I want to make sparks. (NEW TOPIC: Making a Van de Graaff)

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat May 05, 2007 7:01 pm

What's an easy way of making sparks (preferably of the large awesome sort) using electronic stuff. I want to make a Jacob's Ladder but don't have a suitable power source readily available, so until then, I want to make rad sparks. Any ideas?

jeroen · Post by **jeroen** » Sat May 05, 2007 7:03 pm

Roll on a thick mat in pe class and touch a grounded pole. Believe me it works

.

(I actually called it human capacitor)

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat May 05, 2007 7:05 pm

I was hoping for a more technical method, using capacitors/electronics and what not. But nothing too hard to find. lol

jeroen · Post by **jeroen** » Sat May 05, 2007 7:08 pm

Well ok a more serious method. You might be able to get a one time use camera right? (you know you bring it away) they have a flash capacitor. Have fun connecting the flash wires

not sure if it works

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat May 05, 2007 7:09 pm

lol Ya those are rad. I rarely have those any more 'cause of my digital. What do you think I could use (besides a neon sign/oil burner transformer or CRT) to make a Jacob's Ladder? Something easy to find.

Post by **Triton** » Sat May 05, 2007 8:05 pm

google van de graff generator or tesla coils, vanderaff generators are safer but tesla coils are freakin awesome

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat May 05, 2007 8:51 pm

Those are also two things I've said I would make and haven't. I was going to make a mini pop can vandergraff but never got around to it. I totally should though.

atari2600a · Post by **atari2600a** » Sat May 05, 2007 9:11 pm

Step 1) Get a AA battery
Step 2) Get a piece of wire
Step 3) Short the AA battery using said piece of wire

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Sat May 05, 2007 9:12 pm

Van de Graffs are fun. We got to screw around with one last year in Freshman Science.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sat May 05, 2007 9:52 pm

I think I'm going to make one. I have a few motors sitting around.

ATOMICMAN · Post by **ATOMICMAN** » Sun May 06, 2007 8:53 am

telsa coils are freaking awesome. ive made 2 but they are nothing easy to do and the transformers are expensive.

you can make a jacobs ladder out of a crt monitors transformer or one out of a tv.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sun May 06, 2007 9:43 am

ATOMICMAN wrote:telsa coils are freaking awesome. ive made 2 but they are nothing easy to do and the transformers are expensive.

you can make a jacobs ladder out of a crt monitors transformer or one out of a tv.

I have an old broken TV from probably the 70s. I think I'll use that.

daguuy · Post by **daguuy** » Sun May 06, 2007 11:46 am

http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/Jacob/jacob.htm
It's dangerous as hell so be hella careful.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sun May 06, 2007 12:39 pm

lol I know I've read through Afroman's entire site.

limpport · Post by **limpport** » Sun May 06, 2007 4:50 pm

Triton wrote:google van de graff generator or tesla coils, vanderaff generators are safer but tesla coils are freakin awesome

You should check out the Boston Science Museum. They have the worlds largest Van de Graff generator, and tesla coils that shoot 4 foot sparks. I went down there a week or so ago. The lightning show is freakin' amazing.