Latest:
Flower Pot Furnace
Data Logger
DRSSTC Driver with PLL
Projects:
Flower Pot FurnaceUse barbecue charcoal to melt aluminium and pour it into moulds. A weekend is enough to put this furnace together, and the cost is next to nothing. For maximum enjoyment, wait for good weather.
Data LoggerThis project is designed to take voltage measurements at regular intervals and send the numbers to a computer via the USB port. It is based on the ATMega8 microcontroller, and contains very few other components, since the USB protocol and the analogue to digital conversion are both handled by the microcontroller.
Here are a list of features which are currently implemented:
-Selectable sampling interval (0.01s to 5s)
-10 bit voltage measurements (accuracy of 1 in 1024)
-Saving data to a csv file
-Running in the taskbar
-64 sample FIFO buffer in the device, to increase reliability
The firmware, schematic, and control software are all contained in the file "DataLogger-0.1.zip".
DRSSTC Driver with PLLThis circuit has been used to power a 15cm dual resonant solid state Tesla coil (DRSSTC) and produce sparks up to 26cm long. The cost of parts is about £30, and it can be assembled within a day. Features include a phase locked loop (PLL) for automatic fine tuning, overcurrent detection (OCD), thermal cut-out and burst mode.
Blogs:
Glass Blowing by Oliver Snowdon
Preview:
Welcome to my glass blowing site. Here I'll show you some of the things I've made out of glass, and explain the techniques involved in making them. This type of glass blowing uses glass tube as the raw material, and it is a lot easier than starting out with a molten blob on the end of a blowpipe...
Preview:
Welcome to my glass blowing site. Here I'll show you some of the things I've made out of glass, and explain the techniques involved in making them. This type of glass blowing uses glass tube as the raw material, and it is a lot easier than starting out with a molten blob on the end of a blowpipe...
Homemade Thermionic Valves by Oliver Snowdon
Preview:
With a vacuum pump, some dumet wire and basic glass blowing stuff, I've found that it's entirely possible to make thermionic valves at home. The first time I saw one of my homemade thermionic devices working was when I bodged together a diode valve from some resistance wire, some copper foil and a mixture of barium and strontium carbonates, all housed in a test-tube...
Preview:
With a vacuum pump, some dumet wire and basic glass blowing stuff, I've found that it's entirely possible to make thermionic valves at home. The first time I saw one of my homemade thermionic devices working was when I bodged together a diode valve from some resistance wire, some copper foil and a mixture of barium and strontium carbonates, all housed in a test-tube...
Wimshurst Machine by Oliver Snowdon
Preview:
The Wimshurst Machine produces a very high voltage at a very low current, commonly referred to as static electricity. Because it is an influence machine, it does not rely on materials rubbing together to create static electricity...
Preview:
The Wimshurst Machine produces a very high voltage at a very low current, commonly referred to as static electricity. Because it is an influence machine, it does not rely on materials rubbing together to create static electricity...
The Self-charging Capacitor by Oliver Snowdon
Preview:
I have observed several situations where this phenomenon arises - a capacitor which spontaneously builds up a charge after being short circuited. Some of the experiments to observe this effect are remarkably simple, and can be done with little more than kitchen utensils...
Preview:
I have observed several situations where this phenomenon arises - a capacitor which spontaneously builds up a charge after being short circuited. Some of the experiments to observe this effect are remarkably simple, and can be done with little more than kitchen utensils...
Dual Resonant Solid State Tesla Coil (DRSSTC) by Oliver Snowdon
Preview:
Introduction
In the animal kingdom of high voltage electrical devices, the dual resonant solid state Tesla coil (DRSSTC) holds a very special place - using high current transistors it can produce a display of lightning to rival a spark gap Tesla coil, but at the same time the solid state electronics can be carefully controlled to make the sparks behave in many different ways...
Preview:
Introduction
In the animal kingdom of high voltage electrical devices, the dual resonant solid state Tesla coil (DRSSTC) holds a very special place - using high current transistors it can produce a display of lightning to rival a spark gap Tesla coil, but at the same time the solid state electronics can be carefully controlled to make the sparks behave in many different ways...