DIYbanter - View Single Post - Vomit fried amplifier and infrared seeking cat.

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On Mon, 5 May 2014 12:42:43 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

"Gordon Holt loved cats, but when one of his toms marked his territory by
urinating on a spare Infinity electrostatic panel, he had the cat put to
death. "

I like cats, but that is too much.

As for the voltge in electrostaatic speakers, I wouldn't use that.

When I was young I did a really stupid thing. (go figure) I had two transformers stepping up the voltage in tandem from the line voltage. This was deadly and any adult who knew anything would have stopped me. They were both pretty much identical with like 350(?) volt secondaries. I hooked one secondary to the primary of the other. What that give, 1100 volts or something ?

It was inductive as well because you know those things they had in the sci-fi and Frnkensein movies with the arc climbing up the electrodes and restarting at the bottom ? Well I made one out of a box and a couple of coathangers. I almost et goosebumps thinking aboput that today. One false move and no more me.

No worries though, back then we rented...
One of the things I used to do as a kid was to make carbon arc lights.
I would get a lamp cord, strip the ends, wrap one wire
around the carbon rod from a D battery and the other wire would go
into a large peanut butter jar with water in it. Then another wire
would be stripped at both ends with one end around another battery
carbon and the other end would also go into the water. Then I would
add just a little salt to the water and try to strike an arc between
the carbon rods. I usually added salt a couple times to get the best
arc without popping a breaker. I couldn't use soft water because it
conducted too well before any salt was added. I looked at the arc
through stacks of negatives that were all black. I found that if one
carbon rod was held in a vise I could strike an arc with the other
carbon which I held with pliers and this left me with a free hand to
use to introduce different things into the arc. I could cut through
sheet metal with the arc by passing the sheet metal between the arcing
carbons. The wires that were in the water would get eaten up pretty
fast so I couldn't have too much fun before the wires would be
completely eaten up. I can still remember the crackling hum that came
from the arc. And the light! It was so bright it was almost like
x-rays. I'm lucky that I never burned my eyeballs. I guess the
negatives blocked enough of the UV.
Eric