Pop Sci’s Theodore Gray show you how to make your own “spark plug” –
A Spark plug is one of those humble, anonymous things without which the world would grind–or rather coast–to a halt. And like many underappreciated cogs in the machine, it has a really hard life. A good modern plug will endure 300 million sparks (around 20 per second) over 100,000 miles, each one triggering an explosion around its head as the fuel combusts, driving the engine’s pistons (and thus, your car). But the spark itself is far more destructive than the bang. Cylinders, pistons and valve heads made of steel easily withstand the explosive abuse, but spark plugs made of steel would last just about long enough to get your car to the shop to buy new spark plugs.
8 thoughts on “Spark of Destruction – Make your own sparks”
Comments are closed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Join Make: Community Today
Wow. $270. Seems a tad pricey. Hey Makers. I just bought Homemade Lighting – Creative Experiments in Electricity by R.A. Ford (3rd Edition) from Amazon.ca for $11.00. It details exactly how to make Wimhursts machines, Leyden jars, and even a Van de Graff generator. I’d rather build then buy.
Wow. 270 dollars. Seems a tad pricey. Hey Makers. I just bought Homemade Lighting Creative Experiments in Electricity by R.A. Ford 3rd Edition from Amazon.ca for $11.00. It details exactly how to make Wimhursts machines, Leyden jars, and even a Van de Graff generator. I’d rather build then buy.
double post on that sorry Phillip.
If you would prefer to build your own Wimshurst machine, check out the information on this page: http://www.coe.ufrj.br/~acmq/electrostatic.html