bug zapper transformer? / High Voltage / Forums

Forums

4hv.org :: Forums :: High Voltage

« Previous topic | Next topic »

bug zapper transformer?

1 2 next

Move Thread

LAN_403

haulinick

Thu May 24 2007, 05:27AM

Registered Member #619 Joined: Sat Mar 31 2007, 05:26AM
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 16

is the transformer in a bug zapper useful at all? i heard they are like 2000 v.

GreySoul

Thu May 24 2007, 05:53AM

Registered Member #546 Joined: Fri Feb 23 2007, 11:43PM
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 239

I hear they work great for zapping bugs.

*ZING*

...Do you need a 2kv bug zapper power supply for something? if so, it's probably useful. if not, .... well... lots of things are useful but we have no immediate need for them. Rent a storage unit.

-Doug

MikeT1982

Sun Jun 03 2007, 03:57AM

Registered Member #621 Joined: Sun Apr 01 2007, 12:37AM
Location:
Posts: 119

They do, they kill bugs well. LOL my first high votlage experience was messing with a bug zapper transformer I tore from my dad's old bug zapper when I was a kid. I do not know the milliamp output of them though, it did not make even as hot of a spark as my 4kv 30ma neon sign transformer. It made a 2mm-3mm spark, and I could close the terminals to a dead short and it would not heat up, makes me wonder if they are "ballasted" like a neon sign transformer. I don't quite understand ballasting and current limiting by a transformer itself, but from what it did when I shorted it, I think the current was under 30ma and it limits itself.

Simon

Mon Jun 04 2007, 06:55AM

Registered Member #32 Joined: Sat Feb 04 2006, 08:58AM
Location: Australia
Posts: 549

Some bug zappers are much higher voltage than 2kV. Others are much less. In my teens I bought a bug zapper only to be disappointed to find it tickled flies to death with line voltage. (Actually, it had a Greinacher doubler inside but who cares.)

GreySoul

Mon Jun 04 2007, 05:19PM

Registered Member #546 Joined: Fri Feb 23 2007, 11:43PM
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 239

FWIW those little wasp swatters you can get that look like a tennis racket with an array of wires strung across the face have a nice little square wave generator and oscillator of some sort that pops 9v up to like 800v says my DMM...anyways) square waves.

We played a game once where we wrapped the wires around a tennis ball, put the electronics inside, and played tazer hot potato with it. It's fun watching a bunch of drunk artists getting shocked.

-Doug

Dave Marshall

Mon Jun 04 2007, 05:32PM

Registered Member #16 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 02:22PM
Location: New Wilmington, PA
Posts: 554

I've seen bug zappers that varied from ~1KV at 10mA to a rather large industrial looking thing that was 2KV at 30mA.

The former was pretty wimpy, and larger bugs were maimed more often then killed it seemed. The latter was a beast, and rather messy. A junebug contacting that thing looked like an electric chair execution gone horribly wrong.

I used the transformer from the larger one with a tripler to power a small Marx generator successfully. I imagine there are plenty of times even the smaller transformers would come in handy.

Dave

sparky

Wed Jun 06 2007, 05:49AM

Registered Member #530 Joined: Sat Feb 17 2007, 07:56AM
Location: Victoria BC, Canada
Posts: 178

I once replaced the internals of a shock racket with a larger uF camera flash cap and charger circuit - and then used it for its intended purpose. Explosive on flies and anything else "insect" that came into contact with it. I wouldn't want to touch the output! I hear the camera flash units can actually cause a severe electric shock - not sure if this is true or not...
I have several old style blue lamp bug killers - they run 4 kV 20mA.
--- not too many of those around I bet...

J. Aaron Holmes

Wed Jun 06 2007, 06:24AM

Registered Member #477 Joined: Tue Jun 20 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 546

sparky wrote ...

I once replaced the internals of a shock racket with a larger uF camera flash cap and charger circuit - and then used it for its intended purpose. Explosive on flies and anything else "insect" that came into contact with it.

You can't call yourself "serious" about zapping bugs unless you've got X-ray cable running to the handle of your "shock racket"

Imagine pressing that cheap-o little button on the handle and hearing a CLUNK as a big contactor engages a short distance away, followed immediately by the hum of a big transformer and the hiss of massive corona from your racket

(From instruction manual: "Withdraw core of ballast reactor to level indicated on the supplied 'Insect Type to Current' slide rule ...")

Cheers,
Aaron, N7OE

Adrian

Wed Jun 06 2007, 01:27PM

Registered Member #697 Joined: Thu May 10 2007, 12:28PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 22

sparky wrote ...

I hear the camera flash units can actually cause a severe electric shock - not sure if this is true or not...

I've done a lot of experiments with flash caps and only been zapped once - the first time I ever opened a camera flash. It was a professional type, which mount on top of SLR cameras. Its capacitor was approx 2.5" long and 1" wide (far larger than types found inside the average camera). My hand was numb for several hours however I would not say that was this instance was a "severe electric shock". My definition of severe electric shock is one that burns, requires a hospital visit, causes permanent injury or kills. Aside from that injury, I believe a flash cap (especially a flash cap bank) could easily kill, for example, if a person was to be shocked hand-to-hand (or via any limb where current passes through the heart). I'm sure some of you have had this happen and yet you survived, but it doesn't mean you can take chances with that kind of thing.

(I imagine) touching several charged capacitors or part of their circuit can cause severe local injury (5 small flash caps I was using the other day were leaving reasonably deep indentations in metal electrodes, so they would easily burn/vaporize skin.)

The keep-one-hand-in-your-pocket rule isn't hard to follow when using flash caps - using bleeder resistors means you shouldn't need to touch the charged capacitor at all. This is assuming your monitoring its voltage and *know* its discharged (if the resistor has failed, the cap may still be charged and if your taking safety shortcuts you might not have checked it's discharged by shorting it with insulated screwdriver/pliers.)

So yes they can actually cause a severe electric shock.

Somewhat more on topic, I have opened three differently sized bug zappers and have not seen a transformer in any of them. What kind of bug zappers are you getting these from? The three I opened all used a simple circuit that ran off mains. I don't recall the circuits specifics very well but at a glance they contained minimal components - neon bulb, UV bulb, switch and coil - nothing useful to me or that I don't already have and so the unit was promptly thrown in the bin...

sparky

Wed Jun 06 2007, 10:38PM

Registered Member #530 Joined: Sat Feb 17 2007, 07:56AM
Location: Victoria BC, Canada
Posts: 178

The units I speak of are used in the meat packing industry. These are round cage units that have an electrified mesh inside them. The blue light tubes attract the insects and then the high voltage mesh finishes them off. They have a small neon-like open cored transformer 4kV - type with a single wire output. They were produced up until the early 80's - I haven't seen any more like them.

1 2 next

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