Easy High voltage - 90mm- sparks from only 3Volts / High Voltage / Forums

Forums

4hv.org :: Forums :: High Voltage

« Previous topic | Next topic »

Easy High voltage - 90mm- sparks from only 3Volts

previous 1 2 3 next

Move Thread

LAN_403

JamesH

Sat Jul 02 2011, 04:47PM

Registered Member #579 Joined: Mon Mar 12 2007, 09:45AM
Location: Burntwood, Staffs, England
Posts: 46

Camp Badger wrote ...

For your insulation problem, try finding a plastic sleeve of some sort (electrical cord insulation works best for me). Cut off however much you need, slide it over the part that's causing flash-over and then pump the inside of the sleeve with hot glue. It works really well and it's not messy if you're careful.

Thanks I will try that next time

JamesH

Sat Jul 02 2011, 04:50PM

Registered Member #579 Joined: Mon Mar 12 2007, 09:45AM
Location: Burntwood, Staffs, England
Posts: 46

Forty wrote ...

if you could come up with a higher voltage switch, i'd say feed the camera output through a cw voltage multiplier and charge the caps up even higher :) but that would further worsen your insulating problems. try using some plastic sheeting to do the insulating, while using the epoxy to hold it in place. you could even use a short length of pvc pipe.

Thanks that is a brilliant suggestion... The insulation problem really is pain . I have tought about putting a 2 inch plasticpipe overthe whole thing and filling it with casting resin - liquide epoxy resin .
The epoxy putty is holdingits own at the moment
Thanks for the reply

Nah

Sat Jul 02 2011, 07:49PM

Registered Member #3567 Joined: Mon Jan 03 2011, 10:49PM
Location: USA, 1960s
Posts: 260

Hello!

How about you use 4 4 uf, 450 volt electrolyte capacitors?

Also, If you were to wind your own transformer.......

I don't know about efficiency, but what if you wound a transformer on 2 connected nails and them mounted it inside a small toy handgun.....

Killa-X

Sat Jul 02 2011, 08:13PM

Registered Member #1643 Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039

Well, I have 99% of what you listed except the thyristor, but I'll find something else to use, Other options as I see what the point of that all is. I have an ignition coil I got bored of, and many flash boards. Might as well use it for something. Will try this later tonight...

To the above comment, I dont think it has to be microwave capacitors. 4uF is 4uF, and the flash circuit puts out VDC, so I see no wrong in using 4uF capacitors there personally!

Inducktion

Sat Jul 02 2011, 09:12PM

Registered Member #3637 Joined: Fri Jan 21 2011, 11:07PM
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 1068

You could try switching out the SCR with a hv transistor of some sort, maybe a horizontal output one? I have a BJT that can handle 1.7 kv...
That way you could have something switching it faster, more sparks.

Killa-X

Sat Jul 02 2011, 10:48PM

Registered Member #1643 Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039

I switched out the whole SCR area with a relay triggered by a 9V battery. worked fine. My iggy just sucks. I had 3 inches going, then the insulation broke down and sparked over. I drilled 1/2" hole in the ignition coil plug, and pressed PVC down it. then i covered the ignition coil to the PVC with glue, and finished it with about 20 layers of electrical tape. and that PVC is a good 3mm thick. After 2 shots it broke through...stupid..but hey, it worked.

Forty, you be much better off making a CW for the ignition coil. Obviously this would require high voltage capacitors, and dipping it into oil though. I can do 900V on my system, as I have a fully moded camera board.

1AA == 330V
2AA == 660V
3AA == 990V

My camera board is just a transformer, LED, resistor, and transistor, diode. The rest was cut off.

For insulation, one option, works well, but i would recommend thinking it through so you dont have leaks...Heck, if you wanted to, using a smaller capacitor rated 450V 4uF, you could shove the whole circuit in a 2 liter or so, and fill it. Sure takes room, but hey, you will have ZERO arc-overs.

Nah

Sun Jul 03 2011, 02:28AM

Registered Member #3567 Joined: Mon Jan 03 2011, 10:49PM
Location: USA, 1960s
Posts: 260

I have 2 8mfd, 600 volt caps, non-polo. Hmmm

Would you guys recomend 16 mfd or 4 mfd?

Dr. Dark Current

Sun Jul 03 2011, 09:48AM

Registered Member #152 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 03:36PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 3384

The bigger the cap the fatter the sparks, to high voltage just results in the insulation of the ignition coil breaking down.

Anyway I would suggest a flyback driver with rectified flyback (its just a few components after all) and a MARX generator with negative output voltage. This way you can get really big sparks with a few components.

Mads Barnkob

Sun Jul 03 2011, 12:19PM

Registered Member #1403 Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968

Microwave oven capacitors are built with internal discharge resistors that will dissipate some of the power put into the capacitors, it is no problem as long as you keep charging them, but it might be a power hog considering the size of your power supply :)

Nah

Sun Jul 03 2011, 03:25PM

Registered Member #3567 Joined: Mon Jan 03 2011, 10:49PM
Location: USA, 1960s
Posts: 260

Dr. Kilovolt wrote ...

The bigger the cap the fatter the sparks, to high voltage just results in the insulation of the ignition coil breaking down.

Anyway I would suggest a flyback driver with rectified flyback (its just a few components after all) and a MARX generator with negative output voltage. This way you can get really big sparks with a few components.

Hello!

I'm afraid that you sentence is worded a bit funny, so what you're saying is that the higher the capacitance, the higher the current, however this will lead to the insulation breaking down more easily, correct?

Thanks,

Paul

previous 1 2 3 next

Moderator(s): Chris Russell, Noelle, Alex, Tesladownunder, Dave Marshall, Dave Billington, Bjørn, Steve Conner, Wolfram, Kizmo, Mads Barnkob