At $50 for the lot of 10, it was a bargain.
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Marx 2 - A Bigger Bang
At $50 for the lot of 10, it was a bargain.
Labels:
high voltage,
sparks
Monday, 29 August 2011
Big capacitor + metal shavings = ?

A while back I acquired a very beefy capacitor. It is 0.25uF, rated at 35,000v. That is a total energy storage of 150 Joules! A typical camera flash has but 10 Joules of energy. Charging it takes about 30 seconds with a Flyback supply, and I can only get to about 25kV (78 Joules), but I'm hoping to boost that with a neon sign transformer.
Labels:
high voltage,
sparks
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Self contained flyback
A 1 hour build. Finally put a flyback transformer and driver on a single PCB for easier moving
around. Up to now the transformer has been loose, not attached to a driver PCB.
Note, this is another supply, in addition to my portable supply.
Input: 5 to 15 volts.
Output: 25,000 volts (depending on input).
Bracket with banana socket serves as ground, screw terminals for supply voltage. Arcs are easily 2-3cm, as visible in the photo. Driver is standard 555 + MOSFET. Flyback has primary I wound myself (red wire in the photo).
around. Up to now the transformer has been loose, not attached to a driver PCB.
Note, this is another supply, in addition to my portable supply.
Input: 5 to 15 volts.
Output: 25,000 volts (depending on input).
Bracket with banana socket serves as ground, screw terminals for supply voltage. Arcs are easily 2-3cm, as visible in the photo. Driver is standard 555 + MOSFET. Flyback has primary I wound myself (red wire in the photo).
Labels:
high voltage,
sparks
Sunday, 21 August 2011
A Marx Generator
It takes a relatively low voltage input, generally in the range of 5-20kV, and spits out a pulse that is multiplied in proportion to the number of capacitors in the device. So even with just 10 x 20kV capacitors, its possible to generate a juicy 200,000 volts that can jump close to a foot.
The picture on the masthead of this blog shows an actual Marx generated spark as wide as my face.
Labels:
high voltage,
sparks
Friday, 19 August 2011
Crookes Tube - early cathode ray device
A Geissler tube is something like an old neon sign tube, but uses higher voltage and gives much more interesting colours. They glow depending on the materials within.
Labels:
high voltage
Monday, 15 August 2011
Tidy those alligator leads!
A few head scratchings didn't give me any real ideas for how to solve the problem. Bags and boxes end up tangled, hanging them off the shelves obscures access, and anything else was just too far to reach - I'm a firm believer that all frequently used bits should be in easy reach.
Labels:
equipment
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Portable high voltage supply
Playing with sparks requires generating high voltages.
There are a multitude of ways to generate such voltages. One of the easiest is to use a flyback transformer from an old TV or PC monitor. By driving one of these with a 555 timer and MOSFET, it's very easy to get 20-30kV with just 12V input.
This post describes one that I built.
There are a multitude of ways to generate such voltages. One of the easiest is to use a flyback transformer from an old TV or PC monitor. By driving one of these with a 555 timer and MOSFET, it's very easy to get 20-30kV with just 12V input.
This post describes one that I built.
Labels:
high voltage,
sparks
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Main screen turn on
One corner of the bench... |
After much procrastination, ideas, thinking and planning, the Buxtronics blog is up. It's finally good to have it up, and all these ideas for articles that I've been going over in my head can finally get down on paper...er keyboard.
As a tinkerer and builder of various electronic gadgets, and brewer of beer, it was a shame to not be able to share my creations with others online. I decided I needed to document these various projects, even if just for my own benefit.
Some of my projects are already online, but they are in raw html and take a fair bit of work to put up. So I've gone with a traditional blog format for future projects. Some of those existing projects may get a revisit here though, particularly as they have been improved and changed somewhat.
Some existing projects that will get a mention here soon include:
- Marx Generators
- Brewing stir plate
- Tesla coil
- Various milled gadgets
- Various destructive high voltage fun
- Microcontroller based projects
So stick around, subscribe and stay tuned for an insight into my crazy hobbies!
Labels:
general
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)