Electrostatic Puck: Making An Electret

You might have heard of electrets being used in microphones, but do you know what it is? Electrets produce a semi-permanent static electric field, similar to a magnet produces a magnetic field. The…

Pushing The Plasma Limits With A Custom Flyback Transformer

For serious high-voltage plasma, you need a serious transformer. [Jay Bowles] from Plasma Channel is taking his projects to the next level, so he built a beefy 6000:1 flyback transformer. [Jay] fir…

20,000 Volt Plasma Knife Slices, Dices, And Sparks

For the most part, here at Hackaday we’re more interested in how something was made than the backstory on why an individual actually put it together. Frankly, it’s not really our busine…

Bulked Up MHD Drive Makes Waves While Standing Still

Looking back through the archives, we actually haven’t seen much in the way of homebrew magnetohydrodynamic drives (MHDs) — which is somewhat surprising, as the core concept isn’t…

A Magnetohydrodynamic Drive In The Kitchen Sink

The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) drive certainly sounds like something out of science fiction — using an array of magnets and electrodes, this high-tech propulsion technology promises to silentl…

High Voltage Ion Engines Take Trip On The High Seas

Over the last several months, we’ve been enjoying a front-row seat as [Jay Bowles] of Plasma Channel has been developing and perfecting his design for a high voltage multi-stage ionic thruste…

Upgraded Plasma Thruster Is Smaller, More Powerful

When [Jay Bowles] demoed his first-generation ion thruster on Plasma Channel, the resulting video picked up millions of views and got hobbyists and professionals alike talking. While ionic lifters …

Playing Music On A Custom Flyback Transformer

We’ve seen a number of people create plasma speakers over the years here at Hackaday, so at first blush, the latest Plasma Channel video from [Jay Bowles] might seem like more of the same. Ev…

Multi-Stage Ion Thruster Holds Exciting Promise

Anyone who’s looked into high-voltage experiments is likely familiar with ion lifters — spindly contraptions made of wire and aluminum foil that are able to float above the workbench on…

High Tech Pancake Tesla Coil Brings The Lightning

For several years now we’ve been following [Jay Bowles] as he brings high-voltage down to Earth on his Plasma Channel YouTube channel. From spark gaps made of bits of copper pipe to automotiv…

Exploring The Healing Power Of Cold Plasma

It probably won’t come as much surprise to find that a blast of hot plasma can be used to sterilize a surface. Unfortunately, said surface is likely going to look a bit worse for wear afterwa…

Drone And High Voltage Spin Up This DIY Corona Motor

The average Hackaday user could probably piece together a rough model of a simple DC motor with what they’ve got kicking around the parts bin. We imagine some of you could even get a brushles…

Lord Kelvin’s Contraption Turns Drips Into Sparks

It’s easy to think that devices which generate thousands of volts of electricity must involve relatively modern technology, but the fact is, machines capable of firing sparks through open air…

High Voltage Gives Metal Balls A Mind Of Their Own

Have you ever seen something that’s so fascinating you’re sure there has to be some kind of practical application for it, but you just can’t figure out what? That’s how we f…