Jacob's Ladder New Demo: Slightly-Mad Science

[rcfreak2493]

do the Ma make the spark longer or the voltage?

what does each of them do to the spark?

[TaoOfPooh26]

@rcfreak2493

The voltage determines the length of the spark.

The amps determines the "hotness" of the spark.

At least that's one valid way of putting it.

[HighVoltageScience]

have you ever played with mots i will give

you one if you play for shiping lol or get one out of a microwave it would make a good video

[TaoOfPooh26]

Actually, yes. I have messed with mots before, and have a couple. Though thank you for the offer. :)

[ShokaLion]

This is excellent. I'm just in the process of building a Jacob's Ladder myself, and the only real part I'm missing now is the electrodes themselves. Not quite as meaty as this one, (7KV 37mA pulling about 260W) but it should do the job nicely. Transformer's made by an unfortunately named Italian company called F.A.R.T

[TaoOfPooh26]

Aw come on, that's not "unfortunate," it's an opportunity for humor! You're building a FARTing Jacob's Ladder! How cool is that? :) Just don't get yourself hurt working with it, because you'd never live down getting burned by a FART.

[copleygsxr]

did you say 6ga wire from home depot the wire is only rated at 600v max

[drewhastheinternet]

now thats dangerous, ive played with a lot of hv stuff, built 3 tesla coils and i never put my hand that close to the end of a gas tube touching a live 15kv 60ma NST

[yocvbn]

in some of your vids, itg involved the blueish box thing that crees the electricity, what is it called?

[TaoOfPooh26]

It's a neon transformer. It's what's inside the big wood box. It changes 120 volts to 15,000 volts, using less electricity than your microwave or electric heater (900 watts).

The gray box on top (with blue pipes on the side) is just a conduit box rigged with clamps so I can swap electrodes easily.

[OKDoak]

can you make this plasma wave remain in place to break down water like John Kanzius' radio wave?

[markecc123]

I built a jacobs ladder and have a youtube video of it. I think TaoOfPooh26 is far too casual with the high voltage. You have to keep in mind this will KILL YOU , just like a loaded gun might, if you do not respect its deadliness. Just like Steve Irwin who finally pushed his luck too far. NEVER EVER TOUCH A WORKING "ON" HIGH VOLTAGE DEVICE. SECONDLY IF YOU DO CHOOSE TO RISK TOUCHING "LIVE"high voltage, USE ONLY ONE HAND, SO IF SHOCKED THE ELECTRICITY WILL NOT PASS THROUGH YOUR HEART.

[TaoOfPooh26]

I SEEM casual because I know what I'm doing, and I also happen to know how much current it takes to kill someone, and where voltage can and can't go without killing you. I take deliberate precautions that you don't see, and that's the reason why I don't recommend that you do the kinda stuff I do. The only information I provide regarding making these things is easily available via google, so I'm not giving away any "trade secrets."

[TaoOfPooh26]

And honestly, I do appreciate your advising caution, but you can do so without being patronizing. As it is, the comparison with Steve Irwin makes it very tempting to delete, let alone never approve your condescending comment.

[drewhastheinternet]

So Youre telling me that thin little white wire was rated hv rated for 15kv+ and that 15000v @60ma will not kill you? 30ma will kill you at that voltage and the amount required to stop your heart is even less than that. I was not impressed with your video, it seemed very careless,

[TaoOfPooh26]

Been working with that stuff for quite some time, and there has yet to be a mishap, for the simple reason that once the wire is past the secondary, I don't DEPEND on the insulation. Rather I give it a deliberate path for the circuit that's safe. Like I said, it's not for everyone. I've been working around high voltage (like the repair/manufacture/hi-pot testing of generators and coils) for a long time, so I feel comfortable with the risk I'm taking.

[tomfoolery57]

im thinking about building a jacobs ladder but dont really know where i culd find a big enough transformer any ideas?

[TaoOfPooh26]

You would need to check shops that make neon signs. They frequently have old transformers lying around, and old ones are best. You can also check eBay, though it's probably cheaper if you can get it locally. I'll send you a youtube mail with more info. Not that I'm recommending that you MAKE a jacob's ladder, but that's how to find a transformer.

[rbairos1]

Looks very cool, but those flimsy drapes look nervously close to your setup.

[TaoOfPooh26]

Actually over 3 feet, which (since there's no wind inside the house) is actually a margin I'm comfortable with. That's one of the troubles with not having 3d video, I guess.

[rbairos1]

Well, time's a wasting. Get to it! ;)

[TaoOfPooh26]

Tell you what, I'll later stage a dangerously-stupid fund-raising stunt, and if it nets me enough money, I'll either get a 3d camera (which is prolly a bad idea, since people don't necessarily have the stuff to VIEW the 3d video), or one that takes higher quality video and permits me at least rudimentary slow-mo video. :)

[rbairos1]

Hmmm. You got yourself a deal :)

[TaoOfPooh26]

And besides, if you've seen some of my other videos (especially the one where I risk personally catching fire) - you're worried about my...CURTAINS?!?!?!?

Heh.

[woolio1]

okay thats it! im subscribing!

[ReverendFlatus]

How are you still alive?

[TaoOfPooh26]

Good question. Considering I've done far more dangerous "experiments" and still have the use of all of my limbs - let alone still alive, I'd have to say "skills" and "freak of nature" in equal measure, since I don't believe much in luck. :)

[rerkin88]

dude how does this work??? and no fancy explanation please/ just a simple 1

[TaoOfPooh26]

Simple? Big neon transformer (microwave transformers work, too), two big wires that make a "v". 15,000 volts arc across the bottom (the easiest place for it to do so). The air around the arc is heated and ionized by the electricity. Ionized air conducts electricity better than normal air. So because it's hot it rises, and the electric arc rises with it. That sound good?

[rerkin88]

yea thanks man

[boxiness]

thanks for explanation

[hartiberlin]

Is that just a transformer from the 110 Volts 60 HZ AC grid powered ? Or is there also a High Frequency driver inside there ?

Otherwise if it is just 60 Hz powered from the grid only you are very dangerously playing with it !

You could easily get killed, if you touched it wrongly

and get both hands on each electrode !

Regards, Stefan.

(admin of overunity dot com )

[TaoOfPooh26]

60Hz. And yes, I'm aware of the dangers, as I've worked on electromagnets/generators/tran­sformers since I was about 13. One tester we'd use had a 3-phase 440 volt in and put out 300kv with still enough amps to kill you. I used to work for a company that repaired large generators for utility companies. I know how much I can get away with without hurting myself due to that experience. Not really something I recommend to others.

[RotogenRay]

300kv??? that's quite a voltage! The corona from that would blow the hat off your head!

[TaoOfPooh26]

Yep.  When testing the insulation on 20-foot+ generator coils, we needed something with a bit of a kick. And roped off a fair area around the test to keep people from getting too close.

[RotogenRay]

oh, like a high-pot-tester

They have one at Nortex, where I work, but I haven't seen it.

[TaoOfPooh26]

If you use a large enough resistor (like a 100 watt light bulb), it's a lot safer, but will still give you quite a tingle (as shown in my other vids).

[teslaspigeon]

me thinks you trust your own judgement way too much !!!thats very dangerouse to play with like that

[TaoOfPooh26]

I've been working with high voltage and other such stuff for decades. I have a lot to base my judgment on. Even then, I still tell people to not try this at home, and acknowledge that it's "Dangerously-Stupid". Statistically speaking, I'm probably more in danger when trusting other drivers on the freeway. :p

[teslaspigeon]

ok i suppose your right!! i personally dont trust anything especially people driving cars and statistically there are far more deaths on the streets due to cars in one year than there are due to electric shock since its conception!!and er!!! wheres your tesla coil

[TaoOfPooh26]

I have an antique one made in the 1920's (STILL WORKS). I built one in college ages ago, but that was a group effort, and I wasn't the one that got to keep it. :/ I'll likely build another, but I'd like to build one of the big ones I frequently see on YouTube, and I don't have the room to do that without really scaring the neighbors. :)

[AlienRelics]

A 100W bulb is -not- a large resistor, as in large = high resistance. At the 120V that the bulb is designed for (about 144 ohms resistance while hot), that's about 833mA, more than enough to fry you. At 15KV, that bulb does -nothing- to limit the current. Your body has much more resistance than that.

[TaoOfPooh26]

You're missing the resistance of the rest of the circuit, and more importantly the 120:15,000 change in amperage when it completes in the secondary winding. Take your 833mA and multiply that by .008. That's 6.64 mA. Almost a tenth of the amperage the transformer produces without the bulb. Your example is taking one part and ignoring the rest.

[AlienRelics]

So the 100W bulb is in series with the primary, then?

[TaoOfPooh26]

Not in this video. Do you mean plasma bulb 200 watt limit, where there's a 200w bulb in series with the primary?

[TaoOfPooh26]

Not as bad as you might think. It's 900 watts, and only on for a few minutes. My microwave is 1000 watts. Now...if I left it on all day... that'd be different, but I'd also be poisoning my house with ozone, and the transformer would eventually overheat, so nevermind.

[GasStation2]

Excellent.

(I wonder what your electricity bill is like!)

[chillthree]

Very cool.