6 ms·

The Tesla Gun

221 points by lelf 14y ago

ChuckMcM 14y ago
This looks like a lot of fun! Add a flying robot dead cat familiar (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/video-dutch-artist-turns-his-dead-cat-flying-quadcopter http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/video-dutch...) and you make a serious statement of nerditude.
- fghh45sdfhr3 14y ago
  Eh... that kind of crossed the line into creepy for me.
corysama 14y ago
Could use a bit more laser. http://www.appliedenergetics.com/downloads/product-offerings/laser-guided-energy.pdf http://www.appliedenergetics.com/downloads/product-offerings... I guess that might spoil the steampunk theme, though...
- fraserharris 14y ago
  Using a laser (ionization of air molecules?) to guide the tesla coil discharge is ingenious. Very neat.
  - JoeAltmaier 14y ago
    And anecdotally Tesla had devised a laser as well, so it remains contemporary!
    - jholman 14y ago
      I do not think that means what you think it means. Although maybe. Perhaps you meant "allegedly" or "apocryphally"?
      - JoeAltmaier 14y ago
        Contemporaneous anecdotes from visitors to his lab reported a beautiful pure red spot of light, redder than any possible in nature, coming from a machine. Since it happened in the past, does that make it alleged? I don't think apocryphal works - its not an urban legend, its from documented letters etc.
- bmuon 14y ago
  I'm guessing an infrared laser would work as well and wouldn't ruin the theme.
webjprgm 14y ago
Do guys use Pintrest? Because this is the kind of thing I'd like to pin. :-)
sneak 14y ago
More {people, projects, end results, writeups, photo galleries} like this, please.
dexter313 14y ago
What would happen if the arcs hit exposed skin of a human?
- hwillis 14y ago
  Hard to say. Maybe not much, due to the environment and the skin affect- high frequency electricity tends to flow near the surface of a material. This isn't a van der graff generator though, it can still produce a significant current, and is potentially (probably) lethal. It probably won't hurt, again due to the high frequency. The aftereffects would definitely hurt though.
  - irrelative 14y ago
    I've built a Tesla coil (inspiring me to major in electrical engineering later on) and have been shocked by them on a couple occasions. Sadly, the skin affect doesn't apply to human skin -- it only applies to materials which are conductors at high frequencies. Due to the water content + the resistance inherent in the material, human flesh doesn't exhibit skin effect properties. If this hits your skin, you probably won't feel it due to the high frequencies involved, similarly to how you won't hear sounds over ~20khz. Your body wont' be able to process it neurologically. You will, however, get a really nasty burn from it, which can get bad if you don't sense the initial shock. If it hits your torso, you could potentially experience heart rhythm issues, but unlikely. Voltage and frequency dangers are funny things. The most dangerous voltages are from about 50V to 1000V because it interferes with your nervous system -- lower and the current is too low to affect you, and higher causes you to reflexively release. The most dangerous frequencies are ~1Hz to ~10kHz. They're most likely to mess with your cardio rhythms in a bad way. Funny thing about this is that the most dangerous voltages and currents are found in household voltages -- 120V@60Hz (220V@50Hz in Europe).
    - marvin 14y ago
      In reference to your description of the danger of different voltages and frequencies...is it still dangerous (potentially life-threatening) to get shocked outside of these ranges, or do things work out well in the vast majority of the cases? This is new to me, I got a bit curious.
nerdo 14y ago
Should've made it a Tesla Hammer.
biot 14y ago
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5jBjso6l6I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5jBjso6l6I
thaumaturgy 14y ago
Aww, I was sort of hoping that somebody had figured out how to build Tesla's "teleforce" device (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleforce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleforce). This was a neat build though.
Dove 14y ago
I think the most important lesson to take away from this is how very awesome you can be if you have a great idea and you reach out to others for help.
dbbolton 14y ago
Wolfenstein fans are especially excited about this post. 1 - http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28RtCW%29 http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28RtCW%29 2 - http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28WOLF_2009%29 http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28WOLF_2009%29
msds 14y ago
I got to hold it last weekend! Surprisingly light - felt around 5 kg. Sadly it doesn't have a trigger in the slot you'd expect it to have one, just a (safely covered) switch. Pretty cool to actually see it after months of noticing parts Rob left on tables at the local hackerspace...
adrianwaj 14y ago
Anyone know about using Tesla coils to generate electricity inexpensively from Earth's magnetic field?
- inportb 14y ago
  I don't understand. Do you propose to use the Earth as a big field magnet and generate electricity by letting it move through a big conductive coil? So as the Earth orbits about the Sun, you could slow it down while enjoying free electricity... right?
  - adrianwaj 14y ago
    Yep, I was listening to this yesterday and it got me thinking. www.thewonders.com/multimedia/Ask_The_Wonders_May_19_2010.mov (2:16) Q: "Can 0-point field energy be harnessed?" A: "Have you ever heard of the Tesla coil? Use that more often, that's all it takes. Magnetic energy tapped into the planet's electromagnetic field produces more than sufficient energy to power the planet with approximately 258 trillion inhabitants on it. ..there is movements towards the technology but it is not yet truly being supported by governments. ..the financial, the technological aspects of it is alluding some of your scientists. ..we would suggest to them to simplify their mathematical equations rather than complexify them as they're trying to do."
josephcooney 14y ago
Slightly OT, but does anyone have a Tesla book recommendation (preferably on Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_5?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=nikola+tesla&sprefix=nikol%2Caps%2C418 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_5?url=search-alias%... I read a biography of him a while ago, but I can't recall which one, and it seemed too pulp-ey (which in a way was appropriate since so much of what he did seemed to spring from the pages of pulp sci-fi).
pohungc 14y ago
I saw a talk by this guy at the Seattle Makers Faire. Quite an interesting talk, though they didn't let him do a live firing demo :(
rangibaby 14y ago
Would this actually work to electrocute capitalist pigdogs? Or is it just a "regular" Tesla coil in a gun shape? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_%26_Conquer:_Red_Alert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_%26_Conquer:_Red_Alert

221 points by lelf 14y ago

This looks like a lot of fun! Add a flying robot dead cat familiar (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/video-dutch-artist-turns-his-dead-cat-flying-quadcopter http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/video-dutch...) and you make a serious statement of nerditude.

fghh45sdfhr3 14y ago
Eh... that kind of crossed the line into creepy for me.

corysama 14y ago

Could use a bit more laser. http://www.appliedenergetics.com/downloads/product-offerings/laser-guided-energy.pdf http://www.appliedenergetics.com/downloads/product-offerings... I guess that might spoil the steampunk theme, though...

fraserharris 14y ago
Using a laser (ionization of air molecules?) to guide the tesla coil discharge is ingenious. Very neat.
- JoeAltmaier 14y ago
  And anecdotally Tesla had devised a laser as well, so it remains contemporary!
  - jholman 14y ago
    I do not think that means what you think it means. Although maybe. Perhaps you meant "allegedly" or "apocryphally"?
    - JoeAltmaier 14y ago
      Contemporaneous anecdotes from visitors to his lab reported a beautiful pure red spot of light, redder than any possible in nature, coming from a machine. Since it happened in the past, does that make it alleged? I don't think apocryphal works - its not an urban legend, its from documented letters etc.
bmuon 14y ago
I'm guessing an infrared laser would work as well and wouldn't ruin the theme.

webjprgm 14y ago

Do guys use Pintrest? Because this is the kind of thing I'd like to pin. :-)

sneak 14y ago

More {people, projects, end results, writeups, photo galleries} like this, please.

dexter313 14y ago

What would happen if the arcs hit exposed skin of a human?

hwillis 14y ago
Hard to say. Maybe not much, due to the environment and the skin affect- high frequency electricity tends to flow near the surface of a material. This isn't a van der graff generator though, it can still produce a significant current, and is potentially (probably) lethal. It probably won't hurt, again due to the high frequency. The aftereffects would definitely hurt though.
- irrelative 14y ago
  I've built a Tesla coil (inspiring me to major in electrical engineering later on) and have been shocked by them on a couple occasions. Sadly, the skin affect doesn't apply to human skin -- it only applies to materials which are conductors at high frequencies. Due to the water content + the resistance inherent in the material, human flesh doesn't exhibit skin effect properties. If this hits your skin, you probably won't feel it due to the high frequencies involved, similarly to how you won't hear sounds over ~20khz. Your body wont' be able to process it neurologically. You will, however, get a really nasty burn from it, which can get bad if you don't sense the initial shock. If it hits your torso, you could potentially experience heart rhythm issues, but unlikely. Voltage and frequency dangers are funny things. The most dangerous voltages are from about 50V to 1000V because it interferes with your nervous system -- lower and the current is too low to affect you, and higher causes you to reflexively release. The most dangerous frequencies are ~1Hz to ~10kHz. They're most likely to mess with your cardio rhythms in a bad way. Funny thing about this is that the most dangerous voltages and currents are found in household voltages -- 120V@60Hz (220V@50Hz in Europe).
  - marvin 14y ago
    In reference to your description of the danger of different voltages and frequencies...is it still dangerous (potentially life-threatening) to get shocked outside of these ranges, or do things work out well in the vast majority of the cases? This is new to me, I got a bit curious.

nerdo 14y ago

Should've made it a Tesla Hammer.

biot 14y ago

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5jBjso6l6I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5jBjso6l6I

thaumaturgy 14y ago

Aww, I was sort of hoping that somebody had figured out how to build Tesla's "teleforce" device (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleforce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleforce). This was a neat build though.

Dove 14y ago

I think the most important lesson to take away from this is how very awesome you can be if you have a great idea and you reach out to others for help.

dbbolton 14y ago

Wolfenstein fans are especially excited about this post. 1 - http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28RtCW%29 http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28RtCW%29 2 - http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28WOLF_2009%29 http://wolfenstein.wikia.com/wiki/Tesla_gun_%28WOLF_2009%29

msds 14y ago

I got to hold it last weekend! Surprisingly light - felt around 5 kg. Sadly it doesn't have a trigger in the slot you'd expect it to have one, just a (safely covered) switch. Pretty cool to actually see it after months of noticing parts Rob left on tables at the local hackerspace...

adrianwaj 14y ago

Anyone know about using Tesla coils to generate electricity inexpensively from Earth's magnetic field?

inportb 14y ago
I don't understand. Do you propose to use the Earth as a big field magnet and generate electricity by letting it move through a big conductive coil? So as the Earth orbits about the Sun, you could slow it down while enjoying free electricity... right?
- adrianwaj 14y ago
  Yep, I was listening to this yesterday and it got me thinking. www.thewonders.com/multimedia/Ask_The_Wonders_May_19_2010.mov (2:16) Q: "Can 0-point field energy be harnessed?" A: "Have you ever heard of the Tesla coil? Use that more often, that's all it takes. Magnetic energy tapped into the planet's electromagnetic field produces more than sufficient energy to power the planet with approximately 258 trillion inhabitants on it. ..there is movements towards the technology but it is not yet truly being supported by governments. ..the financial, the technological aspects of it is alluding some of your scientists. ..we would suggest to them to simplify their mathematical equations rather than complexify them as they're trying to do."

josephcooney 14y ago

Slightly OT, but does anyone have a Tesla book recommendation (preferably on Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_5?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=nikola+tesla&sprefix=nikol%2Caps%2C418 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_5?url=search-alias%... I read a biography of him a while ago, but I can't recall which one, and it seemed too pulp-ey (which in a way was appropriate since so much of what he did seemed to spring from the pages of pulp sci-fi).

pohungc 14y ago

I saw a talk by this guy at the Seattle Makers Faire. Quite an interesting talk, though they didn't let him do a live firing demo :(

rangibaby 14y ago

Would this actually work to electrocute capitalist pigdogs? Or is it just a "regular" Tesla coil in a gun shape? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_%26_Conquer:_Red_Alert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_%26_Conquer:_Red_Alert