Hi Trev I am glad you like the mould. I got my variac for 50 euros which is about 80 to 90 Aus Dollars. The design of my VDG in the pictures was an old one I...
Hi Trev I just put up 2 more pictures of the mould in further stages of developement. One is with the large gaps filled with epoxy (polystyrene balls filled...
Hi All Because I study at a university I have access to all sorts of scientific articles, I found an article that combined several scientific triboelectric...
Thanks Trev, The sparks are not quite as fat as in the video, but are still thick enough to be visible in daylight and they do hurt a bit. Todd ... 27/05/2008 ...
Elmer: That's valuable info regarding the nylon. When I built the two VDGs several years ago I must have tried a few varieties until I hit success. Even...
Thanks Dick, yeah it is a labor of love, it is a hobby so it keeps me busy, it is fun working on something that will help you make a really big sphere...
Elmer That is impressive work you are doing. I hope it all works for you, but i’d love to try and get zapped by that one. I was playing with mine tonight...
I found an inexpensive wire basket 10" x 8" x 2.5" at the hardware store and painted PlasticDip around the edge because the binding on the edge was sharp. I...
great work james, Maybe it arcs from the inside since it is not a sphere like terminal and maybe the electric field sneak in from outside or the large mesh is...
Tod When the mesh sparks from inside does it go directly to the drive shaft of the roller or are you holding a wire inside that is basically earthed. I ...
... experiment? ... I haven't, but after reading about the experiment I'll tune up the wilmshurst generator and give it a try. There are two outputs of the ...
Hello All, I had tried to create a 'solid state' VDG by using a negative Ion Generator. I placed the output inside of a sphere and let it run, but it never...
Hi Todd How big is the sphere, it may be that the charge you put in is dissipated by ionisation of the air, which I think will always happen even if there is...
Hi Elmer, I was thinking that unlike the belt which is a continuous DC power supply, the Ion generator most likely uses a multiplier circuit with diodes and...
The VDG sphere really is only charging up to the voltage the belt provides, no more... but the belt is a voltage amplifier. Pull two charges apart, the voltage...
Steve, I would have to disagree with your hypothesis on these three points: 1. If the belt were charging to the full output voltage then the rubber belt I use...
... The belt is not charged to the full potential at the bottom. It picks up a few hundred volts, then the physical motion of the belt carries the charge far...
Todd, Steve and All, Van de Graaff generator operation is through both increased voltage by separation of charged surfaces (the belt and the lower roller) and...
Steve, Don and all the members of the group, I would like to say thank you to both Steve and Don for their input, and to say I am sorry to Steve if any of my...
Hi Todd Explanation seems feasible, but I thought that pail effect is that it will continue to increase in voltage until the air ionizes. In that I mean, if ...
Trevor, I don't know so I am only going by observation, but when I run my big (to me) VDG I can feel the e-field expand around the output terminal but as soon...
I am a bit like you there Todd. Not actually sure, but you sure can feel that field as soon as you start your machine – even the small ones. The air, ...
Hi All, Well the humid season has arrived, and it doesn't seem worth it to run any of my devices. Well if any of you were wondering, the demonstration I was...
Hi Todd It has been a while since I have said anything – I feel sorry for people who live in the tropics as you have to pack up your gear for nearly 6...
Hi Trev, I live in Massachusetts, USA on the coast and while far from tropical we do get our share of moisture so I can sympathize. I forgot to mention that...
Thanks Todd I have the Perspex disc now for a year and haven’t done anything with them. Soon now I guess, but they are 6mm thick 13” Diameter. I think...
Hi Todd That's the place I got my Wimshurst Generator from. In fact I got one last year, and picked up another this year since as I thought the price was...
Hi Phil, It would be nice if we could use this humidity the way nature does, to make electricity. But I think my landlord would frown on thunderclouds in my...
