Re: Mini VDG? (fwd)

[Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 12:39:22 -0500
From: David Speck <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Mini VDG? (fwd)

Steven,
Hand cranking is certainly possible.  As a kid, I built a small VDG from
a kit of plastic parts that had about a 4" terminal, and was perhaps 10"
high overall.  It used a large 1" wide rubber band.  There was a gear
arrangement inside the handle that stepped up the crank revolutions
about 1:20.  I could get about 3" sparks off it on a dry day.  It was
hard to crank without the sparks hitting your knuckle at the top of the
crank throw.
Dave

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...