Ozzy Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 i dont know if any one has ever built one or any thing but i finally got my transformer mount it all all and a piece of ply wood and it arcs through the fucking wood so what should i do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al93535 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 What kind of transformer are you using? Ladders need a bit of tweaking to get them to work properly. Every material becomes a conductor when high enough voltage is present. I suggest you mount the wires on rubber, or plastic. Did you use screws, drilled into the wood? Those screws give higher surface area for electrical transfer through the wood, especially if the screws are not far apart. You need to re-think what you are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 Yes i screwd its to the board i just need some thing plastic or somthing idk what to use. EDIT im using a neon sign transformer 5KV 30ma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al93535 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Glue the wires to the board about 10 cm away from eachother, gorilla glue?. Then bend the bottom of the wires in to about 4 cm apart. Make sure the wires are straight and angle them out about 1 cm per 6" height of wire. This should give you a good starting point. Most of your troubles will happen when the arc stays at the initial arc point. This is where you will need to tweak the gap alot! You Might need a bit more amperage to get the best result, as the heat/plasma of the arc rises the arc upwards. Have fun. Also, See what the Hertz are on your xformer. If it is 60hz you will hear the same sound as the ones in the old horror movies sound like! I use a microwave oven xformer on mine, an older one at 4kv and it sounds awesome! Don't fuck with MOT's unless you know what you are doing though. They are unforgiving and will kill you, where as the neon will zap you, but you will be ok. I get 1/2 amp on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_DB_ Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I have been wanting to build a Jacob's Ladder for some time now. Maybe I need to stop procrastinating and actually make one soon! I was originally wanting to use a Oil Burner Ignition Transformer for the HV source but I couldn't seem to find one. There's a neon shop not too far from here where I could easily get a transformer though. I went there last year and was planing on buying one but they just happened to be closed that day. I've since forgot about it but this thread has sparked (major pun ) my interest again! I plan on buying a used one somewhere in the 5KV - 15KV range. Does anybody have any ideal on how much one would cost? I'm sure the price goes up along with the voltage output though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted August 23, 2006 Author Share Posted August 23, 2006 Ok so my fucking transformer died after 1 test i got it all done up the wires are set now i just need another transformer and ye it did sound bad ass and to the other poster a 15KV 30ma brand new cost $125 for me but fuck me im not spending that im going hunting today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swany Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 It died because of something you did to it, not it's fault. Tell us how you were running it? And, what kills transformers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 It was from 1965 the insulation was as brittle as glass and it cracked and shorted it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwinchee Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 alot of things can kill transformers from my experience alot of the time Its usauly putting to much strain on a transistor (Particualy in a flyback) To all thoes interested I personaly think the two best ways to make a H.V sorce for a jacob would be either an ignition coil http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/lab/5322/coildrv.htm is a good scematic I personaly favour this version of a coil driver its simplex (althought there are simpalar) and thay rareley burn out as it is on a 555 timer so is pulsed some what. The second option Would be a flyback thease are about the same levle of difficulty but I like this one because absolutley every thing you need can be found in a old t.v that you could get for free http://www.angelfire.com/80s/sixmhz/flyback.html Both of thease are much cheaper than a neon and can very easly be made from scrap materials. Who knows after a jacobs you will probley hooked on ozone and H.V Make a Tesla Coil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningawaypyro Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 hhhmm well for the base of the jl i would suggest you use an old white plasitc cutting board that has been cut to the right size. and you should really do some looking around on ebay for your transformer. after a long time of looking around i managed to get a 15kv30ma nst for $15+$30 for shipping. it was a steal in my opion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlowinPontiac Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 i bult one years ago using an oil burner igniton transformer mounted in a wooden box with 2 straightened coathangers with teh lacquer sanded off. it worked like a charm for a few months before burning an arc through the wood. I seperated the electrodes a little more and it worked fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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