Miniature Wimshurst Machine

[patelprincess1995]

could you let me know what materials u used and how u made this please and thank you

[karlbiper14]

como lo hiciste?



[thelth88]

hey there, if you add some magnets on your disks they would spin themselves, also creating free energy

[enadon1]

what materials can you use to make the disk, I have a perfect piece of PCV but I dont know if it will work.

[magx1]

I used plexiglas, but many insulating materials will work. Material must be clean. Coating with shellac helps to insulate. Where did you obtain a flat piece of PVC? The only PVC I know about are in the form of PVC pipes. But yes, PVC should work. If you have any trouble, let me know: I can help you debug your machine if you cannot get it to work in the beginning.

[enadon1]

oh, thanks. not sure what its from but in plastic packaging I found a pvc disk. if you rub cloth against it you can get your hair to stand up.

[WhiteLiteProduction]

umm i wana make this for my science project and i want to know how can i make it and how much does this all cost?

[zhhyr]

You wrote."anywhere a source of extremely high voltage is needed".

thanks for the speedy reply !

High voltage is just fun and tinker toys to me. Nice that you have a serious use for it. I'm gonna get that old wimhurst machine outta the garage and make it good again. I miss the cosmic aura it creates along with creating that unmistakable smell of OZONE.

Gotta replace the old tin foil sectors though. I used solder wick for brushes.

It wears out the thin foil fast.

[zhhyr]

zezimashock. Cd's= no good.

The film on them is semi-conductive at high voltages. Old 45 records would be better. Rule of thumb... if you can rub the disks on a wool sweater or such, and build up a static charge, the might work..

Glass seems ideal but it has iron in it.

Look at the edge of a piece of window pane and it has a greenish hue. That's iron. Metal = conductivity. Not ideal.

peabody asks if the disks spin in opposite directions. YES They have to !

Make everything adjustable !!!!

[magx1]

Cd's will work if you remove the conductive film. Glass works, but only if used in a very dry environment, or if coated with shellac. I've used both glass and CD's in the construction of my machines.

[zhhyr]

VERY efficient ! I made one with 32 inch

disks of 1/4 inch plexiglass. Then hooked up an OLD printer motor to it so I wouldn't have to crank it, freeing both hands to play. 4 inch STRONG sparks sent my old RCA camcorder into spastic fits from 5 feet away !! I cracked 3 layden jars so far !

With the layden jars disconnected, flourescent lights glowed as well as my tv screen with the power OFF ! Such fun !!!

[magx1]

Thanks.

I've made big machines and I've made motor driven ones. I've built and sold them - other kinds also (not just the Wimshurst). I use electrostatic generators with my laser experiments (anywhere a source of extremely high voltage is needed).

Stay away from tv screens, CRTs, and anything with a vacuum. Dangrous X-rays will result from the high voltages produced by these machines.

[fynyte]

Very nice spark for such a small machine,better than the larger Winters machine I just built.You have "influenced" me to build Wimshurst,thank you.

[zezimashock]

i was planing to make one from cd's :P

or is this not a good idea?

[TinselKoala]

That's beautiful! Your spark is better than some I've seen on much larger machines--to me, this means that your design and construction is extremely well-done. Congratulations!

You might like to check out my electrostatic machines as well. Look at my channel for some vids.

[aviv68aviv]

Would you please send me instructions on how to build this wonderful machine.

[greenbag6]

what length sparks are you getting

[kevh13]

Would you please send me instructions on how to build this wonderful machine

[magx1]

I sell them. I have a motor driven one on EBay right now - small enough to be a paperweight on someone's desk. I do not have any formal instructions yet. But I can probably coach you through the process if you like. Let me know. Thanks

[yeri1963]

Do you still make and sell these? I've looked on eBay but haven't found any listed. How about plans?

[peabody151059]

do the rotors have to spin in opposite directions?

[magx1]

Yes.

[scion171777]

did u use a cd-rom for the rotating disks??????

[magx1]

No. I have used CDs for a number of my other machines. But this one uses discs I made myself. They are 15cm in diameter - just a little bigger than CDs.

[scion171777]

cute can u teach me how do u did that coz im a teacher so i can demonstrate it on my class

teach me that small wimshurst machine so i can bring it in our school

[magx1]

Leave me a message in my general message box. I can reply in more detail.

[ESA236]

Congratulations !!!! yow have built a little masterpiece, it is wonderful and runs amazingly well; when I will have some of time , I will make a copy, surely !

[CrazyScience]

WOW! Pretty long sparks for such a small device.

[magx1]

Look at my dye laser videos. These were powered with a motor driven Wimshurst.

[diymania]

Put a motor on it ;)