🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Jul24.134854.9052@lut.ac.uk>, A.J.Robinson@lut.ac.uk writes...
>In article <1992Jul23.214214.8574@microplex.com> hsk@microplex.com (Harjeet Kalsi) writes:
>>
>>I know I've seen them in physics labs (including mine when I was in school) 
>>but forgotten what this "box" with two antennas, that has a high
>>voltage spark travelling between the antennas from bottom to top,
>>is called.
>>
> 
>I think they're called Jacob's ladders, but I could be wrong.

Correct.  I don't know if they serve any useful function, but the easiest way
to make one is to take a pair of hack-saw blades and attach them to a HV
AC source (I think I used a 5 kV source when I built one years ago) like a 
pair of TV rabbit ears, teeth facing teeth.  A spark channel forms across a
couple of the lowest teeth of the blades and heats the air in and around the
channel, which causes it to rise up the blades until it runs off the upper tips
of the blades or some kind of plasma instability disrupts the channel.  At that
point a new channel forms near the bottom of the blades where they are closest
together. 

It produces a heck of a lot of ozone - not too good for your health. The
blades get very hot - be careful.  And you should probably make sure that
you aren't going to blow up your supply if it shorts metal-to-metal.  This
is not a trick to try with any semiconducting electronics around which can 
fry.  

-Scott

--------------------
Scott I. Chase			"The question seems to be of such a character
SICHASE@CSA2.LBL.GOV		that if I should come to life after my death
				and some mathematician were to tell me that it
				had been definitely settled, I think I would
				immediately drop dead again."      - Vandiver