Can I modify an electric gas lighter to charge to charge HV capacitors?

I need help for charging High voltage capacitors. I have an electric gas lighter and I require help to modify it so that I can charge High voltage capacitors for coilgun using it.Please help me.Thanx in advance

Comments

[bhvm]

Vinet,

Disposable cams are impossible to find here, but tons of cheap Used/ Refurbished Film cams are available... Kodak 700 ones and such. Use the flash circuit. 

[Re-design]

I don't think it has a chance of working.

The lighter generates it's tiny spark by flicking a bit of piezo crystal.  You get one hv impulse but almost no current.  If you build a machine to flick it repeatedly hundreds or maybe thousands of times you might get a small charge build up in the caps.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[seandogue]

I won't, but then again, you're not wrong...

[junits15]

It cant be done with a mecanism like that.  You need a constant supply of high voltage and current.  The ignition  is designed to generate small bursts of voltage, and not much current.  If you dont have enough current the caps will take forever to charge.  Try playing around with some inductors and some AC current.  A bridge retifier is availble rather inexpensivly from radioshack and can change AC comming out of the incudutor to DC.


A word of caution!
High voltage DC can be alot more dangerous than high voltage AC.

have fun and be safe!

[Jayvis Vineet Gonsalves]

Can I increase the value of the transistor and use a fast switching diode to generate continous HV ?

[junits15]

well it wont work because the caps need DC voltage, the gnition board is sending a very low frequency AC current.

also what voltage are your caps rated for? 

[Re-design]

Not from the lighter.

[junits15]

whoops i meant bridge rectifier.

[lemonie]

Look at coilgun builds and use what they use.
look through this page

L

[Jack A Lopez]

Uh... what kind of "electric gas lighter" are you talking about anyway?  The spring-loaded-hammer-plus-piezo-crystal kind?  Or the circuit-board kind, as found in various gas furnaces and stoves?    If it's the circuit-board kind, then maybe your idea has merit.  If it is the piezo kind, then I kinda have to agree with everyone else who says this won't work.

[seandogue]

Even so...the voltage is VERY high V, not what a DIYer might confuse with "high voltage (3-600V) Sparks are on the order of many kilovolts...great way to smoke the dielectric.

[seandogue]

AND...the current is minimal...each packet is in the millijoule range, and the repeat rate is low.

[seandogue]

try something else. This isn't a viable concept.