Discussion
It is a fact proven by science that electricity is cool - and the higher the voltage, the cooler it is.
Let's have a thread for the discussion of high voltage electricity. Anything goes - anecdotes, stories from engineers or points of interest. To kick things off, here's footage of a 500,000v switch opening. It's spectacular! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXiOQCRiSp0
I've always fancied building a Tesla coil. Has anyone actually built one? They look like great fun - as well as dangerous. To me, electricity is a great demonstration of the power of nature.
As a kid, electricity pylons used to creep me out a little. As I got older and learned a little about them, that turned into a bit of an odd fascination. The way they sit there, huge, imposing and eerie - silently carrying tens of thousands of volts across the country. Sometimes when walking underneath a pylon, I'd hear a low humming sound. Where was that coming from?
I was also amazed to learn that when I received static shocks (aargh, I hate them) from objects, it was likely in the thousands of volts - a nice demonstration of the difference between voltage and current.
In the days before the "proper" discovery of electricity (1800's), I assume static shocks were common from animal furs, etc. I wonder what they made of it, and why it took so long to explore and try to recreate the phenomenon.
Let's hear your stories, anecdotes and interesting facts about electricity. It's revolutionised our world!
Do NOT reach over to answer the phone when having a CRT on soak test. It really, really hurts as I found out 
Capacitor banks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj1pkyCL75E
Feeling brave?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4DTF514PxI&fea...
Capacitor banks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj1pkyCL75E
Feeling brave?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4DTF514PxI&fea...
When I was doing my GCSE's my school had just bought a brand new Van der Graph generator, so naturally we doing the standing on the polystyrene block with the hair starting to stand on end, when some bright spark (sorry couldn't resist) decided to discharge himself through one of the other guy's crotch it was the funniest thing I've seen in a physics lesson. It stopped being funny when it happened to me, well until the pain stopped then it was funny again.
aaaahhhhh voltage, gotta love the stuff. You want a Jacob's ladder, a smaller version of your switch. It effectively uses a coil to create mega voltage and then turns it into plasma.
For fun, I suggest you get an old trasnformer - any mobile phone / radio / etc charger plug will do. Cut the wires, attach the wires to a 9v battery and hold the plug end to your hand... then wiggle the wires
Most volts I ever felt was around 100,000 compliments of a Tazer, hurt like a bugger and gave me the shakes for a while. Still, voltage is awesome
For fun, I suggest you get an old trasnformer - any mobile phone / radio / etc charger plug will do. Cut the wires, attach the wires to a 9v battery and hold the plug end to your hand... then wiggle the wires
Most volts I ever felt was around 100,000 compliments of a Tazer, hurt like a bugger and gave me the shakes for a while. Still, voltage is awesome
I have an 8000 volt cattle fence energiser wired up in an electical cupboard in my porch. It was connected to my letter box after I got fed up with junk mail.
I had a great cctv clip of someone that did not read the "Warning, This Letter box is Electrified, No Junk Mail" Label, and I zapped him so hard he flew back in the air by 6ft and nearly knocked himself out on the concrete drive. Later I had to jet wash off the claret. Two police officers later attended my residence who after reading me the riot act, reminded me of the law in relation to electric fences, and now I have the mandatory yellow sign on my gate which warns of the hazards of electrocution...
High voltage rocks!
I had a great cctv clip of someone that did not read the "Warning, This Letter box is Electrified, No Junk Mail" Label, and I zapped him so hard he flew back in the air by 6ft and nearly knocked himself out on the concrete drive. Later I had to jet wash off the claret. Two police officers later attended my residence who after reading me the riot act, reminded me of the law in relation to electric fences, and now I have the mandatory yellow sign on my gate which warns of the hazards of electrocution...
High voltage rocks!
Shabs said:
For fun, I suggest you get an old trasnformer - any mobile phone / radio / etc charger plug will do. Cut the wires, attach the wires to a 9v battery and hold the plug end to your hand... then wiggle the wires
Nice! How does that work? I assume wiggling the wires is doing something to create a bit of AC current?I've always been curious about being Tazed! I don't fancy it one bit.. but they're amazingly cool devices. When I was a student, I was always trying to make stungun type devices, of the capacitive discharge type. My ultimate goal was to create a device that would spark like a stungun, but by the time I'd learned about tuned oscillators and stuff, I'd discovered girls, and never got around to it
dunno about voltage but how about 340,000 amps ?
story here: http://www.capturedlightning.com/frames/longarc.ht...
story here: http://www.capturedlightning.com/frames/longarc.ht...
erdnase said:
Shabs said:
For fun, I suggest you get an old trasnformer - any mobile phone / radio / etc charger plug will do. Cut the wires, attach the wires to a 9v battery and hold the plug end to your hand... then wiggle the wires
Nice! How does that work? I assume wiggling the wires is doing something to create a bit of AC current?I've always been curious about being Tazed! I don't fancy it one bit.. but they're amazingly cool devices. When I was a student, I was always trying to make stungun type devices, of the capacitive discharge type. My ultimate goal was to create a device that would spark like a stungun, but by the time I'd learned about tuned oscillators and stuff, I'd discovered girls, and never got around to it
. Correct, wiggling the wire is basically the same as an oscilator circuit, the transformers work on inductance which needs AC AFAIK. Tazers are very simple circuits, you can make a basic one from Maplin components. Even easier, if you are after a damn painful shock, rip appart one of those disposable flash cameras and take the flash circuit out - one hit wonder o-death Lately I have been dreaming about making an anti-chav flash gun - basically several very high powered camera flashes hooked up to some mahoosive capacitors just waiting for one big discharge:
"Blood, u gota light"
FLASH!!!
"me eyes...aaarrgghhh, me eyes..."
sweeet
Old as the hills but still cool. There's a whole series of these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ff_AXVlo9U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ff_AXVlo9U
High voltage is dangerous.
This video involves a fatality. Be warned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbZ6sUkrSQA
This video involves a fatality. Be warned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbZ6sUkrSQA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYUmdqQ94Ao&fea...
seeing that type of thing in real life makes you change your trousers
seeing that type of thing in real life makes you change your trousers
Train death 
Woman gets zapped in the face. The reason I think she survives is her finger 'earthed' her.
Gives her a nasty rip in the hand. Still, she was VERY lucky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dpcSICPRf4
Woman gets zapped in the face. The reason I think she survives is her finger 'earthed' her.
Gives her a nasty rip in the hand. Still, she was VERY lucky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dpcSICPRf4
Edited by Morningside on Friday 5th February 21:46
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