High Voltage Lifter (Ionocraft)

Intro: High Voltage Lifter (Ionocraft)

This is my first "ible" so any constructive comments and advice would be helpful. Now for the project.

A lifter is a small device that is suspended midair through the use of ion wind. Ion wind is something I'm assuming you know at least a little bit about, due to the fact that your into HV projects (or you probably wouldn't be here) . But if not, here is an explanation on lifters and how they work. These are very easy and relatively cheap to make.

STEP 1: Gather Materials

Here's what you'll need:
- Tape
- Ruler
- String
- X-acto knife etc.
- Scissors
- Super glue
- Aluminum foil
- Balsa wood
- 0.2mm enameled (magnet) wire
- Some spare time
- A HV power source
- (optional) 8mm heat shrink tube
- (optional) cutting mat

STEP 2: The Build (Frame Part A)

You will need to cut the balsa wood as follows:
Sides x3- 800x3x3mm
Uprights x3- 80x3x3mm

*Note- Be sure to cut one edge of the each side at a 60* angle

Like this:
/============I

STEP 3: The Build (Frame Part B)

Now glue one upright stick to one side stick, making sure to glue it parallel to the cut.
The picture is what you're aiming for it to look like.

STEP 4: The Build (Skirt Part A)

Now you need to cut the skirt (aluminum foil) at about 650x55mm. This is easy(ER) with the ruler as a guide. Flatten and smooth the foil as much as possible.

STEP 5: The Build (Skirt Part B)

Now glue the skirt to the frame, then cut the foil down the sides of the upright, fold over, and glue.

STEP 6: The Build (Wiring It)

*Take your heat shrink tube and cut 3 1/4" tubes. Insert them over the uprights (struts) and shrink them*. Now, leaving about 1' of wire open, wrap one loop around the first strut. Move to the next strut and keep the wire straight. Wrap another loop around that one. Repeat on the other two sides,  forming a triangle (This is way easier than it sounds!). Add another wire to the foil as ground. strip the BOTTOM of the wire HV wire, leaving the top enamel.  Attach the HV output wire to the top (triangle shaped wire) and the ground to the foil wire.make sure to cut 3 equal lengths of string and glue them to the bottom of each strut, then tape the other ends to the table.


*This is optional*

STEP 7: Turn It On!

Here's a good vid on how to make on of these>>>

Comments

[EthanK47]

Here is a video and also a website for the first one to ever carry its power supply. It can go straight up into the air for over two minutes on batteries, all day with modern solar panels, and even theoretically carry a propellant tank to work outside the atmosphere!
www.electronairllc.org

[MaxM40]

Can someone please tell me how much power is needed in the HV power supply

[MaxM40]

How much power is needed for this experiment???

[FrenchDavid50.]

How do I get an "HV power source" without being an electrical engineer and having a lot of money and time?

[kdomjan]

Hi FrenchDavid50

You can build it very easily from parts which you will find around the house,

just follow:http: //isparktube.com/zvs-drivers

for step by step instruction on how to build High Voltage power supply.

[tigerclaw1]

What song is being played in the video for the ionocraft

[Kiteman]

Those photos are awfully small - could you upload your original full-size images instead?

[HVahead]

im tryin to get them full size, but i cant seem to do it right, plus im on a Linux based system, and im not to familiar with it... but im still tryin, thanks though

[Kiteman]

Where did you get them from, maybe I can help?

[HVahead]

i just resized them... publishing now.thanks

[Kiteman]

Ouch - I didn't mean resize the thumbnails, I meant publish the originals.

Do you have the originals, or did you google those images?

[HVahead]

yea these are all googled, sorry

[Kiteman]

I think the honourable thing to do would be to unpublish the instructable until you've managed to take your own photos, yes?

[HVahead]

at this time i don't have a functioning camera and all the pictures of this project are/were on my phone, my phones whole system crashed on me and i wont have a new one until at least December. once i have it, ill gladly change the photos.lesson learned, store on sd card :)