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Halloween Gadgetry

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aonomus

Wed Sept 24 2008, 06:14AM

Registered Member #1497 Joined: Thu May 22 2008, 05:24AM
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 801

Fine wire/steel wool across the spark gap with a pressure switch in the base of the 'staff', slam it against the ground and off it goes...

What ever happened to normal Halloween activities? :D

Firnagzen

Wed Sept 24 2008, 09:03AM

Registered Member #567 Joined: Tue Mar 06 2007, 10:55AM
Location: Singapore
Posts: 147

Nah, what I'm thinking is multiple individual sparkgaps with multiple capacitors studded all over the top of the staff, with different charging times for all of them.

And perhaps one big cap with the pressure switch for a bigger bang?

Petezel

Wed Sept 24 2008, 10:14AM

Registered Member #211 Joined: Sun Feb 19 2006, 05:33PM
Location:
Posts: 27

Hey guys!
"Wow" thanks for all your great replies O_o
- Crackling sparks could be done with a photoflash invertor and a cascade with very small capacitors.
- I love the exploding wire bridge idea, that is very wizardesque. I am not sure how best to series-parallel the caps, or even what energy is needed to blow a short piece of steel wool is, I'll have to test that one out. I have bunch of TO-247 SCRs, about 300 capacitors and many chargers, so that one is a runner. I might use a manual switch, but raise the staff in the air first, for effect and safety (further from faces).

I'll definitely have a crack at putting a xenon flash tube on the top, I can't believe I didn't think of it.

As curiosity, I want to test what would happen if I dusted a triggered spark gap with powdered sugar. I have proven that the right dust-air mixture will ignite in a big ball of flame, so question is : can the shock from the explosion spread the dust out fast enough at the right rate to set it off !

A key to making these effects pull off well is probably going to be down to surprise and disguising the electronics to make things 'believable' and not obviously rigged. We'll see how it goes, I'd like to see photos later on to see how you're doing!

Take care everyone,
Petezel

Conundrum

Thu Sept 25 2008, 05:01PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4062

hehe.. if you have access to an ultrasonic fog generator, highlighter pen and some blue LEDs or laser diodes, you can generate fog which "glows" when it moves with an eerie green light :)

I did wonder about building an "electric chair" using EL wire and/or white LEDs to imitate sparks- this would work fairly well.

-A

Petezel

Sun Sept 28 2008, 01:06PM

Registered Member #211 Joined: Sun Feb 19 2006, 05:33PM
Location:
Posts: 27

Andre! Unfortunately I will be outside (windy) and do not own an ultrasonic mister, but that idea is freaking sick! :D I will surely have to try that when/if I do get one.
Since you mention lasers, I have about 10 laser modules and a few theatrical smoke pellets. Predator meets Futurama arm laser gauntlet, if I have time.
I am very tempted to get a portable battery powered strobe, it's just that of them do not have very fast repetition rates. *Looks at large pile of camera parts*
Thank you all!
<+> Petezel

Conundrum

Sun Sept 28 2008, 04:42PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4062

mwahaha :) i have one here. problem is it needs 24V but i have just obtained 70 Ultralife 9V shop soiled Lithium batteries which a kind gentleman in Leeds is forwarding to me. total cost:- around Â£40

also might be worth making a few glowing tomatoes/applies/etc :)
-A

Myke

Sun Sept 28 2008, 06:15PM

Registered Member #540 Joined: Mon Feb 19 2007, 07:49PM
Location: MIT
Posts: 969

Make sure that no one eats the tomatoes though.

That would probably be bad if someone did...

PS: 404 posts :P

FastMHz

Sun Sept 28 2008, 09:09PM

Registered Member #179 Joined: Thu Feb 16 2006, 02:08AM
Location: Hagerstown, Maryland - Close to Prime Outlets
Posts: 287

One of those giant pumpkins receiving 24kj would be rather entertaining, however the system is down for reconfiguration at the moment

aonomus

Sun Sept 28 2008, 10:20PM

Registered Member #1497 Joined: Thu May 22 2008, 05:24AM
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 801

Heh 24kJ capacitor discharge into a pumpkin would definitely be more entertaining than air cannons....

Now its here *bang*, now it isn't.

Conundrum

Sun Oct 05 2008, 07:55AM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4062

re. glowing tomatoes. Does not work. However, if you obtain a dead light stick or a working one, extract the liquid and inject it (carefully) into a tomato through a single point, then inject hydrogen peroxide, it will glow.

Other amusing hacks. Obtain "moon sand" (that very fine plasticine-like sand the kiddie shops sell) and mix in some glow powder. Guess what- its now *glowing* moon sand :) Now obtain a surplus LED beer glass, remove the old broken LED units etc and install some UV LEDs and battery (I have a few rechargeable lithium VnO5s here) and a tilt switch with capacitor buffer and whatever micro you have.

In "sleep" mode 12C508's with 32K crystal draw under a microamp (!) so they are ideal for this application.

regards, -A

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