| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
Is it possible to take the dc current from the van de graff generator and convert it to ac? | ||
| alex (Alex) New member Username: Alex Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2007 |
I doubt it ... But that's why you usualy build a tesla coil for (high voltage alternating currents at high frequency) And it's not realy hard to build (just a simple oscilator and you can use a flyback transformer from an old tv instead of the coil) | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) Senior Member Username: Sfield Post Number: 1704 Registered: 12-2004 |
It's easy to take any DC source and convert it to AC. Just use a switch to make and break contact at the frequency you want. | ||
| alex (Alex) Junior Member Username: Alex Post Number: 9 Registered: 4-2007 |
If you just make/break a contact you actualy only get an on/off "circuit" wich is still DC but but interupted several times a second ... you get actual AC by using a transformer or autotransformer in the circuit ... that's when you actualy get alternating current because of the autoinduction caused by the colapse of the magnetic field around the vire in the coil when the circuit is interupted. When this field colapses it induces a current in the wire with oposite polarity of he original "source". So basicaly when you make the contact you've got yourself a normal induction (because of the magnetic field created by the "feeding" current in the wire) ... when you break the contact the field colapses inducing a current through the coil at different polarity ... I don't know how well i explained it ... but well not everyone is perfect :P | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) Senior Member Username: Sfield Post Number: 1705 Registered: 12-2004 |
All you actually need is a capacitor in series, to raise the ground to the average level of the signal. But for many applications when someone wants high voltage AC, they won't care what the ground level is. They usually want AC so they can feed it to a transformer anyway. | ||
| Sam Carlberg (Testboi) Junior Member Username: Testboi Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2008 |
Uhh. . . could you please explain this in simple English for all us simpletons? I want to be able to do something productive with my Van de Graaff generator. | ||
| Theresa Simmons (Theresa) Advanced Member Username: Theresa Post Number: 90 Registered: 1-2008 |
If you don't understand capacitors and transformers, you won't be able to do much with your high voltage AC. Some helpful sites: "http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/how_it_works/transformer.html" "http://ecmweb.com/ops/electric_basics_transformers_2/" "http://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae427.cfm" "http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/PY106/ACcircuits.html" "http://www.play-hookey.com/ac_theory/ac_capacitors.html" |
