Actually, from the comments it seems a lot of students and teachers use my videos. It's very rewarding to know that. And I'd say you DIYs are very accurate, but it'd be nice to see more!
It worked!!! Thankyou. Just a note, the neutralizer bars had to be placed on the sector furthest away from the next collector according to what way my disk was rotating. I had them right before the collector and it didnt work. That might help another beginner like me out there
Glad to hear it's progressing! The right collector is connected to the right side of the spark gap and to one side of the capacitor (it doesn't matter which side.) The left collector is connected to the left side of the spark gap and to the other side of the capacitor. Be sure to rewatch the Adjusting section of the video starting at 9:47 when you're ready to start producing sparks.
If you do the tissue paper test at the disk, and it doesn't show signs of being attracted to the sectors, then the problem is with the neutralizers and disks. In fact, you can remove the collectors and the disks should still charge up with the help of the neutralizer bars. You can spin the disks for a bit and then stop them while you do the tissue paper test. Keep at it. You'll get there.
I'm glad it helps. I'm working on a How a Wimshurst Machine Works video now that should be ready sometime in the next few weeks. Hopefully that'll help too.
Thanks! Glad you liked it! Sorry for the very long delay on the explanation video. I started it and it turned out to be a massive job to do it as well as I want, multiple weeks of work, so I'm spreading it out over time. Even then, it's hard to get to. I do really want to finish it though. I really like the way it works.
Yay! Glad to hear it! I guess I should have mentioned that in my video. You probably had some charge/ions conducting through the air between the neutralizer brushes and the collectors. I saw the same thing when getting mine to work, but there were so many things to tweek it's hard to get them all in the video. At least in future I'll know to ask beginners having problems. Thanks.
This was the second time I've made a hand crank, the last time being many years ago. I was surprised at how well it works given how easy it is to make.
Why don't you replace hand crank with a mouse or gerbil or hamster wheel .. Or use a tiny battery style engine to run the cranking off the energy you create ?
Thank you very much for the tutorial. I used it for my science fair project at school. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into making this video. Thank You very much.
I don't really have a hobby shop. All those machines are portable and get stored when not in use. Actually, I could have used the hand saw instead of the scroll saw for cutting the wood. And if you can drill a straight hole for the shafts using a hand drill then you don't need the drill press. But those machines are lightweight, portable and relatively inexpensive.
It depends on what the sparks are occurring between. If the neutralizer brush is not touching the sector and the spark is between the brush and the sector behind it then make the brush touch the sector. If it's between the brush and the next sector then you could either trim or move the brush so it doesn't come as close to the next sector or space out the sectors more. Glad you like the vid!
Thanks! And you're welcome! It's hard to say how long since I had to video each step (set up camera, lighting, multiple takes sometimes, ...) and there was a lot of trial and error too to figure out the ways that work or best ways. The whole thing took me two weeks but now that I've done it, if I just follow the video, I'd estimate 6 to 8 hours.
I haven't touched it in a while, it turned out to be such a massive job given that I'm trying to do it on the same scale as my How a Crystal Radio Works video. But enough of you have been asking, so I'll get back to doing it a little at a time. I don't have a "when" yet though.
Thank! Based on the spark length and the shape of the two blunt wire ends on either end of the spark gap, I estimate roughly 12,000 volts with the capacitor. I haven't tried without the capacitor and right now I can't get any sparks since the humidity here is very high. I just put on the air conditioner so maybe I can try without the capacitor later in the week. With round balls for the spark gap I could get higher voltage for the same effort.
I've owned a Wimshurst purchased from a scientific catalog for over 10 years (with much enjoyment of it) and have had plans to build my own model one day but have always read that the sectors needed to be made from "tin" and could never find anyone to answer whether it mattered if sectors were made from aluminum instead, and never bothered to make any of my own lacking that single detail, since I've been fairly unable to find specifically tin.. but you've answered this question quite nicely.. I have access to large pieces of plastic that would do quite nicely for a large version =) Thanks for answering my question!
I'm glad I could help. The sectors can actually be made of any metal, copper another one that would be easy to find and work with. The important thing is that the brushes be able to make electrical contact with the sectors, so as long as they're uncoated metal you should be good. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions, and have fun with making it.
The one in this video isn't dangerous. The voltage can be high but the current is tiny. The ones with larger disks that you see in some of my other videos, around 1 foot diameter, can produce sparks that hurt, but they don't cause damage. Larger ones can burn skin. In all cases, if someone has a heart condition then it's best to keep them away from sparks. (Sorry for the delayed answer. Somehow your comment got marked as spam so I didn't get notified.)
1/2 in is much too wide a gap. It's really the distance between the sectors on two disks facing each other that matter. The CD's are just electrical insulation and a support mechanism for the sectors. With my 1 foot diameter Wimshurst the distance between sectors when they face each other is around 5/16" to 3/8". But with this CD machine the sectors are smaller and the outer disk edges turn slower, so to get timely charging, even closer than that would be preferred.
+Bhargav bv The voltage it produces depends on how wide the spark gap is. In this video, a very rough estimate would be that I'm getting around 5kV. A bigger Wimshurst machine can produce much higher voltages. It's hard to say if a Van de Graaff is better. I think a Van de Graaff can give a higher constant current, if you're using it to feed something else, though that depends on things like what materials you use for the rollers and belts, how wide your belt it, how fast it's turning and how big diameter the dome is. A Van de Graaff is affected more by high humidity. PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings. - go to your Google+ page, - in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon, - in the popup that appears, click on "Settings". - for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".
Very professional instructional video. I'm more amazed by the quality of the video than the subject of the video. Although is a fun thing to do with the kids on a rainy day.
LOL! I watched that bit again after reading your comment and had a huge laugh. Thanks! Yup, you didn't even notice when I snuck into your house and took it!
you are a very hard working man. this is awesome ! very educational for school kids as well, it should be shown for students at schools. i wish i could do my DIYs like yours, fast and accurate :)
Holy #$% Batman! I think it was running in reverse! I'm pretty sure since I just caught myself doing it again, and on film. :D I really must remember to put it back on forward after reversing it! Egg on face. :) Coincidentally, it's going to be in my next video that shows making a bigger Wimshurst machine in a few weeks. I'll have to remember to bring it up in the video (dos and don'ts.) Thanks for not being too shy to mention when I do something stupid, seriously.
i never get tired of watching this project..great job, Mr Wimshurst must have been a genius to make this machine over 130yrs ago...i wonder what happens if this ran at about 2000rpm..yum yum, great video great teacher, it motivates and brings the Tesla out of me
How close together are your sectors? I deliberately kept min far apart because charge can leak from one sector to the next at certain places in the rotation. I'm not sure how much the sharp corners would matter since the sectors themselves are thin along their edges. There can be a lot of adjusting like I talked about near the end of the video to get it going. How sharp are the two ends at your spark gap. The rounder there the better it'll work.
The faster the disks rotate, the more charge you'll build up, and the more of it that will get to the capacitor and spark gap before being lost. So if you can only rotate it slowly, then you might have to crank a long time or it may never spark at all. Are you able to turn it as fast as I do in the video? Oh, another possibility is humidity.The drier the air the better, though I got sparks yesterday with 60% relative humidity (30 - 40 is normal.) No problem re the questions. I'm happy to help.
They're really difficult to compare based just on physical size since even within that there are many variables but my understanding is that typical Wimshurst machine output current is low double digits microamps whereas Van de Graaff is single digit microamps at equivalent voltages.
+Frederick Vella It's hard to help someone with this one without seeing it. For starters I suggested going carefully through the Adjusting section near the end of the video at 9:46. You can send photos to my email address which you can find at the bottom of all of my webpages on rimstar.org. The less sharp the those ends at the spark gap are the better it'll work. Some round metal balls for the spark gap or the round ends of some bolts will work better. PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings. - go to your Google+ page, - in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon, - in the popup that appears, click on "Settings". - for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".
Actually, I should say 6-8 hours if you frequently build things so you can work quickly and have all tools and materials on hand. Maybe double that otherwise since there'd be some learning and mistakes involved and finding stuff. Give yourself a few days as you do it piece by piece and gather stuff. Small metal spheres would actually be better than what I used. I tried to stick with things that people would be more likely to have already. Have fun, and let us know how it goes!
Sir, you make this look so easy. If I can get mine to work, I don't have to take my exam. Wish me luck. I'll make sure to make a reference to this video in my report. Thanks for the tips.
The thickness of my disks also adds up to about 3 - 4mm, usually 4mm. A slight wobble won't matter either unless it's causing the neutralizer brushes to not be touching the sectors, or to make the collectors touch the sectors. Do get any results with the triboelectric charging I demonstrate at 11:44 in the video? Cut a thin strip of toilet paper and hang it with the tip near the sectors at the top. The tip should tend to attract. It should attract more near one plate of the capacitor.
+Bhargav bv Cardboard discs should work but make sure they don't get wet since that will make them electrically conductive. They may even get wet enough in a room with high humidity. You could try covering the cardboard with tape to help with the wetness problem. Let me know how it goes. PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings. - go to your Google+ page, - in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon, - in the popup that appears, click on "Settings". - for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".
Yup, the problem is definitely with the disk not getting charged. I tried the test but its not getting attracted to the sectors at all. So, I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done and hopefully it works! Thanks!
Well it doesnt rotate AS fast as yours (cause the disk pulley was slightly bigger than it should be), but its not very slow either. The humidity can't be the case because the AC is always ON here. I think I'll make some more adjustments like a smaller disk pulley and so on. I'll just have to keep trying till it works. And thanks! I really appreciate it.
As in We need more capacitors, Captain! :D More capacitors would take more time to fill before enough voltage builds up for a spark to occur. I didn't want to wait :). The spark would be thicker though.
I have a slight correction: the thickness is actually 5mm. I only realised it after checking again.And yes I did try the triboelectric effect but nothing happened. The last thing left to alter/correct on my machine is the shape of the sector. It has sharp edges instead of smooth ones like yours & I recently saw tht sharp edges can cause corona discharge. I'm thinking tht it could be one of the reasons that the machine isn't working? Anyways thanks a lot for the tip, i'll definitely be using it.
Hi again! I know it's been a long time but I have finally finished building the machine. Unfortunately it is not working. I'm not sure why because all of the parts are working perfectly. I wonder if it is due to a small gap of about 2mm between the disks, and with the thickness of the disks themselves it would add up to about 3 - 4mm. The disks also wobble slightly when rotated. Also wanted to know if there's any way to check if the machine is getting charged? Thankyou so much for all your help!
Hey man, I just had an idea and wondered if you had any insight to provide me on it. What if we used an odd number of sectors and had the neutralizers touch one sector on one end and the TWO opposite? What do you think'll happen?
Thanks. I have a problem with that hack saw. If I use more of the blade closer to the handle then the cut is crooked. There seems to be a twist in the blade. Or maybe it's just me :).
Hi there! Thanks for that and yes we did have fun! So, we started the construction and have almost completed all of the parts and the assembling. We encountered a problem with the connections. Could you please explain to me how the collectors, capacitors and spark gap is connected? That would be really helpful. Thanks again for all your help!
Certainly not the one in this video. I'm no electrolysis expert and there seem to be a number of different ways of doing it (DC, pulsed DC) but the current is very small with a Wimshurst machine. The only reason you get a big spark is because you've built up charge over time in capacitors and then release it all at once. With electrolysis you keep the current flowing at all times, so it's like a short circuit with high resistance. So I don't think it's well suited for electrolysis.
How close do the CDs have to be when they are spinning. My lower drive pullies are forcing me to put a 1/2 in gap between the CDs and im wondering if they NEED to be closer
i got a bigger wimshurst machine and there are sparkst occuring at the neutralizer-brushes. do you have a clue what the reason could be and how i could fix it? nice vid btw :)
I think it must be a litle dificulty to replace each end of the neutralizers by a rolling ball who can spin freely and electricly connected on the other end, the thing of that is for to have lesser frictions. It is a very good machin so.
Thanks. And I agree, what you suggest it difficult. I've tried making electrically conductive bearings like that before and it is difficult to do. You also have to make sure you have good physical contact all the time, so you'd need some spring mechanism to push the ball against the disk. I've never seen a Wimshurst machine with disks that don't wobble. However, there's a third possibility. Some people have made Wimshurst machines where the neutralizers don't touch the sectors at all.
I have a Wimshurst I bought eons ago, but the foil pieces have lost their adhesive over the years and have fallen off. I have been wanting to replace them, but have never found an answer about whether I needed actual TIN or if aluminum foil would do just fine.. I am guessing aluminum will work, since it's what you're using here =)
Alright so i built everything, but the thing is, no spark is happening. I see discharge at the neutralizer bars, but from touching the electrodes on the spark gap it seems its not charged at all. Could it be the collectors? I filed down a thick copper wire as a collector. Its sharp enough to cut my skin, and its 5mm from the disks. Nevermind I mounted the neutralizers 90 degrees off...
The neutralizing bar can be a metal stick, mine is, though it's bent to shape. And yes, it connects the plate on the disk. The collector can be a metal comb but the ends facing the disk need to be sharp points. However, as I showed in the video, I started out with many sharp points facing the disk and ended up trimming that down to one sharp point. That's probably because with this small machine there wasn't enough charge on the segments to create a ionized path through the air to many sharp points. So if you start with a comb with many sharp points, you may find you'll end up cutting off all the points except one to get it working.
No, it's a high voltage output, thousands of volts. However, I once saw a person put an LED in series with a neutralizer bar and it worked. That means either breaking apart the neutralizer bar in the middle and putting it there (trying both directions since the LED works in one direction only) or putting it where the brush connects to the neutralizer bar, which is easier. However, that was done with a Wimshurst machine with a bigger disk, around 1 foot/30cm in diameter, so there was more current available. I don't know if it would work with this smaller one.
Yes, you can try having the bar contacting the plates directly. It probably won't work out though, since your disks will probably wobble at least a little and so they won't always make contact, probably even not often. They're more likely just to tap the disk every now and then. And yes, the plates can be aluminum tape. That's what I used.
God Was Bored Yes, the axles for the CD's can be made of metal. But... the neutralizing bars are supposed to stay electrically isolated from each other so they must not come in contact with that metal axle. The axle for my commercially made Wimshurst machine is metal and you can see it in the fourth photo from the bottom here rimstar.org/equip/wimshurst_27cm.htm (near the top of the photo.)
A compass would work fine. I chose not to use a compass for two reasons. One is that the precise dimensions weren't important. The other is that many people don't have one and since the dimensions weren't that critical, I figured it'd be easier to go with things people could find around the house.
Hola amigo, muy interesante el video, tengo algunas preguntas, espero puedas responderme, queria saber que tipo de pegamento es el que aparece en el minuto 0:42? , también queria saber que tipo de alambre utilizaste en el minuto 7:59 y que materia es lo que aparece en el minuto 8:27 de color blanco. Por ultimo, lo que usas en el minuto 9:32 al 9:34 y lo lijas es cobre? necesita alguna medida en especial o cualquier medida. Disculpa si son muchas preguntas, un saludo desde Peru.
+Rene Gonzalez Yes, they have to touch opposite sectors at the same time. That's how the charging of the sectors happens. Negatively charged electrons move from one sector to the opposite sector via the neutralizer bar, leaving one positively charged and the other negatively charged. So as long as the bar spends at least some time touching both, then you're good.
Thank you very much RimstarOrg ..it helped me a lot..your videos awesome ...almost all are diys' ..actually i had to make a project for science fair so i was confused between van de graff and wimshrust so asked ..thank you once again ..keep posting such superb videos
@@bhargavbv838 Me and my friends were thinking about making a cyclotron demo for our project, so for an electrostatic generator what will be best van de Graff or wimshurt? Can you please help me.
Can you help me with a question? I made it, a higher version but the voltage is small and I have the same current charge at the two colectors, the disk 1 is a little higher (2 mm about) than the disk 2 so the two corona of sectors are not at the same level but they are perfecty opposite, the disks also have a little oscillation: there is moments when the disks border are closer and farther so the distance between the disks oscillates between 10mm and 4mm approximately
+Alex Alex9276 The voltage with mine is small too. Do you at least get a spark? More capacitor area than the small square I use would help with the brightness of the spark, but make sure you don't have a lot of sharp edges except for the ends of the collectors facing the disk.
Yes, just make sure they make good electrical contact with the neutralizing bar and won't come loose. Soldering is a fairly reliable way of doing that so that's why I did it that way.
Wow Its fantastic and simple. But dont quite understand about the coathangars & neutralizers.I've an old Bycycle Dynamo.(Miller) used for the Head and Tail light. Can you please show me how to utilise it to charge mobile phone whenever there is a power cut.(common in India)
Swamynathan Iyer Do you mean you don't quite understand how to coathangers and neutralizers work? If so, it's to much to explain in a comment. Sorry. A Wimshurst machine isn't very efficient and would be a bad choice for charging a mobile phone. You're much better off with your bicycle dynamo or any other electromagnetic type of generator (a Wimshurst machine is an electrostatic type of generator.) Also, if you take any motor and turn the shaft manually yourself, the motor wires then output power. The motor acts as a generator. Just don't turn the shaft so fast that it produces a higher voltage and current than the motor is rated for otherwise you could damage the motor. You could also make your own generator using wire and magnets but I don't have any video about that.
+terry rehel No, this Wimshurst machine doesn't produce a useful amount of power. A larger one produces enough power to light small LEDs if you put the LEDs in the middle of the neutralizer bars. BTW Voltage isn't power - they're two different things. But I understood what you're after anyway. No usable output here.
+Karla Soto I have some of the measurements you're looking for on my webpage rimstar.org/science_electronics_projects/wimshurst_machine.htm. I'll try and fill in the rest this evening. But once you have the CDs and pulleys on their shafts, everything else can be sized roughly from there.
+Karla Soto I just noticed that I give good enough dimensions for the pulleys in the videos. They don't have to be precisely what I used. As for the wooden part of the hand crank, just make sure it won't hit the table as you turn it. If my "nail" you mean the screw I use for the handle of the crank, the size of that depends on what size tube you have for the screw to go through.
Actually, from the comments it seems a lot of students and teachers use my videos. It's very rewarding to know that. And I'd say you DIYs are very accurate, but it'd be nice to see more!
Can I connect it to tesla coil to power the tesla coil??
It worked!!! Thankyou. Just a note, the neutralizer bars had to be placed on the sector furthest away from the next collector according to what way my disk was rotating. I had them right before the collector and it didnt work. That might help another beginner like me out there
We made one with two 12" vinyl records and thread spools for the pulleys. Generated a 4" spark. Won the science fair in 1978.
berighteous
I was not even born then!.
Hell yeah my dude
Wait, what?! A 10 cm spark?! That's huge, it's about 300 kV!
Many volts make light work
Glad to hear it's progressing!
The right collector is connected to the right side of the spark gap and to one side of the capacitor (it doesn't matter which side.) The left collector is connected to the left side of the spark gap and to the other side of the capacitor.
Be sure to rewatch the Adjusting section of the video starting at 9:47 when you're ready to start producing sparks.
If you do the tissue paper test at the disk, and it doesn't show signs of being attracted to the sectors, then the problem is with the neutralizers and disks. In fact, you can remove the collectors and the disks should still charge up with the help of the neutralizer bars. You can spin the disks for a bit and then stop them while you do the tissue paper test.
Keep at it. You'll get there.
I'm glad it helps. I'm working on a How a Wimshurst Machine Works video now that should be ready sometime in the next few weeks. Hopefully that'll help too.
Thanks! Glad you liked it! Sorry for the very long delay on the explanation video. I started it and it turned out to be a massive job to do it as well as I want, multiple weeks of work, so I'm spreading it out over time. Even then, it's hard to get to. I do really want to finish it though. I really like the way it works.
Yay! Glad to hear it! I guess I should have mentioned that in my video. You probably had some charge/ions conducting through the air between the neutralizer brushes and the collectors. I saw the same thing when getting mine to work, but there were so many things to tweek it's hard to get them all in the video. At least in future I'll know to ask beginners having problems. Thanks.
Energy is abundant! The trick is getting it in a useful form.
This was the second time I've made a hand crank, the last time being many years ago. I was surprised at how well it works given how easy it is to make.
Why don't you replace hand crank with a mouse or gerbil or hamster wheel ..
Or use a tiny battery style engine to run the cranking off the energy you create ?
Thank you very much for the tutorial. I used it for my science fair project at school. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into making this video. Thank You very much.
You're very welcome. Thanks for letting me know. It's rare I hear how it worked out.
I don't really have a hobby shop. All those machines are portable and get stored when not in use. Actually, I could have used the hand saw instead of the scroll saw for cutting the wood. And if you can drill a straight hole for the shafts using a hand drill then you don't need the drill press. But those machines are lightweight, portable and relatively inexpensive.
It depends on what the sparks are occurring between. If the neutralizer brush is not touching the sector and the spark is between the brush and the sector behind it then make the brush touch the sector. If it's between the brush and the next sector then you could either trim or move the brush so it doesn't come as close to the next sector or space out the sectors more. Glad you like the vid!
I'm glad you enjoy them! Thanks!
Thanks! And you're welcome! It's hard to say how long since I had to video each step (set up camera, lighting, multiple takes sometimes, ...) and there was a lot of trial and error too to figure out the ways that work or best ways. The whole thing took me two weeks but now that I've done it, if I just follow the video, I'd estimate 6 to 8 hours.
I haven't touched it in a while, it turned out to be such a massive job given that I'm trying to do it on the same scale as my How a Crystal Radio Works video. But enough of you have been asking, so I'll get back to doing it a little at a time. I don't have a "when" yet though.
Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Good luck on your science project!
Thank! Based on the spark length and the shape of the two blunt wire ends on either end of the spark gap, I estimate roughly 12,000 volts with the capacitor. I haven't tried without the capacitor and right now I can't get any sparks since the humidity here is very high. I just put on the air conditioner so maybe I can try without the capacitor later in the week. With round balls for the spark gap I could get higher voltage for the same effort.
I've owned a Wimshurst purchased from a scientific catalog for over 10 years (with much enjoyment of it) and have had plans to build my own model one day but have always read that the sectors needed to be made from "tin" and could never find anyone to answer whether it mattered if sectors were made from aluminum instead, and never bothered to make any of my own lacking that single detail, since I've been fairly unable to find specifically tin.. but you've answered this question quite nicely.. I have access to large pieces of plastic that would do quite nicely for a large version =) Thanks for answering my question!
I'm glad I could help. The sectors can actually be made of any metal, copper another one that would be easy to find and work with. The important thing is that the brushes be able to make electrical contact with the sectors, so as long as they're uncoated metal you should be good. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions, and have fun with making it.
Thanks. It's sometimes hard to fit all the information, so I'm glad to hear it works.
Thanks. Much appreciated. Thanks for watching them.
The one in this video isn't dangerous. The voltage can be high but the current is tiny. The ones with larger disks that you see in some of my other videos, around 1 foot diameter, can produce sparks that hurt, but they don't cause damage. Larger ones can burn skin. In all cases, if someone has a heart condition then it's best to keep them away from sparks. (Sorry for the delayed answer. Somehow your comment got marked as spam so I didn't get notified.)
1/2 in is much too wide a gap. It's really the distance between the sectors on two disks facing each other that matter. The CD's are just electrical insulation and a support mechanism for the sectors. With my 1 foot diameter Wimshurst the distance between sectors when they face each other is around 5/16" to 3/8". But with this CD machine the sectors are smaller and the outer disk edges turn slower, so to get timely charging, even closer than that would be preferred.
Thanks my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
+Bhargav bv The voltage it produces depends on how wide the spark gap is. In this video, a very rough estimate would be that I'm getting around 5kV. A bigger Wimshurst machine can produce much higher voltages. It's hard to say if a Van de Graaff is better. I think a Van de Graaff can give a higher constant current, if you're using it to feed something else, though that depends on things like what materials you use for the rollers and belts, how wide your belt it, how fast it's turning and how big diameter the dome is. A Van de Graaff is affected more by high humidity.
PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings.
- go to your Google+ page,
- in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon,
- in the popup that appears, click on "Settings".
- for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".
How much amper can it produces
Good idea! I don't know if that would work though. It depends on whether the reflective material on the CDs is electrically conductive or not.
Very professional instructional video. I'm more amazed by the quality of the video than the subject of the video. Although is a fun thing to do with the kids on a rainy day.
LOL! I watched that bit again after reading your comment and had a huge laugh. Thanks! Yup, you didn't even notice when I snuck into your house and took it!
Electricity, Magnetism, Everything is Energy!
Free Energy is Abundant!
Thank You! :)
Nice! This is now my go-to suggestion when people ask me how to make a Wimshurst machine. :)
+kushagra manish Yes, absolutely you can use this for a school project! Have fun!
you are a very hard working man.
this is awesome ! very educational for school kids as well, it should be shown for students at schools. i wish i could do my DIYs like yours, fast and accurate :)
Holy #$% Batman! I think it was running in reverse! I'm pretty sure since I just caught myself doing it again, and on film. :D I really must remember to put it back on forward after reversing it! Egg on face. :) Coincidentally, it's going to be in my next video that shows making a bigger Wimshurst machine in a few weeks. I'll have to remember to bring it up in the video (dos and don'ts.) Thanks for not being too shy to mention when I do something stupid, seriously.
i never get tired of watching this project..great job, Mr Wimshurst must have been a genius to make this machine over 130yrs ago...i wonder what happens if this ran at about 2000rpm..yum yum, great video great teacher, it motivates and brings the Tesla out of me
Thanks! Glad to hear it!
These are great your movies. A lot of information in a short time
Yup. I've never had the place to for a long antenna but have always wanted to try it.
This is very very neat, great project. clear instructions
Glad you like it! And welcome aboard!
Thanks! And thanks for the feedback!
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
How close together are your sectors? I deliberately kept min far apart because charge can leak from one sector to the next at certain places in the rotation. I'm not sure how much the sharp corners would matter since the sectors themselves are thin along their edges. There can be a lot of adjusting like I talked about near the end of the video to get it going. How sharp are the two ends at your spark gap. The rounder there the better it'll work.
Thanks! And that for watching! I did start on a how a Wimshurst machine works video and got sidetracked. :) I'll get back to it.
The faster the disks rotate, the more charge you'll build up, and the more of it that will get to the capacitor and spark gap before being lost. So if you can only rotate it slowly, then you might have to crank a long time or it may never spark at all. Are you able to turn it as fast as I do in the video?
Oh, another possibility is humidity.The drier the air the better, though I got sparks yesterday with 60% relative humidity (30 - 40 is normal.)
No problem re the questions. I'm happy to help.
They're really difficult to compare based just on physical size since even within that there are many variables but my understanding is that typical Wimshurst machine output current is low double digits microamps whereas Van de Graaff is single digit microamps at equivalent voltages.
+Frederick Vella It's hard to help someone with this one without seeing it. For starters I suggested going carefully through the Adjusting section near the end of the video at 9:46. You can send photos to my email address which you can find at the bottom of all of my webpages on rimstar.org. The less sharp the those ends at the spark gap are the better it'll work. Some round metal balls for the spark gap or the round ends of some bolts will work better.
PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings.
- go to your Google+ page,
- in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon,
- in the popup that appears, click on "Settings".
- for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".
RimstarOrg Is it possible to Take this and replace the crank with a Motor? or would it then essentially become a van de graaf Hybrid?
Eidolon Yes, you can replace the crank with a motor. It'll still be a Wimshurst machine, just one that you don't have to crank by hand.
Thanks. I'll add it to the todo list. A dirod would be an interesting project. I've seen them for year but never made one.
Actually, I should say 6-8 hours if you frequently build things so you can work quickly and have all tools and materials on hand. Maybe double that otherwise since there'd be some learning and mistakes involved and finding stuff. Give yourself a few days as you do it piece by piece and gather stuff. Small metal spheres would actually be better than what I used. I tried to stick with things that people would be more likely to have already. Have fun, and let us know how it goes!
Sir, you make this look so easy. If I can get mine to work, I don't have to take my exam. Wish me luck. I'll make sure to make a reference to this video in my report. Thanks for the tips.
The thickness of my disks also adds up to about 3 - 4mm, usually 4mm. A slight wobble won't matter either unless it's causing the neutralizer brushes to not be touching the sectors, or to make the collectors touch the sectors. Do get any results with the triboelectric charging I demonstrate at 11:44 in the video? Cut a thin strip of toilet paper and hang it with the tip near the sectors at the top. The tip should tend to attract. It should attract more near one plate of the capacitor.
Thank you! You answered several questions I had and saved me 1-2 hundred dollars lol
It already does the same thing as an electric fly swatter but it's not very portable. I guess a portable more portable version could be made.
+Bhargav bv Cardboard discs should work but make sure they don't get wet since that will make them electrically conductive. They may even get wet enough in a room with high humidity. You could try covering the cardboard with tape to help with the wetness problem. Let me know how it goes.
PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings.
- go to your Google+ page,
- in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon,
- in the popup that appears, click on "Settings".
- for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".
Good work. Here is a tip, when using a hand saw try and use the whole blade (toe to heel). Still verry good engineering.
Cool. Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions. Even mine didn't work the first time around, so it can be tricky.
In your opinion which is easier to make a van de graaf generator or a wimshurst machine?
You're welcome. Let us know how it goes.
Yup, the problem is definitely with the disk not getting charged. I tried the test but its not getting attracted to the sectors at all. So, I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done and hopefully it works!
Thanks!
Well it doesnt rotate AS fast as yours (cause the disk pulley was slightly bigger than it should be), but its not very slow either. The humidity can't be the case because the AC is always ON here. I think I'll make some more adjustments like a smaller disk pulley and so on. I'll just have to keep trying till it works.
And thanks! I really appreciate it.
As in We need more capacitors, Captain! :D More capacitors would take more time to fill before enough voltage builds up for a spark to occur. I didn't want to wait :). The spark would be thicker though.
Thanks Tom!
I have a slight correction: the thickness is actually 5mm. I only realised it after checking again.And yes I did try the triboelectric effect but nothing happened. The last thing left to alter/correct on my machine is the shape of the sector. It has sharp edges instead of smooth ones like yours & I recently saw tht sharp edges can cause corona discharge. I'm thinking tht it could be one of the reasons that the machine isn't working?
Anyways thanks a lot for the tip, i'll definitely be using it.
Hi again! I know it's been a long time but I have finally finished building the machine. Unfortunately it is not working. I'm not sure why because all of the parts are working perfectly. I wonder if it is due to a small gap of about 2mm between the disks, and with the thickness of the disks themselves it would add up to about 3 - 4mm. The disks also wobble slightly when rotated. Also wanted to know if there's any way to check if the machine is getting charged?
Thankyou so much for all your help!
Hey man, I just had an idea and wondered if you had any insight to provide me on it. What if we used an odd number of sectors and had the neutralizers touch one sector on one end and the TWO opposite? What do you think'll happen?
Thanks. I have a problem with that hack saw. If I use more of the blade closer to the handle then the cut is crooked. There seems to be a twist in the blade. Or maybe it's just me :).
Can i use it to power a Ball cyclotron, like the one you made, please reply.
Hi there! Thanks for that and yes we did have fun!
So, we started the construction and have almost completed all of the parts and the assembling. We encountered a problem with the connections. Could you please explain to me how the collectors, capacitors and spark gap is connected? That would be really helpful.
Thanks again for all your help!
Wow! Wonderful! Please post the explanation video too..I can't wait!
hello! i like your video, im curious about the tools & materials that you use to make the machine. so, can you share it please??
Certainly not the one in this video. I'm no electrolysis expert and there seem to be a number of different ways of doing it (DC, pulsed DC) but the current is very small with a Wimshurst machine. The only reason you get a big spark is because you've built up charge over time in capacitors and then release it all at once. With electrolysis you keep the current flowing at all times, so it's like a short circuit with high resistance. So I don't think it's well suited for electrolysis.
How close do the CDs have to be when they are spinning. My lower drive pullies are forcing me to put a 1/2 in gap between the CDs and im wondering if they NEED to be closer
How much voltage will this machine produce ..is van de Graff generater better than this?
i got a bigger wimshurst machine and there are sparkst occuring at the neutralizer-brushes.
do you have a clue what the reason could be and how i could fix it? nice vid btw :)
5.04 - 5.47 this is neat. You could use this technique to make a jig for hand winding bi-filor coils...
I wish I was taught this when I was a kid. I'm gonna make this with my kids.
Sounds like you and your kids are in for some fun! Enjoy it.
Thank you for explaining the plans well . It's alot more helpful than elevator tecno music😁
Thanks! Much appreciated!
7:15 can I use glue to stick the loop of copper wire on the neutralizer
I think it must be a litle dificulty to replace each end of the neutralizers by a rolling ball who can spin freely and electricly connected on the other end, the thing of that is for to have lesser frictions.
It is a very good machin so.
Thanks. And I agree, what you suggest it difficult. I've tried making electrically conductive bearings like that before and it is difficult to do. You also have to make sure you have good physical contact all the time, so you'd need some spring mechanism to push the ball against the disk. I've never seen a Wimshurst machine with disks that don't wobble. However, there's a third possibility. Some people have made Wimshurst machines where the neutralizers don't touch the sectors at all.
Nice, is wimburst more powerful than a similar size van de graaf? I always wanted to know
Love the vids and think this is a really great channel using the Stirling engine as my science project
I have a Wimshurst I bought eons ago, but the foil pieces have lost their adhesive over the years and have fallen off. I have been wanting to replace them, but have never found an answer about whether I needed actual TIN or if aluminum foil would do just fine.. I am guessing aluminum will work, since it's what you're using here =)
I doubt that it makes any difference with regards to performance. However, the aluminum tape I used will wear our faster than solid aluminum or tin.
Alright so i built everything, but the thing is, no spark is happening. I see discharge at the neutralizer bars, but from touching the electrodes on the spark gap it seems its not charged at all. Could it be the collectors? I filed down a thick copper wire as a collector. Its sharp enough to cut my skin, and its 5mm from the disks.
Nevermind I mounted the neutralizers 90 degrees off...
Your a great teacher man! Really nice video production to buddy, thanks!
the CDs are played when turning?. Greetings from Argentina
Can the neutralizing bar be a metal stick directly connecting the plates on the disk? Can the collector be a metal comb?
The neutralizing bar can be a metal stick, mine is, though it's bent to shape. And yes, it connects the plate on the disk. The collector can be a metal comb but the ends facing the disk need to be sharp points. However, as I showed in the video, I started out with many sharp points facing the disk and ended up trimming that down to one sharp point. That's probably because with this small machine there wasn't enough charge on the segments to create a ionized path through the air to many sharp points. So if you start with a comb with many sharp points, you may find you'll end up cutting off all the points except one to get it working.
Is it possible to use a Wimshurst machine for electrolysis? I was hoping one of these could be an easy and cheap alternative to a variac.
can we light 2,3 led with it
thanks for replying
No, it's a high voltage output, thousands of volts. However, I once saw a person put an LED in series with a neutralizer bar and it worked. That means either breaking apart the neutralizer bar in the middle and putting it there (trying both directions since the LED works in one direction only) or putting it where the brush connects to the neutralizer bar, which is easier.
However, that was done with a Wimshurst machine with a bigger disk, around 1 foot/30cm in diameter, so there was more current available. I don't know if it would work with this smaller one.
I mean can I don't put brush on the neutralizing bar? But just the bar connecting the plates and can the plates be aluminium tape?
Yes, you can try having the bar contacting the plates directly. It probably won't work out though, since your disks will probably wobble at least a little and so they won't always make contact, probably even not often. They're more likely just to tap the disk every now and then. And yes, the plates can be aluminum tape. That's what I used.
do you know if the axle for the CD's can be made of metal?
My question is are the neutralizing bars supposed to stay electrically isolated?
thanks :)
God Was Bored Yes, the axles for the CD's can be made of metal. But... the neutralizing bars are supposed to stay electrically isolated from each other so they must not come in contact with that metal axle. The axle for my commercially made Wimshurst machine is metal and you can see it in the fourth photo from the bottom here rimstar.org/equip/wimshurst_27cm.htm (near the top of the photo.)
RimstarOrg Awesome, that's exactly what I was looking for in an answer :)
thanks man
I find it interesting that the compass is not mentioned in the making of the cardboard pulleys. It precedes the Masonic symbol.
A compass would work fine. I chose not to use a compass for two reasons. One is that the precise dimensions weren't important. The other is that many people don't have one and since the dimensions weren't that critical, I figured it'd be easier to go with things people could find around the house.
Hola amigo, muy interesante el video, tengo algunas preguntas, espero puedas responderme, queria saber que tipo de pegamento es el que aparece en el minuto 0:42? , también queria saber que tipo de alambre utilizaste en el minuto 7:59 y que materia es lo que aparece en el minuto 8:27 de color blanco. Por ultimo, lo que usas en el minuto 9:32 al 9:34 y lo lijas es cobre? necesita alguna medida en especial o cualquier medida. Disculpa si son muchas preguntas, un saludo desde Peru.
En el vídeo lo dice :/
Does the nuertralizer bars need the touch the sectors opposite of each other at the SAME EXACT TIME?
+Rene Gonzalez Yes, they have to touch opposite sectors at the same time. That's how the charging of the sectors happens. Negatively charged electrons move from one sector to the opposite sector via the neutralizer bar, leaving one positively charged and the other negatively charged. So as long as the bar spends at least some time touching both, then you're good.
are you touching the collector to the aluminum disk ?
No. The sharp points of the collector should be close to, but not touching the aluminum. The only thing touching the aluminum should be the brushes.
Thank you very much RimstarOrg ..it helped me a lot..your videos awesome ...almost all are diys' ..actually i had to make a project for science fair so i was confused between van de graff and wimshrust so asked ..thank you once again ..keep posting such superb videos
Nice Bhargav this is very interesting
Ya its awesome
@@bhargavbv838 Me and my friends were thinking about making a cyclotron demo for our project, so for an electrostatic generator what will be best van de Graff or wimshurt? Can you please help me.
Can you help me with a question? I made it, a higher version but the voltage is small and I have the same current charge at the two colectors, the disk 1 is a little higher (2 mm about) than the disk 2 so the two corona of sectors are not at the same level but they are perfecty opposite, the disks also have a little oscillation: there is moments when the disks border are closer and farther so the distance between the disks oscillates between 10mm and 4mm approximately
+Alex Alex9276 The voltage with mine is small too. Do you at least get a spark? More capacitor area than the small square I use would help with the brightness of the spark, but make sure you don't have a lot of sharp edges except for the ends of the collectors facing the disk.
can we stick wire on neutralizing bar instead of soldering
Yes, just make sure they make good electrical contact with the neutralizing bar and won't come loose. Soldering is a fairly reliable way of doing that so that's why I did it that way.
Wow Its fantastic and simple. But dont quite understand about the coathangars & neutralizers.I've an old Bycycle Dynamo.(Miller) used for the Head and Tail light. Can you please show me how to utilise it to charge mobile phone whenever there is a power cut.(common in India)
Swamynathan Iyer Do you mean you don't quite understand how to coathangers and neutralizers work? If so, it's to much to explain in a comment. Sorry.
A Wimshurst machine isn't very efficient and would be a bad choice for charging a mobile phone. You're much better off with your bicycle dynamo or any other electromagnetic type of generator (a Wimshurst machine is an electrostatic type of generator.) Also, if you take any motor and turn the shaft manually yourself, the motor wires then output power. The motor acts as a generator. Just don't turn the shaft so fast that it produces a higher voltage and current than the motor is rated for otherwise you could damage the motor. You could also make your own generator using wire and magnets but I don't have any video about that.
is there a way to convert the high voltage produced into usable 12 volt power.I heard that a car sparkplug plus the ignition coil could be used?
+terry rehel No, this Wimshurst machine doesn't produce a useful amount of power. A larger one produces enough power to light small LEDs if you put the LEDs in the middle of the neutralizer bars.
BTW Voltage isn't power - they're two different things. But I understood what you're after anyway. No usable output here.
Is there a better way tyen soldering
what were the mesuremnts you used for the support structure,pulleys, hand crank, and what size of nail did you use.
+Karla Soto I have some of the measurements you're looking for on my webpage rimstar.org/science_electronics_projects/wimshurst_machine.htm. I'll try and fill in the rest this evening. But once you have the CDs and pulleys on their shafts, everything else can be sized roughly from there.
+Karla Soto I just noticed that I give good enough dimensions for the pulleys in the videos. They don't have to be precisely what I used. As for the wooden part of the hand crank, just make sure it won't hit the table as you turn it. If my "nail" you mean the screw I use for the handle of the crank, the size of that depends on what size tube you have for the screw to go through.
Thank you this helps a lot !