Flyback Transformer
*DISCLAIMER* This section will teach you how to make a high voltage (>30,000 volt) power supply from parts easily available from public outlets like Radioshack. The setup as described here is a fun experiment that will let you draw arcs of electricity that can exceed an inch from nothing more than a 9-volt battery. While the device portrayed here is intended to be fairly innocuous, we advise the reader to treat it with respect. While it is true that I have personally been harmlessly shocked many times from this device, I cannot guarantee the same would be true for you. You must take responsibility for your own safety. From my perspective, I find that this is an excellent learning experiment for those wishing to get a start in understanding some basic physics, electronics and electrical phenomena. We will provide links to some of the topics necessary for the reader to understand how this device functions, however, the reader should already have at least the equivalent of the electronics knowledge offered in a general high school physics course.
High
voltage is extremely important to our everyday lives. The basis of our
power grid, television, early radio and even your car's spark plug all
require a source of high voltage. It should be noted however that this
particular device is a precursor component to several devices that are
potentially dangerous. Consider that devices like this are components
to taser guns, heart defibrillators, explosive detonators,
electromagnetic pulse generators or a personal electrical fence. We
won't elaborate on these uses to any particular length; however, if you desire to learn more you might consider reading Bob Ianii's series "Electronic Gagets for the Evil Genius;" visiting "www.powerlabs.org," "www.amazing1.com" or getting your amateur HAM radio license. If you are REALLY interested, you might also try your hand at some electrical engineering courses.
"The Flyback Transformer for Dummies -
Shock your friends and your enemies"
The project today will require that the reader be familiar with some basic concepts that may not have been covered in your basic high school physics class. While one can probably try looking these topics up on Wikipedia, if you plan to try this, you should be able to do much better for yourself. We suggest the following lesson plan.
1) Have an understanding of some of the relationships between electricity and magnetism. You should understand what we mean by "magnetic flux" or "electrical flux" at least conceptually. Become familiar with Lenz's law and appreciate that a change in magnetic flux can create a change in electric flux as well as vice-versa.
If this doesn't immediately make sense to you, then work through the following material:
A) Confidence builder (Gradeschool)
2) Ferrite core
2) Semiconductors and Transistors
1) A ferrite core: These can be salvaged from televisions, obtained from certain adapters but depending on how much control you want over the experiment, you may wish to wind your own coil!