Re: Holy Crap! - I tried it - No plasma ball yet...

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Vardan <vardan01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi,

At 11:50 PM 6/7/2006, you wrote:
> Silly subject line but worth it, slightly off topic, but I think 
> everyone here is gonna want to see this.
> http://www.physorg.com/news68812957.html

I tired it but I think the capacitor value IS 0.0005 Farads after all.

Here is the setup I had:

http://drsstc.com/~sisg/files/plasma-ball/SetUp-01.JPG

http://drsstc.com/~sisg/files/plasma-ball/SetUp-02.JPG

At 4500V with 525nF I could push 250 amps:

http://drsstc.com/~sisg/files/plasma-ball/Current.gif

But I just did not seem to have enough energy at all.  I used salt 
water in the same concentration as sea water (aquarium salt).

It all did "look right" though.  I think the tube needs to be 1/8 to 
1/2 inch below the water surface.  With it vary shallow I could get a 
"spark" but it was far from a plasma ball.  With a 500uF capacitor at 
5000V  There would be 1000X more power at 6250 Joules which seems 
like just what it needs.  I think the water absorbs a lot of the 
energy so the "explosion" is not as dramatic as one would expect.

I don't have a big capacitor so I am stuck at this point.  Maybe 
someone with a can crusher would have the capacitance to go further 
though.  I'll ping the Denver Mad Scientists to see if anyone there 
has a big cap...

The SISG seem to love it and works perfectly and it could easily take 
the bigger caps power :-)))

Cheers,

        Terry