#4903392
I worked out the operation of the proton wand based on the switch types and decals (hint: same as the Matty Collector Neutrona Wand prop);

viewtopic.php?p=4903416#p4903416

The trap is next.

Specifically the decals on the front of the trap (screen used trap displayed in Planet Hollywood in D.C.) are pretty descriptive.

Image

This is a clearer view. (Thanks DVC)

Image

Considering those decals and switch/dial types, this operating manual can be inferred:


MODE SELECT SWITCH

OFF: Cartridge off;
Will not open with pedal unit. (Safety measure when the trap base metal flat lever switch is on)

TR: Trap;
Muon trap will continue to open and attempt entrapment after each trapping.

WARNING: multiple entrapments prior to discharging cartridge into containment unit may exceed set NRADS shielding limit and cause malfunction.
Trapping speed in this mode exceeds ADF mode performance.

TR+G: Trap + Guard;
Muon trap will lock the cartridge after single entrapment, at maximum NRADS shielding, until cartridge is discharged into containment unit. Single use only. Subsequent entrapments will require an empty cartridge fitted.
Trapping speed in this mode exceeds ADF mode performance.

ADF: Auto Detect Function, also labelled ATF: Auto Trap Function;
Upon pedal press, Muon trap will attempt to auto-detect the spectral PKE level above the open trap and convert to NRADS shielding required, prior to each entrapment. If the calculated NRADS requirement is within the preset total NRADS limit, trap will execute entrapment. This auto trapping function prevents the trap from exceeding net radiation shielding tolerance limits and malfunctioning.
Auto detection of field causes slower entrapment performance compared to TR and TR+G modes, but is safer as the user does not have to manually adjust NRADS.

WARNING: Trap may not function if detected PKE level (and equivalent NRADS shielding requirement) above trap exceeds current stored NRADS absorption limit and close without entrapment. Insert empty cartridge and attempt entrapment again.


SYNC SWITCH

SYNC: Sync the Muon trap cartridge to trap base.

Rotate anti-clockwise for 2 seconds and release. The yellow LED next to the bargraph will flash before extinguishing with audible signal to indicate successful sync between cartridge and trap base.

If LED remains yellow, cartridge synced is not empty but can be reused depending on NRADS level (shown on bargraph). If LED glows red return muon trap and cartridge for maintenance.


NRADS ADJUST DIAL

NRADS: Net ionizing radiation dose absorption limit per second.

PKE charged entities are contained in the trap using a field of ionized radiation produced by muon decay. The trap has to shield its electronics and its environment from this radiation. The more PKE energy is trapped, the more radiation is produced, absorbed and needs to be shielded against by the trap. The more radiation the trap has to safely manage, the more power it drains.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rad_(unit)

NRADS are the spectral radiation absorption limit (net radians per second) the muon trap can shield against (trap) at its current level of charge. It is therefore the confinement power level of the muon trap in relation to its battery charge. The more power used, the more (total) amount of PKE that can be contained in the trap, but the shorter the storage time.

Lower NRADS shielded allows for longer storage. Higher NRADS shielded shortens storage time but allows containment of higher PKE entities.

Manual adjustment is available to balance overall NRADS limit against storage time. Pull dial and rotate dial clockwise to increase maximum NRADS limit. Rotate anti clockwise to decrease. The bargraph on cartridge will indicate level set. Push dial to lock.

WARNING: Muon trap autonomous activity after successful entrapment (e.g. vibration, shaking, electric discharge, etc.) denotes contained PKE level approaching defined NRADS shielding limits. Also indicated by maximized yellow bar graph.


NRADS MODE SWITCH

MAN: Manual; Manually set NRADS shielding limit of trap using NRADS dial on front of trap.

PRE: Preset; Select from multiple NRADS presets using NRADS dial. Rotating dial clockwise will select presets Auto, 1-10. Auto will attempt to balance NRADS required against remaining trap charge. Bar graph will indicate selected preset.

GD: Guard/Lock. Override NRADS level for TR+G mode. NRADS shielding limit for Guard mode is usually set to maximum. (highest confinement power and shortest storage time)

-For normal operation the muon trap should be set to ADF and PRE (Auto).
-For emergency use (maximum confinement power at the shortest storage time), the trap should be set to Tr+G mode.


YELLOW BAR GRAPH:
Indicates the PKE storage level in relation to the currently selected maximum NRADS limit.



CONE ADJUST DIAL

Round Dial on left of trap (-5, +5). Marker indicates 0. Entrapment occurs when a field of ionised radiation is created inside a cone shaped area using hollow laser beams. In ADF mode NRADS requirements are automatically calibrated by the trap upon opening, to the specific PKE quantity of the entity detected above it. In the two Tr modes the user must manually manage NRADS.

Rotate clockwise to increase entrapment cone size. Rotate counter clockwise to decrease cone size. A wider cone will entrap over a larger area but dilute entrapment performance. A focused and concentrated cone will allow trapping higher charged entities but require more precision in guiding the entity to the exact trap opening.


PRESET DIAL

Teardrop Dial on right of trap. Allows storage and selection of predefined presets each with individual cone and NRADS limits.


MUON TRAP OPERATION
The muon trap works by creating a field of ionized radiation (by muon decay) inside a cone shaped area enforced by hollow laser beams. (In ADF mode this field is automatically calibrated upon opening of the trap, to the specific PKE quantity of the entity detected. ADF mode therefore features slower entrapment performance than the two Tr modes.)

The conic field is subsequently enclosed, decreased in size and steered into the shielding area of the cartridge. The trap charge level determines how much ionising radiation it can safely absorb (NRADS), and for how long, while containing the PKE quantity inside it. The higher the (total) PKE level contained within the trap, the more ionising radiation shielding is required and the faster the charge will drain.

The trap creates a field of ionized radiation using muon decay for a specific reason. Due to their greater mass, muons are not as sharply accelerated when they encounter electromagnetic fields, and do not emit as much deceleration radiation. This allows muons of a given energy to maintain a conic entrapment field (steered by hollow lasers) which is undisturbed by weather conditions or any objects between the trap opening and the entity.

Because charge must be conserved, one of the products of muon decay is always an electron of the same charge as the muon. Additional other particles that have no net charge and spin of zero are also produced (a pair of photons, and an electron-positron pair).

This causes the conic entrapment field to take on a pinkish hue with electrons produced by the muon decay resembling sparks of a light blue color inside it.
Last edited by One time on April 10th, 2024, 3:38 pm, edited 61 times in total.
#4906222
Harry Bardwell wrote: May 25th, 2018, 8:49 am I'm kinda in love with this. That said I might not have read right, but are you suggesting that with the right power power level and settings, a trap and catch a ghost, and then be deployed again to catch another ghost, without releasing the first ghost?

Thanks, appreciate it ;)

Yes that was my understanding of the decals the prop builders used when they made this prop.


TR (Trap): The simplest trapping function. The trap doesn't lock after an entrapment and the user can keep pressing the pedal and attempt to trap more entities. As many as desired. We see this in the movies and cartoons a number of times.

The problem is that eventually the amount of entities caught -and the amount of ionising radiation that is required to contain them inside the trap (NRADS)- is too much for the battery charge level of the trap and it may fail. That's when a trap starts shaking and sparking, it means the combined PKE level of the entities inside it is close to the set NRADS (containment power) limit.

That's why we see traps "charging" in the firehouse when not in use. They have to charge up, because the battery charge is used to enable the trap to withstand the radiation absorption limit (NRADS) required to contain PKE charged entities.

Think of a smartphone that is able to make its screen brighter depending on the battery level. The higher the battery charge the brighter the screen can be set. Same with the trap, the more charge, the higher the radiation it can withstand while containing PKE charged entities. Though you might not want to set a fully charged trap to the maximum containment power (NRADS) while there is only an insignificant CLASS I NON-SENTIENT MANIFESTATION inside it. It's overkill. Sure, the trap won't shake or spark at all because the containment power is far too strong for the small PKE energy inside it, but the battery charge won't last very long. And it will sit there humming like crazy. It would be like running a smart phone on full screen brightness at night time.



TR +G (Trap + Guard): In this mode the trap locks after a single entrapment and "guards" the contents. To use it again the cartridge needs to be emptied into the containment unit first. We see this in the movies and cartoons as well.

An experienced Ghostbuster may use this mode to trap a particularly powerful entity with a designated trap. Usually the TR +G mode is set to maximum containment power (NRADS), -using the GD switch. So in a tight situation with a powerful entity suddenly appearing, the Ghostbuster can prime a trap for MAXIMUM containment power with the flick of a single switch without losing time. Or a specific member may carry this designated trap and be called upon to be the one to lay the trap in a certain situation.

Alternatively this mode would be used in training for a beginner to prevent mishaps, accidental release after entrapment, etc. Because after entrapment the trap will not open again using the pedal in this mode.



ADF (Auto Detect Field/Function) labelled as ATF (Auto Trap Function) on some traps:

In this mode the trap (upon opening) attempts to analyse the PKE level of the entity that is hovering above it. It then compares it to the combined PKE of what is already inside the trap from previous captures, compares that to the charge level, sets the containment power (NRADS) automatically, and traps the entity. No need to set anything manually. The trap will balance itself and attempt to make its battery charge last as long as possible.

If it decides that the current charge level and what is inside the trap already is too much PKE (and therefore require too much NRADS to contain), it will simply close shut without capturing the entity.

Because of this auto detect process, ADF mode is much slower in trapping than TR and TR+G modes.


You could say TR mode is for the experienced Ghostbuster on a routine bust. TR +G mode is for emergencies and ADF mode is for an intermediate level Ghostbuster, which is perhaps why the Rookie in GB:TVG appears to run his trap in ADF mode (multiple entrapments in a single trap, much slower trapping performance than the movies, no need to adjust trap power level vs battery charge, etc.)
Last edited by One time on December 10th, 2019, 11:31 pm, edited 15 times in total.
Christof, pseadynamo liked this
#4996414
So with FE having been out I can finally post some things which I had promised Eric Reich I'd keep confidential until the release of the movie.

First it looks like the stuff I made up for how the Ghost Trap works (NRADS, etc) in this thread is now officially canon:

https://www.theghostbustersreferencelib ... schematics

It had already been incorporated into the Egon's Journal released with the Hasbro Haslab Spengler's Proton Pack. But nice to see it in the new movie too.

Second, I sent Eric a 35 page Proton Pack, Ghost trap and screen used props manual I made, parts of which appear to be in the new Frozen Empire movie.

I also sent Eric a screen accurate Jordan Electronics radiacmeter (seeing as Afterlife couldn't source one and they 3D printed one for the Janine scene, which had dimensions that were way off). I'm looking through FE to see if they used it anywhere.

But yeah, I can't believe what I came up with was good enough to be canon in Ghostbusters now :)

After speaking with Beau Obremski (GB NW) he turned my manual into a really cool video (though for editing reasons the video below skips over some parts and adds something about muons weighing down ghosts.)



Hah, I can't believe my manual at the top of this thread is canon now :)

Image

Here is an AI upscaled version of the new FE schematics (91mb).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pEaujm ... JV3YRLgDa7

I'll also see if I can share the full 35 page screen used prop manual that I compiled at the request of Eric Reich / Ghost Corps.
Last edited by One time on April 10th, 2024, 3:36 pm, edited 6 times in total.
tobycj, RedSpecial, mrmichaelt and 3 others liked this
#4996416
Awesome! The prop manual got mentioned somewhere recently (maybe by Luke Whitelock? I can't recall exactly who right now!) and I was wondering if it would surface. Really cool to know someone from the community put it together!

Also, I believe the radiacmeter is seen on screen briefly, one of my friends mentioned seeing it.
RedSpecial, prodestrian liked this
#4996522
One time wrote: April 8th, 2024, 4:24 pm So with FE having been out I can finally post some things which I had promised Eric Reich I'd keep confidential until the release of the movie.

First it looks like the stuff I made up for how the Ghost Trap works (NRADS, etc) in this thread is now officially canon:

https://www.theghostbustersreferencelib ... schematics

It had already been incorporated into the Egon's Journal released with the Hasbro Haslab Spengler's Proton Pack. But nice to see it in the new movie too.

Second, I sent Eric a 35 page Proton Pack, Ghost trap and screen used props manual I made, parts of which appear to be in the new Frozen Empire movie.

I also sent Eric a screen accurate Jordan Electronics radiacmeter (seeing as Afterlife couldn't source one and they 3D printed one for the Janine scene, which had dimensions that were way off). I'm looking through FE to see if they used it anywhere.

But yeah, I can't believe what I came up with was good enough to be canon in Ghostbusters now :)

After speaking with Beau Obremski (GB NW) he turned my hypothesis into a really cool video (though for editing reasons the video below skips over some parts)



Hah, I can't believe this is canon now :)

Image

Here is an AI upscaled version of the new FE schematics (91mb).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pEaujm ... JV3YRLgDa7

I'll also see if I can share the full 35 page screen used prop manual that I compiled at the request of Eric Reich / Ghost Corps.
How f****g rad does it feel to have created a manual and set of information that is LITERALLY canon to the franchise now?
One time liked this
#4996539
The_Y33TER wrote: April 10th, 2024, 11:21 am
How f****g rad does it feel to have created a manual and set of information that is LITERALLY canon to the franchise now?
Hah, thanks! I really appreciate it :)

It feels weird in two ways. First it feels like I'm kind of a real life GB Ray+Egon (but I'm just a BSc, not a PhD).

Second, it doesn't feel like I created this manual. It's weird to explain, but the decals and switches (especially for the neutrona wand but also for the trap) are so self evident that it feels like I simply "discovered" their intended operation, rather than "created" it. "Discovered" what was intended by Stephen Dane in '83 rest his soul, boy what I wouldn't give to be able to talk to him.

So I've had moments where in discussions I felt like screaming: "but isn't it obvious!?!?". Lol. I tried not to. Ghostbusters means very different things to different people. Respect others interpretations of everything and they'll respect yours is what I've learned.

The proton wand operation, for example why the SD concept only has 4 pie chart decal circles and the final screen used wand has 5 decals, is clear cut from SD's concepts, and a topic I video called with Eric Reich and Ben Eadie at length about. To me it was self evident. So self evident that both Mattel and Hasbro came to the -exact- same conclusion as to how it operates in 2014 and 2021.

I learned through my video calls with GC that they too were trying to work things out as they were moving along. The 40 year old, detailed prop concept info had understandably been lost to the ages. The rushed shooting script of GB1 also never really fleshing out the meaning or sequence of any of the switches for posterity or future generations.

I can just imagine Ivan shouting: "Come on! Just make sure the prop lights are nice and bright and lets go! Don't worry about technicalities". Heck we never even see ANY of the 6 dials of the trap being used in any movie (apart from the metal on off switch on the top).

When I post the prop manual +time stamps you will see. You'll see how two scenes were filmed with Phoebe, one with the intended wand operation sequence and one with a deviating start up sequence because they needed a scene where first the pack Red switch is turned on and THEN she also turns on the wand and the deep startup sound should (creatively) not be heard twice in the same scene (it wouldn't have, the red pack switch would only have started the cyclotron IF the wand switches were already on. If not, it would have simply illuminated a red light and then the cyclotron would have been able to be switched on by the wand as in the Egon elevator exit scene in GB1).

That's for the wand.

The trap is much less clear cut. The trap front switches specifically. This has been a secret that (to my knowledge) no one in the GB community has found/shared until now. I found it many years ago but never told anyone.

Basically, of the trap front switch decals (seen in red at the top of this thread), the only decals created by the GB production in 1983 (I assume Stephen Dane) are "NRADS" and "Sync". All the other verbiage is from a pre-existing device.

What device? :)

It's from a military jet avionics UHF radio.

TR: Transmit-Receive
TR+G: Transmit-Receive + Guard Frequency
ADF: Automatic Directional Finder

GD: Emergency Guard Frequency
PRE: Preset
Man: Manual


Makes perfect sense as A LOT of GB1 stuff was salvaged from military jet junk yards, including the cyclotron (based on a doppler radar). So they probably looked at various old boxes with many buttons and picked a box with verbiage that included decals like Tr(ap), Guard, etc.

Interesting sidenote, on the Matty traps Mattel got it slightly wrong and thought the screen used Planet Hollywood trap washed out decals read GL as opposed to GD and ATF as opposed to ADF which I incorporated into the manual.

So the only decals / switches added by the Ghostbusters 1983 production team were "Sync" (which can only mean sync cartridge to trap base, and "NRADS" which is actually a known thing in science (net radiation dosage absorbed per second). So they were thinking of having the radiation absorption be a user adjustable element from the start. It made sense to me to have that the confinement power of the trap, directly influencing the charge level.

The rest I made into things that made sense:

Off: (switches off the pedal link to the cartridge for safety)
TR: became Trap
TR+G: became Trap + Guard (at set GD NRADS setting, usually max NRADS)
ADF: became Auto Detect Field (or Auto Trap Function on Matty traps)

GD: became Set NRADS level for TR+ G mode (usually just max NRADS)
PRE: became Preset; select from a bunch of presets of NRADS/Cone sizes using the side dials
Man: became Manual; the switch to adjust the overall NRADS level (confinement power vs storage time) using the NRADS dial. So manage trap NRADS manually as opposed to using ADF and letting the trap manage the required NRADS.

Even though the trap decals and switches are far less "clear cut" than the wand, you can kind of see how things can simply be inferred/imagined with a little bit of scientific knowledge.

But all in all it feels weird that how I understood or inferred the operation of these things has now become canon in the franchise. To me it's simply what made most logical sense based on the decals and switches.
Last edited by One time on April 11th, 2024, 2:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
alphabeta001 liked this
#4996583
I love this, thank you for sharing the details. This will be a brilliant addition for conventions when kids ask about the trap and its settings.
It also clears up my understanding that I've always craved answers for.
One time liked this
#4996601
One time wrote: April 10th, 2024, 5:03 pm Second, it doesn't feel like I created this manual. It's weird to explain, but the decals and switches (especially for the neutrona wand but also for the trap) are so self evident that it feels like I simply "discovered" their intended operation, rather than "created" it. "Discovered" what was intended by Stephen Dane in '83 rest his soul, boy what I wouldn't give to be able to talk to him.
Makes sense. I just noticed that there are a lot of folks in this community (not anything meant to be rude in this) who... just... don't do that. They go out of their way to ignore what the obvious intended operation is and then come up with something else. Good to see that there's people here who can decipher the meanings of things.
One time liked this
#4996602
One time wrote: April 10th, 2024, 5:03 pm When I post the prop manual +time stamps you will see. You'll see how two scenes were filmed with Phoebe, one with the intended wand operation sequence and one with a deviating start up sequence because they needed a scene where first the pack Red switch is turned on and THEN she also turns on the wand and the deep startup sound should (creatively) not be heard twice in the same scene (it wouldn't have, the red pack switch would only have started the cyclotron IF the wand switches were already on. If not, it would have simply illuminated a red light and then the cyclotron would have been able to be switched on by the wand as in the Egon elevator exit scene in GB1).
This, on the other hand I do not agree with, respectfully. I understand the process you thought of, but I think it makes more sense (WITH THE 2021 AND LATER MODELS, THE SUMMERVILLE PACK AND THE H.A.S.P.s) that the pack is able to start up separately from the wand, since the wand can be disconnected. (Though the pack should not be able to start without a wand, unless it has a sensor that indicates not to send particles through the wand connector).
One time liked this
#4996616
One time wrote: April 8th, 2024, 4:24 pm So with FE having been out I can finally post some things which I had promised Eric Reich I'd keep confidential until the release of the movie.

First it looks like the stuff I made up for how the Ghost Trap works (NRADS, etc) in this thread is now officially canon:

https://www.theghostbustersreferencelib ... schematics

It had already been incorporated into the Egon's Journal released with the Hasbro Haslab Spengler's Proton Pack. But nice to see it in the new movie too.

Second, I sent Eric a 35 page Proton Pack, Ghost trap and screen used props manual I made, parts of which appear to be in the new Frozen Empire movie.

I also sent Eric a screen accurate Jordan Electronics radiacmeter (seeing as Afterlife couldn't source one and they 3D printed one for the Janine scene, which had dimensions that were way off). I'm looking through FE to see if they used it anywhere.

But yeah, I can't believe what I came up with was good enough to be canon in Ghostbusters now :)

After speaking with Beau Obremski (GB NW) he turned my manual into a really cool video (though for editing reasons the video below skips over some parts and adds something about muons weighing down ghosts.)



Hah, I can't believe my manual at the top of this thread is canon now :)

Image

Here is an AI upscaled version of the new FE schematics (91mb).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pEaujm ... JV3YRLgDa7

I'll also see if I can share the full 35 page screen used prop manual that I compiled at the request of Eric Reich / Ghost Corps.
Pardon me while I drool looking over these, because they are AMAZING. Seriously, I'd love a framed set of these prints in my prop work shop hanging by my GB props. Stellar work.

I would also LOVE to see the manual.
prodestrian liked this
#4996678
One time wrote: April 10th, 2024, 5:03 pm
When I post the prop manual +time stamps you will see. You'll see how two scenes were filmed with Phoebe, one with the intended wand operation sequence and one with a deviating start up sequence because they needed a scene where first the pack Red switch is turned on and THEN she also turns on the wand and the deep startup sound should (creatively) not be heard twice in the same scene (it wouldn't have, the red pack switch would only have started the cyclotron IF the wand switches were already on. If not, it would have simply illuminated a red light and then the cyclotron would have been able to be switched on by the wand as in the Egon elevator exit scene in GB1).
I'm confused. I always thought the wands were able to activate the packs?

Do, Ray, Egon!

https://youtu.be/Gi0EvLEmun8?si=lGbh70vpDdY-Wptl

https://youtu.be/Q0rE_zVuKnU?si=VvDH8LXyWrYTjR3W
#4996690
jle2199 wrote: April 12th, 2024, 1:30 pm
One time wrote: April 10th, 2024, 5:03 pm
When I post the prop manual +time stamps you will see. You'll see how two scenes were filmed with Phoebe, one with the intended wand operation sequence and one with a deviating start up sequence because they needed a scene where first the pack Red switch is turned on and THEN she also turns on the wand and the deep startup sound should (creatively) not be heard twice in the same scene (it wouldn't have, the red pack switch would only have started the cyclotron IF the wand switches were already on. If not, it would have simply illuminated a red light and then the cyclotron would have been able to be switched on by the wand as in the Egon elevator exit scene in GB1).
I'm confused. I always thought the wands were able to activate the packs?

Do, Ray, Egon!

https://youtu.be/Gi0EvLEmun8?si=lGbh70vpDdY-Wptl

https://youtu.be/Q0rE_zVuKnU?si=VvDH8LXyWrYTjR3W
I did some digging on this, so here's what I've found

The first Pack activation (Ray's) shows Egon flipping what would become the switch on the ion arm seen in GBA. Using the sequence from Afterlife, this should only activate the Pack, not the wand. This is supported by the shot of Ray leaving the elevator, extending the barrel, but with his wand clearly showing no lights are on. However, this shot also shows Egon "activating" his wand, but no lights on his wand activated even though they clearly added a sound effect meant for Harold activating his wand. Perhaps there was a fault with his prop, or Harold was miming the activation.

Shortly after this, we see Ray find Slimer, which gives us a quick look at his Pack that has no oscillating power cell or cyclotron lights. The switch he appears to use to activate the wand is the bottom right switch, which makes sense, given that particular switch turns on the vent lights later on in the final battle with Gozer, and the test scene in GBA. After this, Ray's Pack is clearly activated, as we see the lights on when he runs after Slimer. In the shots of Egon exploring the hallway, it's unclear if his Pack is on, since we don't see it. However, it's clear his wand is off, since no lights are on. When Venkman is slimed, we can see in a quick shot that his Pack is also off.

Between this scene and the capture of Slimer, it's unsure if the Packs were again activated before the ballroom sequence, since we don't see them de-activate or re-activate them beforehand, so it's possibly they were on the entire time post-sliming. After this, the only time we see any activation sequence is during the final battle with Gozer. After getting attacked by Gozer Palpatine-style, we see that all of their Packs are on *before* Venkman tells them to "heat 'em up". When they activate their wands, we get a close up shot of the Super Hero thrower's vent light being activated by that previously mentioned bottom right switch. This makes it 2 separate Pack props that have the thrower vent lights activated by the bottom right switch.

Now, it gets a wee bit confusing. For the courtroom battle in GB2, the operation is a bit different. This scene appears to show that the Packs *can* indeed be activated by entirely by the wand, separate of the main Pack switch implied in the first film, and shown in Afterlife. The courtroom battle shows Venkman activating his thrower by hitting the bottom left or "ACTIVATE" switch, which turns on the SLO-BLO light, the white hat light under the Clippard, and the vent lights all at the same time. We see Egon activate his thrower with the same switch, though this was because Harold and Bill used the same prop for this sequence. The deleted scene with Louis using the Super Hero Pack prop also shows him activating the thrower with the same "ACTIVATE" switch as the Venkman Pack prop from the courtroom battle. Why the discrepancy in how the Packs work? What is the canon explanation?

I see a few options. One, the Packs were built by two guys, so it's entirely possible that errors were made in their startup sequences. Two, the Packs' circuitry was modified between GB1 & GB2, allowing for the Packs to be quick-started by their Neutrona Wands, in the event of needing to activate the Pack solo. Personally, I like the second one.
jle2199 liked this

    Did anyone watch it?

    We're bringing you the latest updates to the GBFan[…]

    Proton Props UK

    Hey guys, I just wanted to give a quick update on […]

    Ecto Containment Unit

    First off awesome work!!! second of all where did […]