How to Make/Build a Lifter or Ionocraft
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- A step-by-step guide to making a lifter/ionocraft, a small, very lightweight, triangular ion wind propelled device powered with a high voltage and substantial current power supply. This uses an aluminum foil skirt for the bottom electrode, a 30 gauge (30 AWG) bare wire for the top electrode and balsa wood for the support structure. The glue is cyanoacrylate. The means of propulsion is ion wind (also called ion cloud or electric wind.)
I also demonstrate some high voltage safety features, how to work safely with high voltage.
To see the lifter air flow very clearly, watch my "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" video:
• Lifter Voltage/Current...
To see "How Ion Propulsion, Lifters and Ionocrafts Work"
• How Ion Propulsion, Li...
See also:
"Star Trek Enterprise Model with Ion Propulsion added"
• Star Trek Enterprise M...
"How to add Ion Propulsion to Star Wars TIE Fighter Model"
• How to add Ion Propuls...
Watch my "Ion Wind Rotor" video for a slightly different design and some discussion about ion wind:
• Ion Wind Rotor
I also demonstrate this lifter/ionocraft in my "How to Make 30kV High Voltage DC Power Supply" video:
• How to Make 30kV High ...
For more about lifters, see:
rimstar.org/sdprop/lifter/lift...
For more about my homemade/diy power supply used in this video, see:
rimstar.org/equip/30kv_pwr_sup...
For how to make a high voltage power supply using a computer monitor, see:
rimstar.org/equip/hvgmon24kv.htm
And if you can't build a power supply then you can buy one. I've bought from here in the past. Just tell them what you're doing, they're familiar with lifters:
www.amazing1.com
Materials needed (see the video for the dimensions):
- aluminum foil, the same one use in your kitchen. Use the lightweight one, not the heavy duty one.
- bare, uninsulated very thin wire. It should be 30 gauge (AWG) or thinner.
- balsa wood 1/16" x 1/16"
- thread
- cyanoacrylate glue or krazy glue
For the power supply see the links given above.
The CGI animation of the astronaut was made using Blender 2.59.
To follow me on Twitter:
#!/RimStarz
rimstar.org - Věda a technologie
Back in the day when more people were playing with lifters I recall at least one person who got a dirigible shaped helium balloon and attached a lifter to it with controls for tilting the lifter for steering. So the balloon was for the lift and the lifter was for the propulsion. Worked great.
And I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks!
Hey Steve, this video is featured on CZcams's suggested videos page!
Hello grant
Hiiiiii
Miss you bro
@@thekeyandthegate4093 who do you miss
@@PinkeySuavo the legend KIng of random passed away sadly
*sponsored by SERN*
stein be like
Its cern not sern.
@@charlesyoung8600 its Sern mate
El psy congroo
Im here cuz of stein too lol
Cool! It became very popular with more of the mainstream when MIT released a paper around a month ago about ionocrafts (which is what lifters are) and their efficiency. This video was embedded on a large number of websites since it was the only clear how-to-make and demonstration one out there. Thanks for letting me know, Grant.
*REAL* craft would lift itself. this POS won't move if it was attached 2 the power supply. RIP
Were can I purchase an HVG10 High Voltage Power Supply?
@@nskmda Outside lasers propelling the object; Seems like it could be used in a variety of circumstances.
Your attention to detail and safety is awesome. Thank you for the demonstration.
I made the power supply that I use so it's definitely possible to make one. If you can still find an old tube style computer monitor then you can adapt that. I put some links in the description below this video to pages on my website where I show various options. And I'm glad you like the video! Thanks for watching!
Yes. You can see this very clearly in my "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" video (see link in the description below this video or on my channel page.)
It's amazing how many innuendos you can get out that part of the video with terms like discharge stick, balls, skirt, safe. I realized it as I was saying it but left it in anyway. Gotta have some humor. :)
Thanks for the suggestion, Paul. I've thought of that approach but that just gives the lift-off thrust, though I guess you could keep adding mass until it can't lift anymore. By the way, such a challenge was done back in 2003 and was the 100 gram challenge, to lift 100 grams in addition to the weight of the lifter. Do a search on google for "100g payload lifter".
so this is how SERN used the LHC and lifter to make a time machine on the year 2036
yup
why I'm here as well
el psy kongroo...
El Psy Kongroo
Shitttt you went back home for abit to aii? We about to think 2026 is the year to talk about 😂😂😂
*CERN
I measured it while flying using 26,000 volts DC and around 275 microamps. You can see me doing the measurements in my "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Aiflow Test Measurements" video. There's a link to it in the description below this video and you can find it on my channel page.
I have a bunch of links in the description below this video to my webpages about my various power supplies. I may do a video in the future but hopefully that's help for now. And thanks! Glad to hear you like my videos.
When I built my first lifter I was having an hard time making the triangle ones like yours work, so I decided to build an hexagonal one because I had figured a way to use less wood per triangular section that way. I guess the more triangular sections, the less would (by comparison) is needed!
Nicely done. I'll have to try this when I finally have my flat sorted.
Another project I'd like to try is a variation on this theme:
Create a disc with a series of concentric wire circles. Power them such that they sum, centre to edge, but never exceed the breakdown voltage between adjacent concentric circles.
Arrange a surface with a dense population of strong magnets below the disc such that there's a toroidal field, again concentric with the disc, with the field lines passing vertically through the body of the disc.
The idea is to create a combination of magnetic and electric fields such that a Lorenz force acts on the air ionised by the circular electrodes, causing it to spin (concentric with the disc) and centrifuge outwards from centre to disc edge; in effect, creating a vortex.
I'm curious as to how much aerodynamic lift you could generate in this way...
Did you get your flat sorted?
@@AnimalChinzI was thinking the same 🤣
@@ravereviews6853 😂
Thanks. I'm glad you like my videos. And yeah, I knew even as I was saying it that I would get a lot of comments about it. It wasn't intentional but I left it in for the fun of it. Even I laughed inside as I realized what I was saying. :)
;-)
You need a high voltage, reasonable high current power supply. There are some links in the description below this video to my webpage where I show how I made my 30kV power supply and another link to how to use an old computer monitor as a power supply and also a link to where you can buy one (make sure it's output is high voltage DC.)
Tinfoil, check. Wire, check. Wooden sticks, check. High-voltage power supply ..... dammit.
balls to touch check ?
***** Dude, if that was supposed to be a way of hitting on me, you need a new strategy ;)
Penny Lane It was a joke referring to his referencing the balls on his power supply.
Penny Lane Micah Burgin Yeah, I remember when I was saying that part while making the video that it could be taken differently than I meant it, but I left it in for fun. Can't be too serious all the time :). Penny, did you eventually find a power supply?
RimstarOrg I didn't keep looking. I guess when I ever stumble upon a high-voltage power supply, I will get back to this.
This reminds me of working with CRT TVs or monitors. You can feel the hair on your arms moving!
Around 26,000 volts and 270 microamps. I show me measuring it in my "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" video. See the link in the description below this video or on my channel page.
Wood is an insulator. I've heard that it can be bad to use wood with high voltage but in all my years I've never found that to be the case. That includes with lifters. I've had plenty of arcs but they've never traveled along the wooden supports. Maybe if the wood's wet with tap water containing impurities, or something is coating the wood, or it's some sort of wood that has a lot of conductive material in it.
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoy my videos, and thanks for watching!
Great, now i only need a microwave and a telephone
And to outrun cern
And you also need to avoid detection by Echelon, you fool.
Cool!
Can you please make an extra large one kinofrandom i like your page on fb videos are cool
@@Thecarverman that would use almost the amount a quarter of the power a nuclear power plant produces
See my other lifter video "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" to see this ion wind made visible using smoke. There's a link to it in the description below this video and you can find it on my channel page.
I played with that idea with my ion wind rotor. I tried a few different lengths and widths and shaped them like an airfoil. With that design there is only one electrical connection to it so I was able to connect through a metal shaft and it was free to rise on the shaft. I didn't film those specific tests since they didn't work out but you can see the rotor in my "Ion Wind Rotor" video. I put a link in the description below this video in case you're curious.
Thanks CZcams for censoring any recent posts of lifter building. Keep us in the dark, way to go.
Hahha
The Steins;Gate VN brought me here.
Jajajajaj muajajajajja
Same here XD
Same
My name is Hououin Kyouma, muhahaha
@@LimboJimbo Okay Okarin... smh
You can buy a power supply, or you can use an old computer monitor, one that doesn't have power saving features. There are links in the description below this video for both those. Some of the very first triangular lifters actually used a very large Van de Graaff generator, one with a dome that looked to be around 12 inches in diameter, though I've never tried it myself or heard of anyone else doing it since.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching it. In answer to your question, the conductor would only disintegrate, or melt, if the current flowing through it was large enough. The current in this case is too small, even though as you point out the conductor is thin, so that doesn't happen.
"if you don't have balls like that to touch then you can always just touch the skirt..."
couldn't help myself
Ha ha ha ha ha ...........! Zap! OOh!
Sounds like the uber drivers handbook.
You were one year faster then me :P
there was nooo other way to say this ;)
This is pretty cool. I've never heard of an ionacraft before.
years ago (they probably still do) popsci had advertisements for the plans for these - only $30 apparently. but they branded them as 'antigravity machines'
John Bump
Yeah, the part that takes time is finding a suitable power supply. Once you have that, the lifter takes a half hour or so. Just make sure you try it in the dark. Seeing where the purplish corona is makes all the difference in getting it to work.
John Bump
Oh, you need a much higher voltage and current. Mine takes off at around 25kV and 250microamps.
Can I use 100kv AC? It is real problem to rectify it
Vladimir Knežević
You need DC or pulsed DC. AC won't work because the ion wind will just keep reversing directions. It wouldn't get off the ground.
I had such crappy math and physics teachers. I am not surprised how ordinary people build crafts u would never tought people could build outside an lab hidden for the mass. Thx for the video ❤
I give links for a few options for high voltage power supplies in the description to this video: homemade, where to buy one, old PC monitor.
El.
Psy.
Congroo.
TheArchsage74 steins gate bought me here too brother
@@andyhollar5620 STEIN GATE BOUGHT ALL OF US HERE
When you are currently playing Steins Gate and wonder what a lifter is, then watch it and let your imagination run to design some time machines blueprints...
This too must be the choice of Steins Gate... El Psy Kongroo...
I just put a list in the description below the video. But if you don't have a high voltage power supply right now, I doubt very much you'll be able to get or make on in 1 week's time.
The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from! :)
El...
Psy...
Kongalee...
Almost nailed it, Lukako. Almost.
"touch the balls..." LOL XD
It is. One pole of my psu is HV positive with respect to ground and the other pole is ground. I prefer to connect the skirt to ground since the skirt is closer to the table and the table is also ground. But it can be done either way. Theoretically, you get better results with the wire connected to positive, but the actual performance is hard to measure.
By the way, I give links in the description below this video to three different power supply options, one of which is the monitor power supply. And if anyone uses the convergence and deflection coils as Gary suggests, make sure to remove the thin enamel insulation. Gary, how did you remove the insulation, a lighter?
how much voltage is needed to lift an avg.human? please reply me
bharath puluru it doesn't work that way. More voltage does not mean more lift.
bharath puluru It would require at least a million volts but also with a lot of current. The ionocraft would also have to be around the size of a house and require protection to protect the human from the high voltage/current. It's not practical.
RimstarOrg oh! then how does satellite thrusters work?
No it could work with just 30kV. The voltage is not that relevant. You just need enough voltage to ionize the air. To prove this, just imagine a lifter running on 30kV. It has a thrust to weight ratio larger than 1. This means you could use a million lifters to lift something heavy, all running on the same voltage. It is the amount of ionized air that counts here. The amount of total thrust. Sure a million volts would increase the thrust, but you only NEED 30kV as a minimum
sai kumar reddy Sama Some satellites do use ion propulsion with xenon gas as the propellant for moving around while in orbit. But they're not being lifted against Earth's gravity so the thrust can be much less and the acceleration is very small, so the satellite moves and can get up to high speed (if needed) over a longish period of time.
12:38 for the ladies
Hahah
Kudo's to your vid demo skills. Thoughtful, plain-english, down to earth, instructive, and time-compressed when appropriate. I first learned about ionic propulsion from a world book encyclopedia back in the '70's. at the age of 14. The DIY of a rocket motor hanging by the high voltage wire. Thanks for the blast from the past.
30,000 can be gotten with a small Van de Graaff generator easily, but you also need the current, around 250 microamps, which a small Van de Graaff cannot supply (hmmm... I should try my big VDG). There are links in the description below this video to my webpages about making the higher current power supply I used in this video and also an old PC monitor one but the really old monitors are hard to find.
does anyone think this could be implemented into somebody's boots or something so they could fly around like iron man?
What!What kind of sorcery is this!
The magic of science😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂!!!
@mrnewagemotor What do you mean by "atmospheric anti-gravitation"? I've done wind tests back in 2001. It's basically a jet (see the link in the description, the flame test.) The top wire creates a cloud of ionized air and the foil skirt attracts the ionized air down. The skirt doesn't ionize much air because of the rounded top edge. If there is an anti-grav effect, it doesn't play a significant part.
I should do another video measuring voltage and current to answer your second question.
I haven't tried. But I've done the smoke test and there's plenty of air blowing down. Have a look at my video "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements". There's a link to it in the description below this video.
"If you don't have balls like that to touch, you can touch the skirt"
Nikola Tesla had a DC voltage for lifting and flying for his anti gravity ship and did not tell Edison
saucersourc
Of course he did. Everyone has one of those.
Glad you enjoyed the video. The two ozones are the same, O3, but I guess the location is the problem. Maybe we should be flying lifters up where the ozone layer is located.
Putting some close to each other is ok as long as the structural requirements don't weigh too much. What I'd really worry about it the weight of the gyro sensor or whatever type is needed, making sure it safe from the ions and high voltage (which may mean more weight for structure), and how to communicate with the sensor. If it's a feed wire then that'll drag down on the lifter, if it's remote control then that's added weight. A lot has changed over the years. It may now be possible.
Do you have any suggestions or opinions why they lift? I know the MythBusters said it was because the wire is vibrating so much it causes lift because it was vibrating the air around the lifter, but somehow that doesn't sound right to me. They tried to prove their point by placing the lifter in a container that was vacuumed of air to prove it wasn't defeating Gravity, and it didn't rise in an atmosphere vacuumed of air. Correct me if I am wrong. What is at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by another force, and what is in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by another force. By removing the air they cut out the force of buoyancy lifting something that was at rest. Before they removed the air the force of buoyancy help lift the lifter. Am I right or is MythBusters right?
+Steve Rabon Really? That was Mythbusters' theory? I'm surprised. It's just plain old ion propulsion. Here's my explanatory video czcams.com/video/01F8V5IhB5k/video.html. And here's a smoke test video I did a while back czcams.com/video/LOGAaObsN4g/video.html.
Thanks; why didn't it continue to move in a place that was vacuumed of air? Shouldn't it had moved without the absent of air?
+Steve Rabon Because it's basically a jet. It takes air from the top and pulls it down. That's the action. The reaction is that the lifter moves up. If you watch my ion propulsion video that I gave a link to you'll see that air is needed. You can even see the moving air in the smoke test in the other video I gave a link to. I didn't see the Mythbuster episode so I can't speak about what they said.
OK so it ionizes the air?
Steve Rabon
Did you watch either video I gave a link to?
But he's a guy
Glad you like it!
You could try making a high voltage power supply using an old computer monitor. I have a link in the description below the video that leads to my webpage where I talk about how to make a high voltage power supply using a computer monitor.
Who came here because of the Riddle episode of how planes will look like in 20 years??
Mee haha
Same, lol.
MythBusters episode
El Psy Kongroo
Thanks for the prompt response. For force measurements, how about tethering it with three threads (as you show), but fix the ends of the threads together and to a small mass (eg, a plastic washer). Then support the lifter on a plastic ruler so that the threads are almost extended, and rack up the voltage to see if it can lift the washer; then thrust ≥ mass of washer, at least.
Ion Thruster Weightlifting Challenge !!
It's really high voltage with high current too. The voltage need only be enough to create the necessary electric field across the given gap size. The current is what provides the electrons for ionizing the air (or takes them away depending on your polarity.) So 26kV which mine is supplying, plus more current would allow larger ones to fly.
Does anyone else find his commentating dirty? "if u don't have balls to touch, just touch the skirt"
Yeah how'd he ever guess that if you don't have balls to touch that you'd probably have a skirt? May have been a freudian slip and unintentional, but I got a laugh out of that as well.
2Sneaky4You get a life.........
Balls aren't dirty and neither are skirts, enough said.
I wonder if that's how UFOs fly? :P
No, because you need air to ionize for an ionocraft to work.
Space is a vacuum.
Br!an Delta V
Internal Xenon Tanks
If you're getting arcs then the wire should be moved farther from the aluminum foil. Mine are 3.5cm at the closest. Also try playing around with the wires that lead to the lifter. Arrange them so that they don't restrict the lifter from lifting up. You can lift the lifter by hand to get an idea of if they're holding it down. Also, it has to be as lightweight as possible. Mine are only around 2 grams. 15kv is a little low, but don't give up yet.
Never actually paid attention to how these are made before. It is so simple. Gonna make one. Got a flyback from an old tv for the high voltage supply and a driver to run it.
Raymond Bivens Be aware, these need DC or pulsed DC. The high voltage AC output from a straight flyback won't work. The one I use has a tripler after the flyback which you can see here czcams.com/video/GEuK1OdYxHk/video.html I recently tried my Cube power supply that has a flyback with a built-in diode as the very last stage but I suspect the current was too high and voltage too low. But it was suggested that I might be able to add a capacitor to fix that. Here's the Cube power supply czcams.com/video/-KFhBVfpfDw/video.html and my recent Google+ post about my lifter test with it plus.google.com/116395125136223897621/posts/4MeNfcWoACN
El...Psy....Kongroo.
Can someone explain me this with cute girls?
mic-chan and cro-chan
@mrnewagemotor I'm with you in thinking that it requires an atmosphere. However, some experiments have been done with high vacuums in vacuum chambers that still show a little movement - not enough to lift them but enough to make them turn a very low friction rotor at slow speed. But I still leave room here the movement being due to the ejection of electrons, or ejection of material from arcs, ... I wouldn't call it conclusive without a lot more testing.
The thin wire ionizes the surrounding air, the rounded foil doesn't. The resulting ionized air attracts the foil upward while the air is pulled downward. Basically ion wind. You can see this air in the smoke test I do in my video "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" which you can see using the link in the description below this video and on my channel.
There are also links in the description for power supply options (make one from scratch, an old monitor, or buy one.)
Fifty dollar for crazy glue would be much more than I'd spend too. The glue was $5, the price tag on the bottle showed $4.99. I'm not familiar with stun gun output so I can't say if a modded one would work. As well as the high voltage, it does need quite a bit of current to feed the ion wind. In my "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" video I show it using 26kv and 275 microamps. There's a link in the description for this video if you're curious to see the measurements.
The GRA 10 supplies up to 20kV. My lifter didn't fly until 25kV, so I can't guarantee that it'll work. They are fairly reliable and knowledgeable people, so it may just take a little playing with the lifter and care with the wiring leading to the lifter to minimize losses. The GRA 10 requires a 12V, 3amp power supply. I'd just use an adaptor, one of those things you plug in the wall that puts out 12V DC. There's also no fuse so either add one or use resistors as I point out in my video.
If your cloth is light enough and you have enough current feeding your needle, you might get a reaction. You'd probably have to do quite a bit of trial and error first. I also find cloth hard to charge up. Thin nylon or acrylic might be better. But you can do without the cloth since a sharp, negatively charged needle will emit electrons on its own due the the strong electric field at the needle tip. That's what I did in my "Ion Wind Rotor" video.
Thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate it... honestly the science fair is really stressful and I want to get into districts.
I suspect you're remembering Major de Seversky's ionocrafts. From the videos and photos they still look pretty lightweight though. Before these triangular lifters came along I made one using aluminum fly mesh instead of the skirt. It worked. Though it looks like de Seversky used a bunch of sharp point instead of the continuous thin wire.
With the lifter we want unidirectional thrust. So the bare wire does the corona discharge (i.e. it ionizes air) and the smooth foil skirt is attracted up to the ionized air. The fact that it's smooth allows it to build up a surface charge, or high voltage with respect to the ionized air, so that it can be attracted to the ionized air. If it discharged instead, then it wouldn't build up the surface charge and it wouldn't be attracted.
There are many different high voltage DC power supplies so it depends on which one. Ones that have a flyback as their last stage put out AC but ones that have a Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier as their last stage are rectified and put out DC. Mine has a flyback followed by a Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier so it's rectified and hence is DC.
By "don't to waste time and money using resistors", do you mean the protection resistors I show in this video? Definitely use those resistors if you're using a computer monitor. They're there for if/when an arc occurs, not for when you have just ionization going on. I blew my monitor power supply that way and so have many other people. But I agree the dimensions don't need to be exact. I give these dimensions only so someone doesn't make a big, heavy one for their first try.
It depends on the voltage and how light your lifter is. The lighter your lifter, the lower the voltage required. The lower the voltage, the smaller the distance can be. Humidity also has an effect. So I don't have any specific numbers. In my "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" video my 2 gram lifter lifted off at 26,000 volts, with a distance at one corner of 2.5 cm and 4 cm at another corner. I suggest making the distance adjustable like mine.
Rim this has helped me. you tube has been a wonderful source of information. More so then I thought at first. thank you both. I have seen what I have needed to see and hear what I have needed to hear to build a flying pyramid. this video has made it a step easier. I am looking for a team of people to help me in their own smart ways. I want to build a mother Flying Pyramid. your welcome to come along.
Ah, I see. Thanks for filling me in so quickly, now I can actually learn the teacher something for a change!
I learned about these in my late teens, early 20's in the early 2000's. Always interested me.
Good for you
The very thin, uninsulated wire acts like a sharp point. When you use high voltage with a sharp point it ionizes the surrounding air. The foil thickness doesn't matter but the fact that the edge facing the wire is smooth means it doesn't ionize air, or not much. Instead, the foil is attracted to the cloud of ions that the wire made, and so the whole thing rises up. At the same time the ions are attracted downward, producing a noticeable downward ion wind.
Alright, thanks so much!!!!!!! Seriously, you're a huge help. I'm attempting to see if it is possible to make ionocraft movements more controlled.
Then you either build your own HV power supply from scratch (other link in the description) or buy one (I just added another link to the description.) You do need some current in order to ionize the air sufficiently for the required amount of ion wind so things like Wimshurst machines and Van de Graaff generators are usually not sufficient. However, I think I recall that the original lifter made by Transdimensional Technologies used a large VDG generator, a 1 foot dome (approximately).
I haven't tried a circular shape but I've seen others who have. It works.
It's a very efficient design in terms of a weight to lift ratio. Lifters have to be extremely lightweight and this triangular shape uses a minimum of material. A good shape is one with a hole in the middle but it's harder to make a lightweight cylinder. Two sided wouldn't have a hole. Four sided required more material than three sided.
If the rips/holes are near the top of the foil then it's the same as the foil having some sharp edges. Instead of the foil holding onto its charge, it will start losing some and ionizing air. The voltage between the foil and the wire-produced ion cloud will be lower and the lift will be less. I usually see this if there's a lot of sparking between the wire and the foil. The sparks blow tiny holes in the foil and the lift performance eventually decreases.
The experiment was done with pulsing from 0 to 100Hz. 70Hz required the least power, 17.72 watts, 14.59Kv RMS and 1.22 mA RMS. But you can experiment to find what works best for you. It can't be alternating. It has to be DC pulses. You can see it at jnaudin.free.fr/html/lftphv.htm
The total would still have to be just as big and need just as high a voltage. However, I'd think you'd need at least three thrusters or something like that in order to keep it stable in free flight and for basic direction control.
Just made one of these using coffee stirring straws which were lighter than balsa and won't immediately catch fire when I inevitably jack the power up to make pretty coronas and shorting arcs :)
That's a good sign as far as the lifter is concerned because that means ionization is going on. But you should have some ventilation if you'll be breathing it a lot, though it takes a alot to be harmful. To see ionization, turn out the lights and you should see a purplish glow around the wire in places. The less powerful your power supply, the dimmer the glow. You may also hear a hissing sound.
Love the grounding stick!
Hahah
You'll need a high voltage power supply that has a decent amount of current. A large Van de Graaff generator with a 15" dome might work but not a Wimshurst machine. You can modify an old tube type of computer monitor that doesn't have energy saving features (there's a link to my webpage about this in the description below the video.) You can also buy HV power supplies from amazing1 dot com. Make sure you get DC. There's a link in the description to my webpages about my homemade power supply.
I don't know. You'll have to try it. :) Cheers.
It's a form of ion wind. The thin, bare top wire ionizes a large volume of air at the top. The foil skit is charged with opposite polarity and has a smooth top so it doesn't ionize much air. Since the foil skirt is opposite in polarity to the ionized air, it's pulled up to that air. Meanwhile that air is pulled down. Not all of the air makes it down since it collides with other air molecules. Watch my "Lifter Voltage/Current and Smoke/Airflow Test Measurements" video to see the air in action.
The power being used to maintain its flight is around 7 watts (26kV x 275uA) and the lifter weighs around 2 grams, so 3.5 W/g. See the "Lifter Voltage and Airflow Tests" annotation link at the end of this video to see me making these measurements.
However, I've seen as good as 1 W/g where an 85g lifter lifted itself plus an additional 100g. Do a google search for "experiment 14 100g".
And I recall a Japanese one that was room sized. Still couldn't lift its own power supply though.
Tanks for the instruction man i'm going to try this out
Glad to help. And cool. Let us know how it goes.
In this power supply the negative is connected to ground and is connected to the skirt. So the negative is at the same potential as the Earth ground which is ultimately connected to a pole stuck in the ground in the backyard. The positive can be as much as +30kV relative to that. If the ground truly has the same number of electrons as protons then you could say it's not negative as all, in which case I have HV positive and 0V.
I think you need at least 30kV but I seem to recall reading once years ago about someone using single digits kV. If you do try, you'll have to put the wire much closer to the top of the foil skirt due to the lower voltage. Best if the distance between wire and foil skirt is adjustable so you can try different distances. Make it as lightweight as possible too.
That's great, thanks for the reply. Gonna have a look at your video on how to build a PSU.