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.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Designing and filling a new type of water bottle might take less engineering work, but the description will help kids understand how science, math, and engineering influence their lives even through things that seem mundane.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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