Plasma fractal...
Bamse
Posts: 561
Thought I'd share my latest geek experiment...
The setup,
A high voltage transformer (mine is 25000 Volts), an MDF board with a nail in the middle connected to the HV output and a spray bottle with H2O. Moist the MDF board and wipe off excess water...
Apply voltage and the "Plasma Fractal" will appear. My theory is, (disclaimer: I could be wrong) This is due to the fact that the moisture will act as a ground plane for discharge and allow the plasma to start forming at the nail. The plasma will then burn it's way out from the nail in a fractal pattern attracted by the moist ground plane. Spray some water (use the mist setting) and you can clearly see that the plasma will follow... The sweet smell of ozone and burned MDF just adds to the experience...
I'm not really sure how this works, so I need some comments on my made up theory in the second picture...
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Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...
Experience level:
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
[noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...
/Bamse
Post Edited (Bamse) : 6/5/2009 4:48:17 AM GMT
The setup,
A high voltage transformer (mine is 25000 Volts), an MDF board with a nail in the middle connected to the HV output and a spray bottle with H2O. Moist the MDF board and wipe off excess water...
Apply voltage and the "Plasma Fractal" will appear. My theory is, (disclaimer: I could be wrong) This is due to the fact that the moisture will act as a ground plane for discharge and allow the plasma to start forming at the nail. The plasma will then burn it's way out from the nail in a fractal pattern attracted by the moist ground plane. Spray some water (use the mist setting) and you can clearly see that the plasma will follow... The sweet smell of ozone and burned MDF just adds to the experience...
I'm not really sure how this works, so I need some comments on my made up theory in the second picture...
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...
Experience level:
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
[noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...
/Bamse
Post Edited (Bamse) : 6/5/2009 4:48:17 AM GMT
Comments
-Phil
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Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...
Experience level:
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
[noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...
/Bamse
-Phil
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propmod_us and propmod_1x1 are now in stock. Only $30. PCB available for $5
Need to upload large images or movies for use in the forum. you can do so at uploader.propmodule.com for free.
If you want to try it an auto spark coil with a simple capacitive discharge ignition circuit is probably the cheapest and simplest way to go.
get em while there's still old TV's around!
(*) WARNING - do not put this under a vacuum, it can easily generate X-Rays.
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No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
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propmod_us and propmod_1x1 are now in stock. Only $30. PCB available for $5
Need to upload large images or movies for use in the forum. you can do so at uploader.propmodule.com for free.
Before you "break the tube" do some research on how to *safely* dispose of a CRT rather than just whacking it with something blunt. I've seen CRT glass travel over 20M when someone did something dumb. Even the modern "implosion protected" tubes can go off with a lovely bang if you get it wrong.
Much safer is to simply discharge the tube prior to unclipping the HT lead.
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"VOOM"?!? Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised!
I'm going to bring out the formulas tomorrow and try figure out what's happening.
Maybe add some salt to the water to see if it helps with the conductivity...
The transformer is the "Plasma Generator kit" from Ramsey, 25KV at 20KHz...
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Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...
Experience level:
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
[noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
[noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...
/Bamse
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propmod_us and propmod_1x1 are now in stock. Only $30. PCB available for $5
Need to upload large images or movies for use in the forum. you can do so at uploader.propmodule.com for free.
How do you safely 'break a tube at the yoke'?
Just consider.....
First, you can buy a replacement flyback coil quite cheaply and not go there.
Second, the charge is not in the transformer, but the capacitors which will discharge over time. So you might just wait a day or two with an unpowered T.V. before you mess with the fly back coil.
Third, if you think about how they got the vacuun into the picture tube - you will find a very safe solution to release it.
Twist off the plug and under it, you will find a nib of glass that was left when they sealed the picture tube.
The twisting must be back and forth many times to break away the wires going into the glass end of the picture tube.
That small production nib can be crushed open with dikes or pliers and the vacuum seal will break without the tube imploding, just a hiss sound as it fills with air.
If you must fool around with such hazards - this process or a .357 Magnum [noparse][[/noparse]for dramtic effect] fired at a safe distance are likely to be much safer ways to destroy a CRT or picture tube.
Still, I strongly recommend you don't even try. Doing it wrong is likely to cause bodily harm and first timers most likely to get into trouble.
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Ain't gadgetry a wonderful thing?
aka G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse] 黃鶴 ] in Taiwan
Post Edited (Loopy Byteloose) : 6/6/2009 8:11:31 AM GMT
Oh and another thing, the "capacitor" that requires discharging is the tube itself.· The· glass "shell" of the CRT is coated on both sides with conductive material; conductor/glass/conductor = capacitor, and that particular monster will hold a charge for quite awhile (ask me how I know...).
On the plasma fractals...check out this website for some interesting work: http://www.capturedlightning.com/
This guy makes and sells 3-D Lichtenberg figures.
Later,
DJ
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Instead of:
"Those who can, do.· Those who can't, teach." (Shaw)
I prefer:
"Those who know, do.· Those who understand, teach." (Aristotle)
Post Edited (davejames) : 6/6/2009 5:08:12 PM GMT
buying a replacement probably the best. or build yourself a marx generator. you can get as high a voltage as you want.
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propmod_us and propmod_1x1 are now in stock. Only $30. PCB available for $5
Need to upload large images or movies for use in the forum. you can do so at uploader.propmodule.com for free.
Bamse, the pictures are cool, but to truely do this phenomenon justice, take some up-close video of the arcing and burning wood. VERY cool looking. Actually, a little evil looking, too. [noparse];)[/noparse]
And I do admit that breaking the tube at the narrow neck [noparse][[/noparse]the yoke?] might only cause a hiss. I have just never tried it and was taught to remove the black plug and break the nib. But that was back in the 1960s.
High voltage is tricky. Many power lines are merely 4KV, but require a lot of special handling. 15KV requires a lot of respect and careful handling. Also, you might just get a visit from the FCC is you are doing a lot of this stuff. Sparks can generate broad spectrum radio interference and upset the Feds.
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Ain't gadgetry a wonderful thing?
aka G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse] 黃鶴 ] in Taiwan
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** P O O F **
I was taught to do it like this.
- Lay big old heavy blanket on ground
- Lay tube face down in middle of big old blanket
- Wrap big old blanket tightly around tube so it is well covered and padded (Secure with duct tape!)
- *Gently* tap the neck of the tube sideways at the plug end until the glass cracks
(I always did this with a long pool cue relatively slowly and gently)
This has always resulted in a *relatively* gentle ingress of atmosphere for me and never resulted in projectile shards.
YMMV and don't try this at home kids.
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"VOOM"?!? Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised!
mctrivia's right - they can hold charges for month's - even YEARS.·· I did TV and radio repairs for some time. Like most electronic nuts, we kept old stuff for parts. When we moved the shop, we found·an·*old* dead color TV up in the shop attic that got forgotten about. It had been up there probably 6 or 7 years.· Guess what it still had ?
There are two techniques to discharging these. Kwinn mentioned the screwdriver method, the other is more direct·but only a bit riskier. Take a pair of channel locks with lots of tape around the handles, put on one of those kitchen rubber gloves (added safety margin), and simply pull off the high voltage rubber boot and hold it's lead to the chassis, while using the Old Technician's High Voltage Safety Method: keep your other hand behind your back AND looped around your belt. (So you can't accidentally grab the metal and become the conductor yourself.)
@BradC: that's urban myth stuff - left over from the early early days of tubes. They·don't break all that easily - except at the yoke.· I've put hundreds·into the trash and tried to smash a few from a distance - even tossed a SLEDGE HAMMER at them a few times, in bordom, only to have·it bounce off!·(Yes, a brick does work [noparse]:)[/noparse] but the glass is pretty dang thick and hard to break. I've seen sets dropped out of the back of a truck land screen down - no break, just scratches.
@Loopy & All: Twisting the plug is·too much work... just pull the control plug and reach in with·a pair of needle nose to snap the nib ... right, it'll just suck in the air and·not implode.
Funny, I wonder how long replacement Flyback's will be around considering tube screens are going the way of the doo doo bird?
(Yeah, build a Tesla coil - they make better sparks anyway --- and when the FCC shows up, you can call it a Science Fair Experiment
BTW, Bamse, sorry, ·I forgot to say "Cool Man!"· this is pretty neat - I wonder what would happen if you used different liquids to change the conductivity?
- Howard
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No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
Post Edited (CounterRotatingProps) : 6/9/2009 12:57:38 AM GMT