| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
How about using Leyden Jars for use with the Van De Graff generator. I have built lots of leyden jars out of old cream cheese tubs and they are fun to play with. I haven't built a VDG yet, so I have used a PVC pipe and a ktichen paper towel to charge the jars(which works surprisingly well). I haven't tried this, but I do beleive that the Leyden Jars can be used to make longer sparks with the VDG. | ||
| Anonymous |
Today, I also made a new type of capacitor that is made out of a jewel case for a cd instead of a jar or a tub. It isn't any more powerful, but they take up less space. | ||
| RC |
Cool. I used a leyden jar in place of a peizoelectric lighter for the hydrogen bomb project. | ||
| Anonymous |
Yes! I finally built the VDG! I tested it with two Leyden Jars connected afrter I got it working. The sparks get longer, but only to a certain point, but the power of the sparks are increadable. It charged so much that when I touched the can, I felt a tremendous shock throughout my entire body! I'm wondering, when the energy is released through the spark, do the Leyden Jars make the voltage higher? It seems like it to me. Here is a neat modification I made to the VDG; I made up another can which was placed on another PVC rod. I glued it to the wooden base and connected the new can to ground. Now if I put the can close enough to the can on the generator itself, you will get constant sparkage! Like at those lightning shows at some museums. | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) |
Excellent! The Leyden Jar is a capacitor. It stores charge. It does not increase the voltage. The VDG by itself cannot generate a lot of current. The capacitor stores up the charge over time. When you touched it, all of that charge was delivered all at once. Charge is the number of electrons (or the lack of electrons) relative to ground. Current is the flow of charge per second. Voltage is the pressure that pushes the electrons. The VDG generates a lot of voltage. It can only push a small number of electrons per second. But when you push those electrons into the capacitor over many seconds, the capacitor stores them. It can deliver all of them in a very short time. Thus the charged capacitor can deliver much more current than the VDG can. It's volts that jolts, but mills that kills. The VDG has a lot of volts, but not a lot of current (measured in milliamps, or "mills" for short). The capacitor can deliver quite a lot of current, as you discovered. A larger Leyden Jar can develop lethal currents. Be careful. | ||
| Anonymous |
That's interesting. Does this mean that by also adding resistance, you can make longer sparks (and also make the current less dangerous)? I saw something on the internet called a "Marx" generator, which was an array of capacitors and resistors with some spark gaps. It created amazing and extremely long sparks. I was figuring that if you do a similar sort of thing with the leyden jars and add some resistors, would that have a similar effect with the VDG? Therefore having longer sparks? | ||
| Anonymous |
Here is a schematic of a Marx Generator. http://www.ee.ualberta.ca/~schmaus/elect/marxgen.jpg | ||
| kwigibow |
I am planning on building a Jacob's Ladder. To my knowledge, you need about 10kV and 1 milliamps. How can I measure how many mills that my capacitor is charging? | ||
| Anonymous |
maybe you could try an electrometer? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) |
One way would be to measure how long it takes to charge a capacitor to a certain voltage. This time will vary with the current. But the easiest way to really answer your question is to simply put two wires vertically next to one another, with a small gap at the bottom and a slightly large gap at the top. Then see if you get a spark, and if the spark heats the air enough to cause the arc to rise. That's all there is to a Jacob's Ladder anyway, and you already have the power supply or you wouldn't be asking. | ||
| kwigibow |
I have built the VDG, but would that have the power? I found a little info on Jacob's Ladders and some people use neon sign transformers. I will try to make a larger capacitor and see if that helps and if not, I'll try the transformer. | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) |
Use the transformer. The VDG will not generate enough current. | ||
| Anonymous |
Can i use teflon band and rubber(V-Belt) for lower roller and belt? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) |
Sounds fine to me. Make sure the rubber is not conductive (most black rubber is black because they add carbon so it will be conductive and not create static electricity. This would not work in a VDG.) Some conductive rubbers look like insulators to an ohmmeter, but even a million ohms of resistance is too conductive. | ||
| Frank Reiser |
I built a Leyden jar from five 10 L plastic buckets. The jar stands about 1 m high, and has a diameter of about 0.5 m. I takes six minutes for the jar to fully charge from a 500 kV Van de Graaff generator. The spark is about 0.3 m long, violet white and as loud as a shot gun. Even after discharge, this beast hisses like a snake for six days--I don't dare to touch it! In fact, this garbage bucket-sized jar is so powerful, I have not played with it since I bulit it four years ago! | ||
| sciman |
i am going to build a layden jar out of a wrapping paper tube and aluminum foil.im not sure if it will discharge when another spark is put to it. that is the problem.can somebody help me? | ||
| marusushi Unregistered guest |
I don't think that a wrapping paper tube would make a good jar. But, I have never tried that. Try using a tupperware container. | ||
| Ken Vadas Kenny Vadas Unregistered guest |
This is a new option for DB267843 | ||
| Reed St. James Unregistered guest |
Hello genital men. I am wondering, can the power contained in a charged Leyden Jar be somehow convert in to usable energy. For example, to run and electric motor, or an electric gate located in the middle of nowhere? I have recently constructed a “Pico Turbine” it works fairly really well. However, it has a limited power. So, could one harness the power generated in a laden jar similar to a solar panel or a DC wind generator? By the way, what is a Marx Generator? What can it do? | ||
| lysdexia Unregistered guest |
Do you have Tourette's Syndrome? | ||
| Jeffrey Unregistered guest |
Hello, I found instruction on the internet on how to make a Leyden jar. It is made from a film canister and has aluminum foil on the inside and outside. If I do the same, but use use say a waterbottle, I will get a bigger spark right? thanks, -Jeff- | ||
| Kyle O. Unregistered guest |
About the Marx Generator, they work very well. They take high voltage, and raise it even higher. I use a 5000v neon sign transformer, and it makes sparks about 2 inches long. It does not give out a continuous amount of voltage, but is strong enough to burn holes in paper. About the water bottle, yes, you will get a bigger spark. I made one from a CoolWhip container, and it does a pretty good job. I normally just stick with the film canisters. I had to put two resistors in each section because the original value was to high.  | ||
| Kyle O. Unregistered guest |
srry for the large picture; i couldn't scale it down... | ||
| Tristan Unregistered guest |
Hi. I was wondering. I have been trying to make a Van de graaf generator for a while now, And tried several different designs, Including the one on this website and I still can't get one to work. I have tried all the different things they say to do and I still can't get it to work. I have followed each design step-by-step and not step-by-step. Anyone with an Idea or Design please contact me. I would be very much obliqued. | ||
| Curio Unregistered guest |
Has anyone tried using a wine glass filled with water instead of alumminum foil? Does this work better? We built a Layden Jar using a wine bottle, water, cork, and paperclip but have tried charging it and it seems to hold an endless amount of charg. Are we to be carfull when it discharges? | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) Senior Member Username: Sfield Post Number: 473 Registered: 12-2004 |
How are you concluding that it holds an endless amount of charge? | ||
| Micheal Oligavalie (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 210.55.230.123 |
aah yes the layden jar an extremely interesting invention is it not? i was conducting a field experiment when low and behold a layden jar popped up from rite underneath me. i was astountded this was a discovery that would make its way to the history books!!! i then decided to use this electrical charge to make a VDG generator!! o my lord this was an exciting experience i accidentally bumped the generator with my smallest finger and the electricty travelled from the highest hair on my head right down to my tinyist phalangie!! you should all try this sometime its invigorating!! Prof. Micheal Oligavalie Head Of Scientific discoverys department | ||
| anon banon (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 210.55.230.123 |
how du u mke 1? | ||
| Angus Chalmers (Fungus) Junior Member Username: Fungus Post Number: 7 Registered: 12-2005 |
What I sometimes use for a high voltage source is the transformer from inside a lightning ball thing( them globe things that follow your hands movement). It only has one wire coming out of it so it goes to ground. It makes sparks continously and I might try a Leyden jar to boost the sparks. It'd probably make it even more dangerous at around 8,000 volts already and it hurts so much you can get tiny burns from the sparks. It even goes through plastic wire insulation and can burn paper easily. It works off a 12v supply. | ||
| apollo6470 (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 12.214.202.226 |
Hi I made a couple Leydon jars and charged them using a static generator that I created. I get bright blue sparks that make a lod crack, but they are only an inch or so long. What is the key to getting huge sparks. And also when is a leydon jar too powerful to be disharged by a human (when will it floor you). | ||
| Alexander N Roberts (Whoo_mythbusters) Intermediate Member Username: Whoo_mythbusters Post Number: 35 Registered: 9-2005 |
If you are using static to charge it never the static you create will not have enought amps to harm you .... | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) Senior Member Username: Sfield Post Number: 916 Registered: 12-2004 |
Someone clearly doesn't understand the whole point of collecting the high voltage charge over a long period and then releasing it all at once. This is what capacitors (Leyden jar is the old word for capacitor) do. The current that results can indeed be fatal. | ||
| justine aquino (Mnado) Advanced Member Username: Mnado Post Number: 91 Registered: 12-2005 |
tips:the smoother,spherecal,larger VDS's produces high amounts of voltage i tried using and aluminum plate,and made two semi-spheres connected it together,then made a hole 4 inches in diameter,instead of the small rubber band i used the one inch wide rubber band(used in sling shots)and melted the edges to make a band,then i used an electric fan motor for the motor,and creates a 5 inch non lethal spark i made one(like on mythbusters)and its non dangerous,..but it shock will make your fingers straighten when you touch it | ||
| justine aquino (Mnado) Advanced Member Username: Mnado Post Number: 92 Registered: 12-2005 |
and about that marx generator i bought a toy called shock tank its like a laser tag game then when you shot the enemy's back it will give 18,000 volts(same as the piezo electric igniter)then you can also set it to 24,000 volts which will make you let go of the controller,and i bought another toy called juicy fruit shocker,when you pull the gum out it will give 20,000 volts but when you get use to it you will be able to grab hold to it for as long as you want runned by 3 1.5 lithium cells... | ||
| justine aquino (Mnado) Advanced Member Username: Mnado Post Number: 93 Registered: 12-2005 |
can i ask a question to that marx generator?what kind of capacitors and resistor is used?and what | ||
| justine aquino (Mnado) Advanced Member Username: Mnado Post Number: 94 Registered: 12-2005 |
how many volts did you use to make the marx generator work?can i make a portable one runned by batteries?pls reply asap | ||
| Joshua Martin (Mr_) Intermediate Member Username: Mr_ Post Number: 21 Registered: 1-2006 |
Where did you get the capacitors and resistors from ?????? | ||
| Joshua Francis Martin (Joshua_martin) New member Username: Joshua_martin Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2007 |
a basic magnetic motor design that could be put into a computer program and redefined. 5 evenly spread lines coming out from the center each tipped with one poled magnet either south, north. then 4 double poled outer magnets shapely curved so the center pieces attracts to the outer magnets then repelled again not being able to stop making a constant motion. Joshua martin Western Australia, Mandurah | ||
| Kasper Emil Feld (Magnetfeld) Intermediate Member Username: Magnetfeld Post Number: 27 Registered: 11-2007 |
WTF? That doesn't make any sence, and has nothing to do with the topic. | ||
| Simon Quellen Field (Sfield) Senior Member Username: Sfield Post Number: 1818 Registered: 12-2004 |
Besides, it obviously would not work. Not only would it violate the laws of thermodynamics, but he'd have to find five magnetic monopoles in order to build it. | ||
| Joshua Francis Martin (Joshua_martin) New member Username: Joshua_martin Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2007 |
dont know how this comment got into leyden jars |
