively reinforced, rather than negatively.
[edit] Ecto-Splat
Unique to the Ghostbusters comics, this is a flamethrower-like device similar to the Slime Blower. It fires a hard jet of ectoplasm, which can damage or break up ghosts. As it fires it makes a noise spelt as "zzzax". It may be a fictionalized adaptation of some sort of real water-squirting device.
[edit] Meters and interrogation
[edit] PKE meter
A PKE meter is a handheld device, used in locating and measuring Psycho-Kinetic Energy, which is a unique environmental byproduct emitted by ghosts.
[edit] Giga meter
A device similar to the PKE meter, featured in Ghostbusters II. As explained by Egon in the original script, the Giga meter measures PKE in GeV, or giga-electron-volts.
[edit] Ecto-Goggles
Sometimes known as "Spectro-Visor" this is a special pair of goggles that visually traces PKE readings. They are particularly useful in helping its wearer see normally invisible ghosts and it can also be used to assist in tracking ghosts within a visible field of search.
[edit] Containment
[edit] Ghost trap
This is a box with a split hinged lid, remote controlled by a simple foot-pedal switch, attached to the end of the box by a long cable. When a ghost is brought close to the trap (usually by means of the proton pack, though not necessarily), the ghost trap is activated by the foot switch, its lid then opens, and a force field draws the ghost inside. It is advised to refrain from looking directly at the trap when activated. The ghost can then be transported to the larger, more permanent containment unit. More that one ghost can be stored in a trap, but has never been been established how many or for how long a ghost can be held. It has also been suggested that a captured ghost can be released by a Ghosbuster from the ghost trap voluntarily if needed by opening it again. This was not shown in the movies, only hinted at, but animated series showed this to be true several times. The Real Ghostbusters animated series also expanded on the Ghost trap greatly, showing that more powerful ghosts must be quickly sent to the containment unit or they may break free of the trap and that if more than one ghost is caught in the trapo at once, they merge into a single entity and can't be divided.
[edit] Ecto-Containment Unit
Also referred to as the "Containment System." This is the large containment facility in the basement of the Ghostbusters' headquarters. It was developed after Dr. Spengler and Dr. Stantz, made their first actual contact with a ghost in the basement of the New York Public Library. According to data from that experience, they theorize that since a ghost's ionization rate is constant, they could capture and hold it indefinitely. It is the heart of what makes the Ghostbuster business possible. All captured ghosts are stored in it. The containment unit has an easy-access slot to put a ghost trap in; after two buttons are pressed in sequence, and a lever pulled, the ghost is pumped from the trap into the unit's containment field. After completing these steps, a green light attached to the containment system briefly turns on, denoting a successful containment. Thus the rule: "When the light is green, the trap is clean."
It should be noted that the containment system seen in the cartoon is radically different from the one found in the original movie Ghostbusters. Initially in movie, the device is simply installed into a cramped basement area of the old firehouse, built into the concrete wall. However, in the cartoon, the basement is a sprawling, two-story warehouse-like space, with the large red, cylindrical containment unit given new prominence. The reason given in the cartoon series for these changes is that improvements were made to prevent any further complications like those which occur in the movie, such as the system reaching maximum capacity, or EPA lackey Walter Peck's ordering the system powered down, re-releasing all contained ghosts into New York City. To this end, the basement of the Ghostbusters's headquarters is expanded, as well as the containment unit upgraded in size and technology, with a back-up power source to prevent sudden shut-downs. However, the company once had to resort to a bicycle attached to an electrical turbine during a serious power loss to maintain the protection grid while they struggle to restore power.
Furthermore, in the TV series, the Ghostbusters also work at developing more permanent disposal solutions such as dimensional portals where ghosts could be deposited in other reality planes.
| Ghostbusters | |
|---|---|
| Movies: | Ghostbusters | Ghostbusters II |
| Television: | The Real Ghostbusters | Extreme Ghostbusters |
| Video Games: | Ghostbusters (Activision) | Ghostbusters (Sega) | Ghostbusters II |
| Technology: | Proton pack | Ectomobile | Ghostbusters equipment |
| Characters: | Peter Venkman | Egon Spengler | Ray Stantz | Winston Zeddemore | Janine Melnitz | Ivo Shandor |
| Ghosts: | Slimer | Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man | Vigo the Carpathian |
| Misc: | Ghostbusters: Legion | Ghostbusters: The Return | Ghostbusters (role-playing game) | Filmation's Ghostbusters |
