Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 38

Thread: Inverter: Dangerous

  1. #11

    Default

    ah, the Plasma ball. Glass enclosed or not, you can still get a shock from those. In fact I'm not even going to mention how you can do it because I value life. But, for those of you with Plasma balls, hold a calculator near it and move it around. you'll see it come up with errors and stuff.
    The idea of powering one of these in a metal tube makes me very nervous.

  2. #12

    Default power

    yeah electricity can be dangerous. I plan on making an insulated holder for it. Any type of plasma reaction would take place in a chamber. I am currently investigating ways of controlling it and generating it since a vacuum chamber would be cumbersome to build. I got a nixie tube coming for my test plasma source (that I already know can be used with the inverter). Basically, I will have to do extensive testing outside the hilt just to ensure that I am generating the desired effect. The inverter may actually not even be powerful enough but I will cross that bridge when I get to it. I have a few tungsten rods that I am going to work with as well. Still a lot of testing to do just to generate baseline data.

  3. #13

    Default yes

    I would say yes because they generate a high voltage. However, what I am really after is current. The amperage is the driving force and I have not seen anything that is tiny and provides high amperage. Your battery powered plasma ball should be fine because it is all enclosed in a protective case.

  4. #14

    Default Link

    Here is an interesting link about those BORG alcoves:

    http://toyletbowlbbs.home.att.net/lumin1.htm

    Yes, the idea is ignited plasma but can be anything really. It is the closest I could conceive as something being in both a light phase and a solid phase simultaneously. The thread was just to start a basic discussion and stimulate ideas. The key thing is size and I was happy to stumble across the inverter because it is small. Maybe there is something smaller but I just have not found it yet.

  5. #15

    Default exactly

    yes a tightly looped plasma arc or something similar. I imagine a magnetic field would have to be used to control the plasma. I still not sure if the tiny inverter will be able to produce any type of "blade" any bigger than the flame from a lighter. Discussions with electrical engineers and physicist also seemed to point to a problem with power (specifically amperage). First, I would attempt something simple like a plasma ring because I can make that small and it wouldn't take much to drive it.



  6. #16

    Default

    Well you won't get the thing to arc in normal air and pressure at that voltage (very small arcs). You would probably need a sealed tube at low pressure with a mix of argon and nitrogen to get any special effects.

  7. #17

    Default tube

    I don't want to have it in an external tube. I may build a small chamber to hold pressurized gas (for the reaction to occur). I am also looking into ionization of gasses. Ionized gas across an arc. Check out this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrIpczF9ZMU

    Something like this should be easy to construct and be able to run off the inverter. Having the gas flow in a linear direction instead of blossoming into the surrounding atmosphere is also going to be a consideration. I am also trying to avoid this from becoming a plasma jet engine. I may actually have to do some "lab tests" in an actual lab before all is said and done.

  8. #18

    Default

    Do I get the right idea by thinking you want something similar to a "real" lightsaber, as in a massless blade of an electric arc?

    This would be a serious engineering project, and (as far as I know) no one has ever seriously tried it. It's nice to see someone wanting to put some effort here! The standard answer before when someone would mention building a real lightsaber is "it can't be done with current technology, sit down and wait 200 years."

    I think people tend to go about it in the wrong way: they want a portable plasma beam immediately. The first goal should be to create a controlled electric arc in a contained area, and worry about power and component size after it works. The most commonly mentioned way to controll plasma is with magnetic feilds. First a magnetically controlled arc, say 1 1/4" by 1 meter, extending into a test chamber would have to be achieved.

    Because the magnetic feild would be from an electromagnet, it might be adjustable; sensors could tell when something (a magnet, metal object, etc.) is interfering with the feild and adjust accordingly, to avoid burns or electricution. If interference becomes too severe, it could have an auto shut off function.

    Only after this has been achieved would it be time to think about shrinking components to fit into a small metal tube. It would be much easier to figure out how to fit a known mechanism into a smaller space, than to start with a small space as a limit to what can be included in an unknown mechanism.

    Just my thoughts on the subject.

    -Luke


    Those who have earned the right to boast have no need to.

  9. #19

    Default true

    all that you said is true and I know that there are actually huge laboratories dedicated to similar projects (generally for industrial applications). The construction could be broken down into several problems. I was mainly focused on size because of the limits of a "power cell". There are actually electron guns with big power supplies that could be purchased for 10,000 dollars or more so I am sure there are similar plasma generators.

    If you look at a handheld plasma welding kit, there is usually a big box with it to regulate the power. So, I was kind of looking at the problem in reverse. Each electron is capable of producing a given amount of energy. Atoms that make up the electron store energy as well. What is nuclear energy but basically splitting atoms. Well, I don't want to build anything that powerful but rather understand more on how to utilize the electrons a power cell will provide for a given application.

    I could go on and on but in a lot of ways you are right in that there has to be a great deal of testing done outside the hilt before retrofitting for the hilt.

  10. #20

    Default light

    yeah no focusing crystals. I am staying away from lights and lasers. Both have beams that in theory would travel to infinity. They are also subject to gravitational effect bending (although negligible over short distances). The optics would also be complex and expensive. You generally have to have particulate matter around the laser in order for it be visualized anyway. Plasmas can operate at different temperatures and voltages so I have a feeling they would be more functional.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •