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Dr. Slack

Thu Jun 23 2011, 12:13PM

Registered Member #72 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:29AM
Location: UK St. Albans
Posts: 1659

Bashed flat copper water pipe was always the material of choice for ghetto busbars (solderable, stronger than alli), but have you seen the price of copper these days X-* ? Not only expensive to buy, but you have to be very quick to a dumpster outside a renovation site, scrap pipe doesn't hang around for long.

I guess ex-PC alli sheet is the new choice.

Avoid alli foil, whatever it's wrapped around, unless you want to make a confetti launcher.

genious 7

Fri Jun 24 2011, 01:48AM

Registered Member #2887 Joined: Sat May 29 2010, 11:10PM
Location: Panama City, Panama
Posts: 107

Homemade litz wire made of 16 AWG wire?, Who knows, it might do the trick if it is thick enough.

Newton Brawn

Fri Jun 24 2011, 03:05AM

Registered Member #3343 Joined: Thu Oct 21 2010, 04:06PM
Location: Toronto
Posts: 311

Hi Grenadier !

It is not so difficult you design and construct the proper buzzway or bussbar to connect the caps and the circuitry of discharge...
Why you do not especify the peak current, the time of the peak, maximum resistence and impedance of the bussbars and a sketch showing the arrangement and dimentionS??

Copper pipe (no flatening) is very suitable for this application

Regards

Adam Munich

Thu Jun 30 2011, 07:02PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Well the stockyard won't sell me any aluminum or copper because "people can make bombs with it." I fear for the future of this country...

..but now I have 90 capacitors and no way to connect them!

Patrick

Thu Jun 30 2011, 07:27PM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

Grenadier wrote ...

Well the stockyard won't sell me any aluminum or copper because "people can make bombs with it." I fear for the future of this country...

..but now I have 90 capacitors and no way to connect them!

Those idiots said that!? really? , dont ever buy anything from them again. Ill get you aluminum, some way or another.

Forty

Thu Jun 30 2011, 09:05PM

Registered Member #3888 Joined: Sun May 15 2011, 09:50PM
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 649

'cause everyone knows that if you want to make a bomb you go and get scrap aluminum and copper from the junkyard rather than buying the lengths of pipe at the hardware store that are threaded on both ends.
check your local hardware store for aluminum bar stock. (don't tell them you're going to make a bomb with it)

doctor electrons

Thu Jun 30 2011, 10:20PM

Registered Member #2390 Joined: Sat Sept 26 2009, 02:04PM
Location: Milwaukee Wisconsin
Posts: 381

Ace hardware! Or a similar place! Home depot sells copper coils for roof flashing!
Its out there, you just have to know where to look! Try a metal supplier that has no
minimum order.

Adam Munich

Fri Jul 01 2011, 01:48AM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

I'm going to tractor supply tomorrow, supposedly they have cheap bar stock. Home depot wants $27 for an 8 foot bar!!

doctor electrons

Fri Jul 01 2011, 11:34AM

Registered Member #2390 Joined: Sat Sept 26 2009, 02:04PM
Location: Milwaukee Wisconsin
Posts: 381

Dont go for the solid bar, it will almost always cost you more. Look for the copper flashing material.
Its very thin, you can cut it into strips and laminate it. Cover it with heat shrink and you have
yourself some very nice flexible bus bar. Just remember to drill your holes in it after you bend it to
shape. The ends and holes will shift when you bend it.

Adam Munich

Sat Jul 02 2011, 07:49PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Too late :p

$30 worth of solid bar got me one bank made, total capacitance is 24,400uF at 700V (5.4kJ!!!). And, I still have 40 something unused caps.

I realized though, I'm going to need something to switch the bank! I don't want to splurge on a puck SCR because I'd probably kill the thing anyway, so I figured a contactor would be the best option.

I have some pneumatics that could slam the thing closed very fast, and that would minimize wear on the makes. Since the caps will discharge there won't be anything to break, so that'll be good. However I need somebody to make me some contacts out of copper, something like this:

. It's not a hard job, but I don't have the tools to do it. So, who'd be willing to cut some copper and get a tritium tube in exchange?

Cap pic:

EDIT: Messed up math

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