| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
I'm having trouble getting the Franklin's Bells project to work. I know I'm getting voltage to one can because it feels statically charged when I run my finger along the side. The other can is also connected to a good ground, I used the ground that electrical devices plug into. The pull top doesn't even move when I have the voltage and ground hooked up, is there some things I could try to get it to work? I tried several different positions and rebuilt it once with different parts and it still didn't work. | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) |
You may be in a humid area, which can make life difficult for static electricity experiments. However, you might find that placing the pop-top very close (or even touching) the charged can can get it started. If you are using the TV and foil as a high voltage source, try turning the TV on and off several times in succession. | ||
| Anonymous |
Okay, its fairly humid here but not inside, my AC sucks most of the moisture out of the air when it cools it off right? I have fiddled around with swinging the pop-top and touching it to each of the cans. I haven't tried turning the TV on and off though. | ||
| Anonymous |
I got it to go back in forth a few times when I reduced the space between the cans and changed the pop-top for a little ball of aluminum foil, but it doesn't keep going, it only goes about 4 or 5 times then stops. | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) |
The television is not a constant source of energy. You charge it by turning it on or off. The motor discharges it as it operates. Turn the TV on and off once a second or so, and the motor will keep working. | ||
| Anonymous |
Oh, so if I hook it up to a Van de Graf generator instead it will work as long as the generator is on? | ||
| Anonymous |
yeah the bells will work while the vdg is on as long as you don't run out of batteries | ||
| mike (Mike11298) Junior Member Username: Mike11298 Post Number: 8 Registered: 10-2006 |
Be careful if using mains ground - if another device fails, your exposed franklin's bells may become dangerous | ||
| Michael (Michaelt) Senior Member Username: Michaelt Post Number: 139 Registered: 12-2005 |
Ground is ground and only carries current when there's a problem with an electrical device that makes a connection to the ground. It's not provided by the power company in residences, it's provided by the house builder in accordance with the applicable electrical code. In a properly wired house, using the center screw on the outlet or using the ground pole in a socket is a much more certain ground than a cold water pipe. (Of course, this depends on your house meeting electrical code.) |
