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Post by blowemupspudguy on May 31, 2005 14:56:48 GMT -5
i have used the capasitors out of cameras for igniting rockets and and all kinds of fireworks for a few years, and just got the idea that it would be a killer ignition system for a potato gun. they make a larger ball of sparks and a louder noise than a small firecracker when you touch the two points to metal. the problem is that the spark won't jump from one piece ov metal to another, they have to touch. does anyone know how you could make it so that the spark would jump?
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Post by spudmaster on May 31, 2005 18:41:16 GMT -5
well you have almost tapped into what ignition system i use...yes there is a very good way to use capacitors but they are complicated and after awhile short out and they also have almost no spark compared to my system. i make hybrid cannons and in order to have the spark i like i use house current :-p ok what you need to do this, 2 light switches (the rocker kind), 1 extention cord, 2 self tapping screws, and 1 old extention cord u can cut up. alright first ill show u the mighty power of my spark this way if u dont like it you can stop there and thats it, take one switch cut the new extention cord like 3 feet from the end with the prongs.wire the black wire through the switch and reconnect the white wire back with its other half. cut the female end right off the extention cord, now take the junky extention cord and cut a 6 inch piece off seperate the wires inside, ull have a white, a black and a green take the green wire and strip 4 inches off it then cut an inch off from the green side, these are important wires!! next strip the white and black wires from the other extention cord, from the side u cut off ok now take that green wire that u prepared and pull out one strand wrap it around the black and white wire on the other extention cord, make sure that the switch is off and plug in the extention cord flip the switch, blue fire is cool aint it?
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Post by spudmaster on May 31, 2005 18:48:50 GMT -5
ok now to make it work on ur gun, take the 2 self tapping screws and screw them in from opposite sides right next to the threads of ur cleanout. so u can reach these 2 screws easily. next take the wires that u made (the green one) pull another one of them off and wrap it between the screws on the inside, hook up the leads from the extention cord with the switch plug it in and flip the spark, its cool how the whole chamber turns blue aint it?
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Post by blowemupspudguy on Jun 1, 2005 10:06:34 GMT -5
that's a way i could do it if i couldn't find any other way, maybe i should just buy a stun gun.
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Lukas
Junior Spud Gunner
Posts: 64
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Post by Lukas on Jun 17, 2005 13:11:18 GMT -5
How well do stun gun ignitions work? I mean, I think they would really chew through the batteries, and that's something I wouldn't want.
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Post by turbosuper on Jun 20, 2005 17:04:48 GMT -5
You dont have to leave them on for long. One good spark will be plenty if the Fuel/Air mixture is good. My BBQ igniter makes a much smaller spark and it if it does ignite, it does so on the first or second spark.
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Post by blowemupspudguy on Jun 20, 2005 20:14:12 GMT -5
i know, i use a bbq igniter right now, i just want to know if i can make the spark jump from a capacitor because i can get those for free
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Lukas
Junior Spud Gunner
Posts: 64
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Post by Lukas on Jun 21, 2005 15:09:01 GMT -5
>a capacitor because i can get those for free Really? Cool. Where do you find them?
Here's an idea: the way the camera flash works, there is a circuit that makes a small spark that hits the main spark gap. This ionizes the air and allows the capacitor to fire, even though the cap can't normally jump the gap. So maybe you could use one of your free caps plus the little bbq ignitor. But then the bbq ignitor can be used all by itself, so forget what I just said.
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Post by blowemupspudguy on Jun 24, 2005 14:45:24 GMT -5
you can get the capicators for free from places that develop the film, just ask for their used cameras. i got em from a cvs
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Lukas
Junior Spud Gunner
Posts: 64
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Post by Lukas on Jul 1, 2005 17:47:36 GMT -5
Hey, cool, it works! W-mart and Walgreens won't give them out, but CVS did! I got like 20 of them! I'm going to make a big bank an use them to blow up small animals or something cool... like a coilgun. But I am also building an ignition system out of one.
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Post by saladtossser on Jul 1, 2005 18:02:00 GMT -5
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Lukas
Junior Spud Gunner
Posts: 64
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Post by Lukas on Jul 3, 2005 23:49:11 GMT -5
That's not quite what I did. I ended up with this fancy thing in a project box, with all kinds of switches and stuff. I have three screws going into the gun, to make the triggered spark gap. And then the stupid circuit board fries! So I am using a ghetto-style homemade transformer (alot like your ignition coil) and just switching the cap discharge into that. I need to build a heavy-duty switch to handle the arcing, and do some re-wiring.
But in the future, it will allow me to use only two wires for the igniton instead of three for the triggered gap, which ended up sucking. Another problem with it was that it was low-voltage and required fine adjustment on the screws to make it work. The transformer makes sure the spark will get across most reasonable gaps (1/4" or a little more).
Oh yeah, the transformer. I made it out of an old AC fan motor, possibly from a microwave or something. I took the rotor off, so now it's just a coil of magnet wire on ferric laminate core. Then I made two turns around it with a heavy solid copper wire. Inputting the cap flow through the heavy wire yeilds sparks from the original wires.
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Post by blowemupspudguy on Jul 6, 2005 12:16:33 GMT -5
nice, im gonna try it
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Lukas
Junior Spud Gunner
Posts: 64
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Post by Lukas on Jul 6, 2005 21:48:18 GMT -5
Thanks! I'd be delighted, especially if it works. One problem you may run into is with the little switch that turns the camera on: on the newer ones, it's just a little flat thing on the circuit board, and it may be hard to mount the board so that you can push the switch. I used an older circuit and it had a nice switch. Another problem may be that on some designs, the flash automatically recharges as long as the batteries are in. This all may require you to cut the little switch out and solder wires in for a new one, which could be tricky.
Anyway, just wanted to make that clarification. Hope it works out.
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Post by sgort87 on Jul 13, 2005 2:15:13 GMT -5
Theres no use mounting huge starters and junk to your gun. And theres no practicality in wiring up extension cords. I'm sure the nice big blue spark is cool, but 1. you wont see it when firing, and 2. why in the world would you want to be limited to an extension cord? Trust me folks. Go buy yourself a tried and true stun gun. They do the job, they are small, safe (as long as you aren't being an idiot), lightweight, run on easily replaceable 9 volt batteries which do last quite some time, inexpensive (ebay for $10+$10 shipping) and best of all, you can walk any distance with em without needing to add another extension cord. Yes capacitors can work but they are not at all practical. They cannot create a big enough spark without going and finding something like a 2 kilo farad capacitor. (which are HUGE)
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