Gadget Freak Case 111: New Gun Shoots Light Bulb Storms
By Design News Staff -- Design News, November 4, 2007
Here’s a gun that can light up an unplugged fluorescent bulb or spark electrical storms in an unplugged incandescent bulb — the same effect as a plaza globe.
Richard Morrow of Cheshire, England, built the Tesla Coil plasma gun using the casing of an inexpensive cordless hand drill. He uses the trigger of the hand drill as the plasma gun’s trigger. The device is powered by a 12V battery. The high frequency, high voltage from the gun causes the argon gas in light bulbs to become ionized, which creates streamers that are attracted to the fingers holding the bulb.
The low power means the plasma arcs are limited in size. The interference created by this wireless energy can also cause electric devices to switch on and off as well as making the devices behave erratically. Morrow says several improvements could be made on the design that could provide greater power and thus greater arcs.
Build Instructions | View Parts List | Post a Comment
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| Amt | Part Description | |
| 2 | PCB Mount holders for 1xN cell | 839-3078 |
| 1 | 10k 0.33W Carbon Film Resistor | 296-6300 |
| 1 | Photo Resistor (ldr) | 699-0002 |
| 1 | 100k 0.33W Carbon Film Resistor | 296-4743 |
| 1 | 10 nF 100V Polyester Capacitor | 995-0018 |
| 1 | 100 uF 10V Electrolytic Capacitor | 859-0122 |
| 1 | 100 uF 10V Electrolytic Capacitor | |
| 1 | 100 uF 10V Electrolytic Capacitor | |
| Additional parts required: | ||
| 2 | Spark Coil 1 & 2 Small Ignition Coils | |
| 1 | C3 Topload Sphere | |
| 1 | L3 TC Primary Coil | |
| 1 | L4 TC Secondary Coil | |
| Get Build Instructions | ||
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Really interesting! Can the energy be directed in any way to narrow its effects?
- 2007-27-11 02:48:53 EST -
Amazing. Try to make it smaller
- 2007-26-11 09:27:04 EST -
This is REAL engineering. I hope every kid in your neighbor hood starts seeing how much fun 'building stuff' cand be! Kudos.
- 2007-9-11 09:27:17 EST -
Wow, A hand held Tesla coil, I have not seen a mobile device before. Where can I buy one?
- 2007-6-11 04:20:23 EST
Gadget Freak Case 139: The Autonomous Blimp
04/27/2009
