it's funny that the circuit breaker shuts off haha :D

nice ladder!

Okay, I know that most people dont know that "ground is not neutral". Thats how people get killed - so much myth surrounding electricity and educators not doing their jobs. The only thing ground is for is safety (and in some cases noise reduction if placed correctly): To give means of a return path so as to trip a breaker or blow a fuse if there is a short to a metal casing or other area which would kill someone if they touch it and the item was at some potential (voltage). A ground rod is still in the new 2011 National Electrical Code (NFPA70E) but is practically useless, as earth has too much resistance to trip a path through dirt. Anyways, the ONLY purpose for a neutral is to balance the load imbalances in between the phases, and can have theoretically just as much load on it as either of the other phases. This project, however, is NOT in ANY sense three phase. It is not three phase, it cant be nicknamed three phase, it isnt even two phase. The third transformer primary is doing nothing but acting like a load as an inductor. The experiment is cool, I admit, I even said "Wow, COOL" when I saw it featured on Hackaday, but I know this guy or someone else (like the people commenting that seem to have no interest in learning how something operates before tinkering with it...I know, no fun, but dangerous as hell). Want to do things like this? Get some 17,000 volt insulating gloves ($200) or 600 volt gloves ($75) and an arc-flash rated shirt ($100). Get NAME BRAND insulated tools and never work on anything live. Lock your circuit breaker panel so nobody can turn it on (thinking it just tripped for no reason) and kill you.

This looks like a great project; I cant look at the design and figure out exactly how it works, but somehow it does. Without knowing how the cores of the xfmrs are wired - like what type of xfmr it is, being 2-core wound, buck/boost, etc, I cant really guess. I'd love to see some voltage and current readings, and for gods sake ground these transformers to the mains ground (NOT neutral. Just because the neutral is connected to ground doesnt make it ground! In 1-phase the neutral isnt a neutral, is a return path and can still give you full voltage.

If he ran to the mains panel and ran off a breaker that had 2-poles, that would be 2-phase (2 phases into most homes with a neutral, each breaker slot alternating what may be called "A" and "B" phases. Look at a new circuit breaker panel in the store, you'll see what I mean).

I'll be sure to watch what this guy has coming up next. I see a mad scientist developing here. Good luck & stay safe. Dont get "grounded" lol.

I love the idea, but I would like a little more theory on how the transformers shift the phases. I am in need of 3-phase for another project, so being able to understand this would help for my other project.

Terrible design, poor understanding of electronics. The capacitor does nothing in this circuit, except cause a near dead short across the mains. That's why you are blowing the breaker. Capacitors can be use to cause a phase shift but not like this.

Cool, but not three-phase.

i should have never let mum throw that microwave away :D

words are hardly enough to convey the awesomeness this project wreaks of...
If i could feature this instructable, i would.

sweet man, i didnt think youd make one tho lol

Cool