Halloween Hacks #5 - Double Helix Jacobs Ladder

This week I built a Jacob's Ladder in a double helix shape! It only takes a neon sign transformer, a block of wood, and some copper tubing.
Music Credits:
One-eyed Maestro by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.
incompetech.com....
Sound Effect Credits:
"Evil Laugh.wav" by user Luke Sharples
www.freesound.o...

[@dsflores]

A lightning bolt shape might look cool!

[@ElectronicTonic156]

Good quality construction. A few years ago, I attempted a similar concept a with a couple of wires, only about 6 inches long. This one you made operates much better.

[@RickOsgood]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying them.

[@Vydonis]

use tape on the copper and remove the tape where you want the arc to attach to each other to prevent the vertical arc forming and it will spin as intended

[@RickOsgood]

Thanks! I think you could probably come up with lots of interesting designs as long as the terminals are strong enough to stay standing. You just have to make sure the design always has the spark rising a little bit. I'm sure with some experimentation you could come up with something really cool.

[@RickOsgood]

That's a neat idea!

[@bpark10001]

I made one 6' tall with a helix. Same transformer as you used. I used 12 gauge bare copper wire. I brazed supports (wires coming out from the verticals at right angles, like a sideways "T", looped into supports). The helix has a slower twist (about 1 turn par 6" height). Along the length, I used supports made of unclad G10 circuit board The outer edges of the board are cut to just fit in 3" diameter glass tube. Spacing in the helix section is 1". There is a section that tapers down to 1/2" for the starting point, & a section at the top tapering up to 3" for the break point. The bottom taper is supported from above (at the bottom of the helix) so it can be bent for adjustment without disturbing the rest of the setup. The wires are curled back from the narrowest point to avoid sharp points attracting the arc. If you get the tube length just right (so air in it is resonant at 120 Hz) the sound is so much better! The tube is essential to protect the arc from room air currents, & supports the assembly, keeping it straight. I also tried painting the wires with different metal salts to change colors. But the salts tended to "hang" the arc.

[@gijimbo1337]

Link please! I'd love to see this as it's much closer to what I was thinking of when I searched for "double helix Jacob's ladder".

[@bpark10001]

@gijimbo1337 I have no link for this, as I made it years ago. It is exactly as I described. The arc is horizontal (as it would be in regular Jacob's ladder), but rotates about vertical axis as it rises. The key to making ANY long Jacob's ladder work properly is to have an initial tapering part to the main section where the wires are constant distance apart, then another taper where the wires spread to the "breaking" section. The other key is to have regularly-spaced supports as it is difficult to keep the helix geometry & constant spacing proper. The ladder needs to be in a tube for proper airflow & to protect it from air currents in the room. My ladder is 6 feet tall.

[@ElectronFunCom]

Another great video! I enjoy them every time. You have so many cool ideas.

[@RimstarOrg]

Cool! I was thinking of trying different designs with Jacob's ladder but since it's a hot-gasses-rises-thing and so it wouldn't go horizontal, I thought it wouldn't be interesting. Looks like I was wrong!

[@NickMoore]

Awesome, that's even cooler than my circular jacob's ladder

[@RickOsgood]

Do you have a video of your circular jacob's ladder? I'd be interested in checking it out!

[@NickMoore]

Rick Osgood 1min 10s into my Lorentx Force video you will see it watch?v=8QWB8IfNoIs It requires that you use a DC supply and a big magnet to make the arc move.

[@RickOsgood]

OK that is super cool. Thanks for sharing.

[@stingerbold9327]

Dude awesome idea. A new style jaccob ladder

[@to-tt7fc]

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

[@rsi1986]

super cool!!!

[@RickOsgood]

Thanks! The song is called One-eyed Maestro by Kevin MacLeod. He gives away a bunch of good music on his website through Creative Commons. Check out my video description for a direct link to the song!

[@elleryweber]

Just a note - make sure you don't get a solid state transformer. those won't generate the initial spark.

[@Steven.Stovall]

Yours looks cooler than mine. It's a regular Jacob's Ladder

[@oorbgsdglhuqrv2263]

So rad!

[@MrxstGrssmnstMttckstPhlNelThot]

I wanna make this... but maybe with plexiglass or plastic rather than wood. I worry about the same thing as aoeuuiaiu. (Not keen on burning my house down, ya know) I think it'd be fun to have one of these in the background of a little DIY Biology lab I'm working on.

[@TeslaExplorer]

Good going!

[@hameagranit3432]

nice job that's awesome

[@thegregofficial]

i was looking for something like this, and i found it, could you make it a bit faster tho or make 2 of them that wrap arround a tube for a futuristic railgun looking device?

[@Purple431]

Awesome :D

[@themetal40]

What do these things do.

[@turbo3089]

The higher it goes up does the voltage increase or decrease

[@superkidzach]

"ignite that wood on fire"

[@evansmiga96]

Will a 8kV transformer show similar results?

[@dantecrasher]

love this video

[@sungwoosin7399]

Where can I get the neon sign transformer?

[@Lovreli]

Sung Woo Sin at the neon sign transformer shop... Online

[@MW-lq8hr]

How badly would you get shocked if you accidentally touched the poles or the spark?

[@argonweissl600]

Matthew White very very bad, but you might survive

[@TheMartinlt1000]

you would die

[@GigaTodd]

❤❤❤❤

[@bartscrush5064]

I was wondering if there was anything better to use as a mount then wood?

[@RickOsgood]

I'm sure there is. Wood is not the best material, mostly because it is flammable and absolutely can catch on fire. You need to make sure whatever you use is not conductive. Something with a higher ignition point would likely be better. It would also help to make sure the place where the electrodes are closest together is several inches higher than the mounting point. That way the spark will always ignite far away from your mount and there will be less risk of something catching fire.

[@bartscrush5064]

Rick Osgood ok cool would nonflammable paint on the wood work good? I'm not really sure how well it works with the electrical sparks that close to it.

[@supaoranges1086]

How much did that transformer cost you?

[@LabGecko]

Where did you source the transformer from?

[@jasoncrum7450]

I built one years ago and found that it made one hell of a mousetrap (killer) I laid it parallel to the floor between my refrigerator and stove so the mouse had to pass between the electrodes. mind you It was strictly a spectator sport I never left it unattended. nevere had a mouse make it through alive.

[@mamoynas]

nice!!

[@Pirelli.]

Awesome :)

[@aaronsnoswell]

Hey! Great video - got my subscription! What's this song!?

[@ElectricUniverseEyes]

🤜🏼⚡️🤛🏻

[@ericayala4436]

How many volts does that transformer have?

[@blindpyro86]

Eric Ayala 0:25

[@warioware24]

Where can i get this transformer?

[@Scorpionbite8]

dope

[@boomsta4198]

The dislikes probably did something wrong lol. Great video

[@ivorystinkershack3422]

If.... I can make the current travel faster.... and make the electricity dangerous.... And I multiply those two factors by a HUGE number... Won't I basically end up with a plasma cutter?

[@dickesf8525]

nice idea!

[@RickOsgood]

I bought it off eBay a couple years back for a Tesla Coil project. That's a pretty good place to find these. You can also try a sign shop if you have one in your area. Also check craigslist for people trying to get rid of Neon signs.

[@Lovreli]

Thats a really cool idea!

[@svlittlegem24]

what would happen if you made the rods thicker and used more power ?. Gerard.

[@علم-ح1ح]

اين احصل علا مثل هاذه المحوله

[@eelboy]

oo.

[@gabrielghanem8253]

how

[@SuperSk8ta]

it is better to make the spacing between the two sides as even as possible so the electricity bridge goes through it smoother. notice on his that the bridge would stop in certain places.

[@diecksl]

So beautiful...

[@danharmantas9709]

great vid clear, to the point

[@0niKingu5ama]

This was very boss.

[@melplishka5978]

Well done.

[@carlosvargas2907]

Sweet