Mini VDG? (fwd)

[Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 18:21:24 -0800 (PST)
From: Chris Roberts <quezacotl_14000000000000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Mini VDG?


Hi everybody,

I am messing around with the idea of a mini van de graaf generator and was wondering whether or not a large-ish rubber band would suffice for the belt. Also, do you think that it would be possible for one to be hand powered? (for example, design the unit as a wand, (slightly larger than a pen) then hold it and flick a wheel with your thumb which rotates the belt, then touch it to an unsuspecting victim) I am not expecting this to be powerful in the slightest, I just hope for the thing to give sparks about as big as the ones when you shuffle your feet across the floor...



-Chris

"The trouble is not that the world is full of fools, it's just that lightning isn't distributed right." -Mark Twain

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." -Albert Einstein

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[I'm not sure what the breakdown voltage for a terminal small enough to
fit on a "wand" would be, but I would imagine it wouldn't be that high,
plus the capacitance would be mighty small too, so *I* wouldn't think you
could expect very much performance.  More learned folk than I are sure to
respond though... SRR]