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Directing lightning to hit where you want? Could be easier than you expect.

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LAN_403

ConKbot of Doom

Thu Oct 23 2014, 03:03AM

Registered Member #509 Joined: Sat Feb 10 2007, 07:02AM
Location:
Posts: 329

Just found this :

from the same guys that did the recent video blasting away with a magentron in the open air at various things. Turn on closed captioning, (looks like they actually provided english subs, rather then a voice to text and automatic translation)

As far as I can tell, they have the kite in the air, anchored to the ground but with a thin wire running to the TV anode to give it a high voltage charge, and successfully get lightning to strike, run down the wire and blow out the TV. impressive that the battery can be scorched and blistered with only a few milliseconds of exposure. Really puts the power in perspective.

Nik

Thu Oct 23 2014, 03:42AM

Registered Member #53 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:31AM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 638

Literally playing with lightning, that guy has a deathwish but by god if that isn't awesome.

Alex M

Thu Oct 23 2014, 09:58AM

Registered Member #3943 Joined: Sun Jun 12 2011, 05:24PM
Location: The Shire, UK
Posts: 552

That is amazing. Capacitor bank of the future anyone?

They have an interesting video of them playing on train tracks here

and charging a phone from the rails. Does anyone know what that pulsating signal is for?

Artlav

Thu Oct 23 2014, 04:03PM

Registered Member #8120 Joined: Thu Nov 15 2012, 06:06PM
Location: Moscow, Russia
Posts: 94

I wonder how much this was due to the voltage on the kite, and how much due to luck.
The air is positively charged, and the ground is negative, so adding a positive charge to the wire should have repelled the lightning, not attracted it, no?
At least, in a brute-force approximation, perhaps there are some complications.

ConKbot of Doom wrote ...
impressive that the battery can be scorched and blistered with only a few milliseconds of exposure.

That's A LOT of ultraviolet. :)

Alex M wrote ...
Does anyone know what that pulsating signal is for?

My guess will be train detection, i.e. for automatic crossings - the wheels will be a low impedance path between the rails.
Thus, detecting where the train is should be possible by timing (or by measuring resistance at a certain point near the crossing?).

Nucleophobe

Thu Oct 23 2014, 04:53PM

Registered Member #108 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 11:44PM
Location: Billings, MT
Posts: 61

Artlav wrote ...

I wonder how much this was due to the voltage on the kite, and how much due to luck.
The air is positively charged, and the ground is negative, so adding a positive charge to the wire should have repelled the lightning, not attracted it, no?

Possible they had a negative charge on the wire?

I was expecting this to be fake about as much as I expected the Avengers 2 trailer that leaked yesterday to be. Now looks like maybe both are real, what has happened to the internet?

2Spoons

Thu Oct 23 2014, 09:06PM

Registered Member #2939 Joined: Fri Jun 25 2010, 04:25AM
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Posts: 615

localised ionisation. The same reason electric fences seem to attract lightning.

Nik

Sat Oct 25 2014, 06:11PM

Registered Member #53 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:31AM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 638

Alex M wrote ...

That is amazing. Capacitor bank of the future anyone?

Instead of a can crusher you could make a barrel crusher!

Thomas W

Sat Oct 25 2014, 06:23PM

Registered Member #3324 Joined: Sun Oct 17 2010, 06:57PM
Location:
Posts: 1276

Nik wrote ...

Alex M wrote ...

That is amazing. Capacitor bank of the future anyone?

Instead of a can crusher you could make a barrel crusher!

I really really really want to see that be done now... doubt it would be too hard or dangerous if you did it all remotely. Problem is getting the lighning to strike when you want it and where you want it. You might set up the rig and there isn't lightning for 10 months.

Proud Mary

Sat Oct 25 2014, 11:55PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Tom, there's a whole bunch of literature about induced lightning strikes with rocket lines and so on, way back to Benjamin Franklin and his keys.

Don't get yourself zapped. :) X

Thomas W

Sun Oct 26 2014, 01:12AM

Registered Member #3324 Joined: Sun Oct 17 2010, 06:57PM
Location:
Posts: 1276

Proud Mary wrote ...

Tom, there's a whole bunch of literature about induced lightning strikes with rocket lines and so on, way back to Benjamin Franklin and his keys.

Don't get yourself zapped. :) X

Well i shan't be doing it. i live in a town and i rarely ever see lightning and its never close to us, haha.

I think it could be done with a load of copper piping around a drum going directly to ground with a large antenna sticking up from the end of the wire.... would be very interested in seeing such results.

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