Simple plasma globe

WARNING!: Working with electricity is dangerous, all information found on my site is for educational purpose and I accept no responsibility for others actions using the information found on this site.

Read this document about safety!http://www.pupman.com/safety.htm

Introduction

When I first started experimenting with high voltage, flyback drivers were among the first supplies I built. I did alot of weird experiments, but never got around to make a plasma globe since I wanted to do it with a big clear bulb.

Now I bought a big bulb, I have some better flyback drivers… 1 + 1 … it is time!

Warning: Touching the globe can give some nasty shocks as the current is much higher in a homemade globe, I only tried at very low input voltage and it was easily felt as sparks to the finger.

The experiment

1st September 2009

I bought a 125 mm diameter Paulmann globe, the biggest the store I popped into had around.

There is a few conditions that have to be met to get discharges inside the bulb.

An AC high voltage supply, old flybacks without rectifiers are perfect.
One lead is connected to both terminals of the bulb
Second lead is grounded to earth.

Then its all about getting a high enough voltage for the discharges desired.

I noticed that the gas surrounding the actual streamers was glowing green, at first I thought it was overexposure to the eyes optic nerve, but when I got a photograph of it, it got me wondering. Normal light bulbs are mostly filled with Argon and some nitrogen / krypton, but none of these gasses, pure, will emit green. So for now it must be the mix of gasses in the bulb that results in a green glow around the streamers.