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Ideas for Flash tube funniness

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Pete

Mon Feb 13 2006, 11:41PM

Registered Member #106 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 09:39PM
Location: Portland, OR and Istanbul, Turkey
Posts: 47

Hey everyone, this is a question i've had for quite a while.

What can a person do with all those excess flash tubes you get out of disposable cameras?

I think I must have 200 to 300 flash tubes sitting in a box after taking apart all the disposible cameras for the caps.

The original idea was to put as many as I could into a makeshift sphere, wiring them all up to a massive charging circuit, and firing them all at once. Like a huge light bomb. Just for fun really. Bring it up camping with me and see how much I can light up the nights sky. Freak out some pilots or something. Annoy the neighbors. Scare small animals. Who knows. But all I could come up with was the flash ball idea. any more?

Pete

HV Enthusiast

Tue Feb 14 2006, 01:18AM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

How about a rapid fire sequential disco light . . .

Tesladownunder

Tue Feb 14 2006, 02:37AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

Solder them in a chain of perhaps 50 inside a clear flexible plastic tube and hang them off your TC.

Peter

Maz

Tue Feb 14 2006, 02:50AM

Registered Member #111 Joined: Fri Feb 10 2006, 01:04AM
Location: Menasha,Wisconsin
Posts: 65

i work in the tech booth for a local theatre (play, drama) you would be amazed at how bright those little buggers get during run-throughs.

in the booth there is a set of holes in the ceiling, i made two flash tubes, both with 8 bulbs each. lowered them through the holes from the cat walk above. they were startled when the first flashed(noone was looking) they looked at it almost instantly, then i did the second one. not many thought it was funny. but i thought it was hilarious and worth it.

Nik

Tue Feb 14 2006, 02:54AM

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

I like EVR's idea but slightly modified. Use enough of the flash circuits from those cameras so that you can sequentialy fire flashes at a really high rate without having to pause and wait for the next circuit to be charged. Now spread the flashes out in a circle around the room and enjoy.

HV Enthusiast

Tue Feb 14 2006, 03:09AM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

nik282000 wrote ...

I like EVR's idea but slightly modified. Use enough of the flash circuits from those cameras so that you can sequentialy fire flashes at a really high rate without having to pause and wait for the next circuit to be charged. Now spread the flashes out in a circle around the room and enjoy.

Just make sure anyone that is prone to seizures is clear of that room!

Dr. Shark

Tue Feb 14 2006, 09:29AM

Registered Member #75 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 09:30AM
Location: Montana, USA
Posts: 711

use them as sparkgaps is a low voltage marx generator?
Sell them? I'd buy a few but you are probably in the states...

Marko

Tue Feb 14 2006, 06:38PM

Registered Member #89 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:40PM
Location: Zadar, Croatia
Posts: 3145

Maybe noo need to use fotoflash circuits, just charge some capacitors >(microwawe oven maybe)
and discharge trough paralleled tubes...

Part Scavenger

Tue Feb 14 2006, 06:44PM

Registered Member #79 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 11:35AM
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 673

Where'd you get that many cameras?

Pete

Tue Feb 14 2006, 08:09PM

Registered Member #106 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 09:39PM
Location: Portland, OR and Istanbul, Turkey
Posts: 47

Mwaahahaaaaaa..... It all sounds delicious. Well to answer some questions, I am from the states, but I am currently in Turkey. So no go on selling the tubes. Yet. I will hopefully be doing something with them when I get back there this summer. Unfortunately I cannot use the original Charge circuitry because I desoldered the caps for a coilgun. Plus sold some extra on E-bay.

Part Scavenger wrote ...

Where'd you get that many cameras?

Ahh yes. I gave this answer in another thread about railguns. I used to live in Portland Oregon and it is a bountiful place for Kmarts, Walmarts, Walgreens, and a whole bunch of places that develop disposible cameras... I would go around about every month or 2 months and round up what I could, asking if I could have a few disposible camera for some experiments and teaching kids about electricity. After a summer of doing that I had about 200 caps. I still have another 100 cameras in a box that I have to take apart and use...

So, I guess this summer I know what I will be doing. I like the chaining idea and firing them sequentially. if I can get the charging time to 30 seconds, that would be 3 flashes per second. Sounds groovy.

In the meantime, if anyone wants charging circuits and flash tubes this summer, please remind me. And If I remember I will post on the mesage board as well.

joe doh wrote ...

Sell them? I'd buy a few but you are probably in the states...

tell me how many you would like. If it is a handfull or so, I can bring them back with me when I come back to Istanbul. I can always ship them to you.

Thanks for the ideas! Keep'em coming!

Pete

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