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Closer than many of you will ever get to a live sparkplug.

Is that a D'Arsonval discharge I see there on the threads?

What HV source did you use to fire it?

EDIT: that's a dirty plug lol.
 
THat's pretty cool pic.
I had a lawnmower plug that had enough carbon built up that it connected the outside of the plug to the center electrode, lol! It still fired!
 
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Is that a D'Arsonval discharge I see there on the threads?

What HV source did you use to fire it?
Click to expand...

An antique lawnmower ignition coil.

Here's a pic of it arcing through several xenon flash tubes.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: drinkmorejava
Am I supposed to be scared or something?
Click to expand...
Only if I tell you to "Hold this wire".
Click to expand...
A friend of mine in high school was working on a car and the coil wire somehow got connected to the body. He got 40kV of HEI goodness and we called him sparky for a while after that. 😉
 
What frequency are you feeding the coil's primary?

That secondary output doesn't look that bad - mild shock perhaps. Will it arc much more than 1/4" in the air?

Neon sign transformers - 15kV at 60mA are fun. Potentially lethal too.

Oh and btw Xenon flashtubes (the large ones used huge yag lasers) are excellent "lightning machines". You can look at the spark all day long with no fear of going deaf or ozone poisoning. 🙂
 
Awesome picture. I actually took a similar picture a few months ago while fixing my old outboard engine. 😛
I'll see if I can dig it up.
 
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
What frequency are you feeding the coil's primary?

That secondary output doesn't look that bad - mild shock perhaps. Will it arc much more than 1/4" in the air?
Click to expand...

😕

DC current. Not sure about that old crusty lawnmower coil but a modern 12v coil is enough to put you down, and you won't be getting back up if you're unlucky. Certainly not a mild shock.
 
Originally posted by: Falcon39

DC current. Not sure about that old crusty lawnmower coil but a modern 12v coil is enough to put you down, and you won't be getting back up if you're unlucky. Certainly not a mild shock.
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Transformer action requires A/C or DC with a high speed break (points). Everyone has a different tolerance level to electrical shock. Some may say 24V control voltage on an a/c unit is uncomfortable. I could only imagine feeling that with wet feet. 🙂

Now the low frequency output of an old telephone dynamo is VERY uncomfortable and was often used to interrogate people. Modern pilotless stoves have an electronic ignition system and they give a shock but not much in my experience.

Mains transformers used in oil burners (most common 10k at 23ma) and definitely microwave ovens (2kV 500ma) are extremely dangerous.

Modern auto ignition systems using electronic modules and potted coils can develop over 60kV (accel?) and these are similar to a taser when a person touches the line.. Like any other shocking experience the victim often experiences severe secondary injury (yanks their hand away from the distributor and plants their elbow into a serpentine belt or engine driven fan!)

With pure DC it's easy to raise its voltage with diodes to ridiculous levels, store the charge in capacitors and do interesting experiments. 🙂

 
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
With pure DC it's easy to raise its voltage with diodes to ridiculous levels, store the charge in capacitors and do interesting experiments. 🙂
Click to expand...

QFT. Work in the lab discharging a capacitor bank into field generating coils every day. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Falcon39
Originally posted by: MS Dawn
What frequency are you feeding the coil's primary?

That secondary output doesn't look that bad - mild shock perhaps. Will it arc much more than 1/4" in the air?
Click to expand...

😕

DC current. Not sure about that old crusty lawnmower coil but a modern 12v coil is enough to put you down, and you won't be getting back up if you're unlucky. Certainly not a mild shock.
Click to expand...
lol..

Just about any automotive ignition system will give you a "mild" shock. Small beans compared to any decent tesla coil.
 
Originally posted by: Eli

Just about any automotive ignition system will give you a "mild" shock. Small beans compared to any decent tesla coil.
Click to expand...

I know a very avid (and crazy) coiler and he says a properly set up and monitored coil will absolutely not shock you at all. However if something goes wrong and you have an arc going to the coil's primaries - often in his case of 100 kVA+ input coils making sparks over 40 feet in length - you would be killed instantly from 35,000 volts at several AMPS. Like touching an overhead distribution feeder with an aluminum CB antenna. He goes on to say you would not feel anything. :Q

Years ago I was picked to demonstrate the "hair standing" demo on a decent Van De graff generator. They say long, blonde hair works the best. Indeed. I did not like the shock though when I stepped down off the insulator on to the floor. 1000x worse than a static shock one gets when walking across carpet on a dry winter day.

 
Originally posted by: Eeezee
Put it in your mouth!
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Funny you mention that.

When I was a little girl, I put a telephone cord in my mouth. As luck has it, an incoming call came in. The jolt felt like a jackhammer chiseling at my jaw. That was some painful stuff. I NEVER put a wire in my mouth if I cannot see the other end. :laugh:
 
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