When I was a kid at school (that was quite a long time ago) I found a book in the library called "The Boy Electrician" which I pretty much had out continuously from the school library from that point onwards. It had loads of really dodgy projects in it like DIY X-ray machines and various other high voltage devices. One of the devices was a spark coil and a Jacob's ladder effect. I duly got myself a used neon sign transformer and improvised a Jacob's ladder on top of a chest of drawers with tape and wire.
Fast forward a few years when I had finished my electrical apprenticeship and had money to buy better toys, I bought the biggest neon transformer I could find in Glasgow. A FART (yeah) 10kV 50mA unit. I built a new Jacobs ladder with proper hardware and was not happy with the critical nature of the gap at the base. I reasoned that introducing a third central electrode with current limiting could improve the initial arc distance by ionising the air with a thin trigger spark. It worked a treat, and since the original effect had a biblically themed name I added a new one for the electrode by calling it a Gabriel electrode (After the "arc" angel Gabriel).
My Jacobs ladder was used on various TV productions in Scottish studios. I left the BBC test sticker on it because it's quite amusing that something like a Jacob's ladder could even be tested for electrical safety. I bet they had a long discussion about that one.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
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Fast forward a few years when I had finished my electrical apprenticeship and had money to buy better toys, I bought the biggest neon transformer I could find in Glasgow. A FART (yeah) 10kV 50mA unit. I built a new Jacobs ladder with proper hardware and was not happy with the critical nature of the gap at the base. I reasoned that introducing a third central electrode with current limiting could improve the initial arc distance by ionising the air with a thin trigger spark. It worked a treat, and since the original effect had a biblically themed name I added a new one for the electrode by calling it a Gabriel electrode (After the "arc" angel Gabriel).
My Jacobs ladder was used on various TV productions in Scottish studios. I left the BBC test sticker on it because it's quite amusing that something like a Jacob's ladder could even be tested for electrical safety. I bet they had a long discussion about that one.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
lol bottom gas LOL, they use to call it the *vapors*, but I reckon if you say that today people will think of vaping people.
can you build one of these for me?
good pronunciation for fart, close enough
im italian from pr
F.A.R.T the Italian Transformer company that broke even and broke wind
and their Liability Lawyers / solicitors are Fart , Arc , and shock -Attorneys at Law 😆
Hi, I watched your video and read through your website for building the Jacobs Ladder, but I am struggling to understand what two resistors you used in your set up as I cannot see the bands on the resistor to make out what you used.
Can you please let me know what they are? I heard they were 1 MOhms, but don't know what wattage/tolerance they are.
Many thanks!!
~Brian
If you have access to a radioactive sample you can use that to ionize the Air. I did this in Uni for a Lab once. Edit: Oh and the flame of a candle works too.
High voltage fart.
Thank you Google!
And if you add a Peter Gabriel electrode you can Shock the Monkey.
Played with these things since I was in my teens and there are a few more things you can do with them. When they are vertical as in your video, the speed they travel is to do with the angle of the two conductors. The more parralel they are, the slower they climb, the wider the angle between them, the faster they climb. You can also do a really slow one by setting the two electrodes at an angle rather than vertical. More variations, zig zag the two conductors or spiral wind them. Best one yet, stand a third electrode in the middle and connected to nothing. If you are lucky and adjust it properly you will get two arcs climbing at different points and speeds, bad adjustment and they run parallel. Some interesting ones done by Ken Stikfadden in the old horror films and serials with one long conductor and two short. When it gets to the top of the first short rod, it arc over to the second one and continues to the top. The gap between the first and second short rod ensures it always starts at the bottom and finishes at the top.
We also had a Flash Gordon pinball!!!
HOLY CRAP Clive!!!!! Did you buy the pinball machine from my folks????? I had both the Centaur and Haunted House!!!!! Love the Haunted House use of multiple levels!!!!!!!!
I searched google for "Fart for Sale". I didn't find any transformers. I found a girl that sells her farts in a small jar for $1000 each. She sold 97 in the first two days. After a week of farting, she could afford to buy a house.
What was the Round spinning arc thing called? Sometimes also used in old movies along with the Jacobs Ladder? not together just in the same seen.
Brazing Rods make the best divine rods. If you keep them coated in mineral oil they don't tarnish.
I kinda want one now!