Summer hols project - Jacob’s Ladder

[Rockingit]

Thought I might do something interesting with mini-me as a holiday project and make a Jacob’s ladder - anyone have any advice and/or a suitable HT coil I can barter for?

R.

 

[pc1966]

One for @Lucien Nunes I think!

I know some folk use old neon lamp transformers from 50Hz mains but they are deadly if not used very carefully (not that I doub't your skills, but we all make mistakes from time to time).

If it were me I would be looking to use a higher frequency AC supply (kHz region) so far less risk of fibrillation on contact, so something like an old car ignition coil or the line/flyback transformer of an old CRT TV.

 

[Vortigern]

What is a Jacobs ladder please mister?

 

[pc1966]

Spark gap - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Think mad scientist in 30's Frankenstein, or Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Depends on the scale you have in mind!
At the lower end it can be all done for you:

Jacob Ladder + ZVS High Voltage Arc Power Supply Module DIY Student Experiment Kit

Only US$33.38, buy best Jacob Ladder + ZVS High Voltage Arc Power Supply Module DIY Student Experiment Kit sale online store at wholesale price.

uk.banggood.com

or things can get dangerous ️

How to Build a Five-foot-tall Jacob's Ladder

How to Build a Five-foot-tall Jacob's Ladder: This classic climbing arc completes any mad scientist's dungeon. Don't touch the electrodes: they're at 12 kV!

www.instructables.com

 

[DPG]

Depends on the scale you have in mind!
At the lower end it can be all done for you:

Jacob Ladder + ZVS High Voltage Arc Power Supply Module DIY Student Experiment Kit

Only US$33.38, buy best Jacob Ladder + ZVS High Voltage Arc Power Supply Module DIY Student Experiment Kit sale online store at wholesale price.

uk.banggood.com

or things can get dangerous ️

How to Build a Five-foot-tall Jacob's Ladder

How to Build a Five-foot-tall Jacob's Ladder: This classic climbing arc completes any mad scientist's dungeon. Don't touch the electrodes: they're at 12 kV!

www.instructables.com

Call me a wuss, but I think I'd stick to the 1st one!

 

[Strima]

Take a look at Electroboom on Youtube, he's made one.

 

[telectrix]

can just see next saturday night in Somerset:

Dick Emery...... Dad, I got it wrong again.

 

[timhoward]

Maybe a slighty easier and safer project to start with would be making the Leyden Jar capacitor, charging it, and discharging it creating an arc....

 

[Moley]

Let us know when you are planning on playing around with it. I'm in Somerset until the 15th. I would like to know when we are going to be blacked out ? I assume it'll look something like the northern lights followed by the blue flashing lights of the fire engines?

 

[freddo]

I built a little tiny one when I was at school, the psu was an old TV flyback transformer, run with a simple drive circuit, the primary winding was hand wound around the exposed ferrite core. The current and voltage weren't all that high so it wasn't very spectacular! I must still have it somewhere...

 

[telectrix]

Maybe a slighty easier and safer project to start with would be making the Leyden Jar capacitor, charging it, and discharging it creating an arc....
View attachment 88191

safer??? who wants safer??? one life, live it.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

How good are you at distraction burglary?
Basically you need to find where the nearest primary sub keeps their spare 132kV instrumentation potential transformer...

 

[Lister1987]

@dseselectric has one, not a link to a vid though

 

[littlespark]

Jacobs Ladder was a song by Huey Lewis and the News.
Album name : Fore. 1986 ish

Same album as Power of Love and Hip to be Square