DIY Lightning Wand -- A Handheld Van de Graaff Generator

Step 3 Bottom Comb and Battery Holder

Now you need to drill a hole in the Tee for the bottom comb. You can also make a hole with a heated nail, and use a screw to widen it. Do this in a well ventilated area. See the pictures below, for proper placement of the hole. Next, cut a length of wire about 8 in long and strip 0.25 in of insulation from each end. Insert the wire into the hole and tape it to the Tee like the picture shows. Not taping the wire at the hole will allow you to adjust the distance of the comb from the roller so that you can find the optimum distance once you have the generator built and running.

The Radio Shack motor is meant to run at 1.5-3V, but if you use rechargeable batteries you can run the motor at 3.6V without too much trouble. A higher motor voltage causes the motor to turn at a higher RPM which results in more HV at the collector. I didn't have a 3xAA battery holder so I made a dummy battery out of a piece of wooden dowel cut to the same length as a AA, wrapped that in aluminum foil and insulated the sides with electrical tape. Hot glue the battery holder to the side of the Tee.

The Radio Shack motor has very thin brushes and lacks in construction quality.  It gets the job done, but I'm positive there is a better motor out there waiting to take its place. Suggestions for a new motor a more than welcome.

Comments

[heavyfire88]

And btw, mine 9v fits GREAT.

[heavyfire88]

9V motor ? :D