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Forum Index : Other Stuff : High voltage fun.
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hi guys. Just for the fun of it. Over the weekend I built a Wimshurst machine. A Wimshurst machine is what we call a static generator, like a Van-de-graf generator. I've wanted to make one for years. Last week I lasercut most of the bits from scrap material. The segments are stainless steel, the discs are 4.5mm acrylic, about 260mm diameter, and the frame and pulleys are timber. It all came together last night, and it worked first time! 
This thing is so cool. Sparks over 2 inches long, with some tuning I should get much longer. I have lots of "leaks", or sharp corners that ionize the surrounding air and glow blue! I need to round these off or fit steel balls. Steel balls ( or copper, brass, etc ) dont have any sharp corners, so dont leak the high voltage. I made a Leyden jar from a coffee jar and some brass shim material. The Leyden jar is just a big high voltage capacitor. Without the jar the machine makes a constant stream of fine blue sparks across the electrodes ( in the dark you can see blue discharges all over the machine, and hear the static ). With the jar connected it sparks every second or two, with a very loud and bright "crack!" Jolly good fun 
This is a short movie of the machine running.2008-05-18_184141_wimshurst.zip Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| permaclutter Newbie  Joined: 04/02/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 19 |
Very cool Hopefully this might inspire me to finish the one that is hanging round my shed. Neoprene o rings for belts ? What version/style of machine is it? What do you recon it would cost to get my local laser cutters to cut the bits out if i could pinch your drawings? Oh dear now ive got distracted from the bikes tractors cars and house that i should be building, again. And I am happy about it, go figure. Lyn |
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Don B Senior Member  Joined: 27/09/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 190 |
Hi Glenn, It might be of interest to know that, with high voltage switchgear, points of high electrical stress are dealt with by using conductive putty moulded to smooth the sharp corners. I guess that some Alfoil over clay, or whatever, would work just as well. Regards Don B Don B |
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martinjsto Senior Member Joined: 09/10/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 149 |
how would this go if you linked the output to a car ignition coil ht output(main center ht lead) and then tested the pos and neg pols for 12vdc output running the coil in reverse for charging just a thought martin free power for all McAlinden WA |
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