Do you like the idea of tesla coils and other high voltage sparking stuff, but don't have the time, money or patience to build something that is elaborate?
Well, here's a fun 'n' simple project that can make big, fat, noisy sparks at least 2 inches long, and can be built very quickly and cheaply. It might be even more fun to use a marx generator than using a 'very complicated to build' tesla coil!
And to let you know, this "Quick & Dirty" Marx generator website helped me a lot to build this marx generator.
If you have no idea what is a marx generator, you might be saying this in your mind "What the hell is a marx generator!", read about it here on Wikipedia.
WARNING! This project generates very high pulse discharge voltages, which can seriously harm and could be potentially lethal to you and others that are careless to touch the output of the marx generator.
Well, here's a fun 'n' simple project that can make big, fat, noisy sparks at least 2 inches long, and can be built very quickly and cheaply. It might be even more fun to use a marx generator than using a 'very complicated to build' tesla coil!
And to let you know, this "Quick & Dirty" Marx generator website helped me a lot to build this marx generator.
If you have no idea what is a marx generator, you might be saying this in your mind "What the hell is a marx generator!", read about it here on Wikipedia.
WARNING! This project generates very high pulse discharge voltages, which can seriously harm and could be potentially lethal to you and others that are careless to touch the output of the marx generator.
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Signing UpStep 1: So, how does it work?
The Marx generator consists of an array of resistors, capacitors and spark gaps arranged as follows in the schematic...
The capacitors are charged up in parallel through the resistors, so they each become charged to the input voltage. When all of the spark gaps fires (sparks), the capacitors get effectively connected in series, therefor multiplying the input voltage by the number of capacitors and causing a long spark at the end of the marx generator.
Rb has a ballasting effect, it is used to prevent a continuous arc forming across the first gap - this prevents further firing of the marx generator. The value of the resistor will mainly depend on the type of power supply is used, in this case, we are going to use an 10M resistor for this marx generator on this instructable. However, you can reduce the Bb's value to try get more 'bangs per second' without causing an arc forming on the spark gap...
Now, you know how it works (I hope), so lets build it!
The capacitors are charged up in parallel through the resistors, so they each become charged to the input voltage. When all of the spark gaps fires (sparks), the capacitors get effectively connected in series, therefor multiplying the input voltage by the number of capacitors and causing a long spark at the end of the marx generator.
Rb has a ballasting effect, it is used to prevent a continuous arc forming across the first gap - this prevents further firing of the marx generator. The value of the resistor will mainly depend on the type of power supply is used, in this case, we are going to use an 10M resistor for this marx generator on this instructable. However, you can reduce the Bb's value to try get more 'bangs per second' without causing an arc forming on the spark gap...
Now, you know how it works (I hope), so lets build it!
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The worst case electric shock scenario involves a circuit completed through your heart via direct contact with blood in vessels. An unlikely event which would require piercing the skin at two points. However, the scenario shows how sensitive your heart is to electrical disruptions; a 1 milliamp DC current flow can initiate fibrillation and 10ma can be fatal (arrest). On a more realistic scale, I can personally vouch that a 350 volt potential across dry skin can send you to the hospital with a team of very worried paramedics. Of course, the current level is important, but if you can't compute the possible current flow, assume it is dangerous.
My advice: Reduce the chance of a complete circuit through your heart. How? Observe the "One Hand" rule. When working around an energized (or recently energized circuit with capacitors), put one hand in your pocket. The current path from fingertip to fingertip is across and through your chest. High voltage will find a way to conduct, regardless, and the One Hand rule is NOT a cure-all, but it is a good start for safety.
If you are not familiar with basic electrical theory and safety precautions, if you don't know WHY a circuit is either safe or dangerous, don't play with it. Period. I have a machine at home that will make almost as impressive a spark as this one and is electrostatic in nature (microamp currents from a PVC charging rod and a few water bottle/foil Leyden jars.) It HURTS, but I don't think it would kill me.
If in doubt, just remember that TASER guns run off batteries and people have experienced fibrillation and heart attacks from being tased. And TASERs are designed NOT to kill.
Sorry for the WOT, but it seems important to me.
Can this really harm you? The idea that a special number of voltage or amperage will automatically kill you is not accurate.
Scuffing your feet across a carpet and touching something metal also produces thousands of volts and large currents, but it obviously doesn't harm you, because the capacitance is small and the spark is very short-lived. Yes, it's high voltage and high current, but the duration is less than a microsecond.
I'm sure it hurts, but I'm skeptical that it would actually cause any harm. How long are the sparks in cm?
10x 1 nF capacitors charged to 7 kV store a total of 250 mJ. Scuffing your feet across the floor stores maybe 60 mJ max by comparison.
"The effects of electrical current passing through the human body are covered at length in the International Electro Technical Commission document IEC 479-2:1987. In this document it indicates that a transient or capacitive discharge, as is the case with static electricity, requires energy in excess of 5 Joules (5000mJ) to produce a direct serious risk to health."
1/2 * 1 nF * (5 kV)^2 = 0.0125 J = 12.5 mJ
Wolfram Alpha can do a lot of work for you:
capacitor stored energy 5 kV 1 nF
Multiply by 10 and you have 125 mJ total, which is 1/40th of the energy that document says is the minimum that will hurt you.
I'm not claiming that this thing definitively can't hurt you. I'm just skeptical that it's dangerous. Even if it's not harmful to health, the shock might still hurt like hell. :D
Need to kill a mouse and want to let it wait, before stiking the mouse as it passed by :)
http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FG9/UBFO/FKB3DRCU/FG9UBFOFKB3DRCU.LARGE.jpg
Uselesss information, but i find it cool.
I have two questions:
1) If you watch my video, you will notice arcing under the resistors to the left of the generator. I can't for the life of me work out why this is happening. any insight on the matter would be brilliant.
2) The spark gap and loud snap is perfect, but sadly the discharge time is a little slow for my liking. preferably without changing the design of the generator, is there any way you think of a way to speed it up?
My only idea was to increase the number of stages and output of the CW to hopefully charge up the marx quicker. I have no idea if that would be feasible, but for now my marx is running smoothly with roughly 9-10cm gap on a good day at about 5-6 second intervals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx0-hZ2uVsE&feature=youtu.be
I wanna build this marx generator for my school project but the professor requires the input and output voltage and current (for safety issues) . pleaaaaaaaaaaase help ! :)
Signed up purely to ask this question. My Generator works fine in the sense that it successfully forms Oscillating Arcs. However, it fires very slowly - about once every 4 seconds. Now there is no Corona Effect happening and ive double checked the diagrams and ive built it exactly to spec - the only difference is I used 6Kv Capacitors instead of 4.
Any ideas would be awesome :D
Thanks!
I wanna build this marx generator for my school project but the professor requires the input and output voltage and current (for safety issues) . pleaaaaaaaaaaase help ! :)
The marx generators are dangerous high voltage generating machines, they produce a pulse discharge of many thousands of volts at approximately 5 to 10 amps! If the spark from the marx generator bites you, your life is over...