So the other day me and my brother were talking about energy swords and what would be the best way to make them. We came up with this crazy idea looking at my storm ball... What if you could create a hallow clear plastic replica of an energy sword and put the guts of a storm ball into the handle. It would create the coolest effect but there are special gases involved so it would be extremely hard to build. What do you guys think?
So I've got this idea that would be amazing but its slightly impossible
- Thread starter aktaylorh
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That wouldn't do much, because the bulb of such a plasma ball is made from vacuum metallised glass (I had to look the metal part up, does that make any sense?).
So even if you put the other components into the handle (which, I might add, is a significant risk because of the high voltages these things need), they wouldn't do much. You'd need that same metallization on the inside of your blades (plastic is probably not the best material for those then) and an electrode exactly in the center of each blade that runs all the way to the tip.
See i thought the same thing about the plastic idea and the high voltage but i found a mini USB storm ball that has a plastic sphere.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsunder20/964e/
What I really got the idea from was this.
with this style of lamp the "plasma" goes all the way up to the tip.
Soo the really hard part would be getting the Argon gas along with other gases into the plastic sword, but there might be a company out there that could do it for you. Not saying it would be cheap. but it seems possible.
Hugh Holder
Well-Known Member
You really are doing your homework. Great job, because I was also under the impression that you would need to use glass.
This is a good idea, it seems possible. But it could only be done by a professional experienced in making these sorts of things. Good luck, it looks like you are on the right path to something awesome.
FrostyTheSnowMan
Jr Member
argon gas is used for mig welding to shield the molten metal from oxygen to stop it oxidising as you weld. it cant be too hard to get a hold of some if you know the right people
Mh, interesting. I think I need one of those balls, they're really cheap
Do you have any more info on the twisted thingys in the second image? I've never seen anything like them. Not with plasma, at least.
But back to topic: I still don't believe that this is just a plain plastic ball. Plastic doesn't conduct electricity, so there has to be some sort of conductive coating on it. Getting that on would be the hard part, I suppose. Getting the argon into the blade is fairly easy actually: Argon has a higher density than air, so you can just fill it in like water. You would need some kind of temporary container though, to make sure you don't spill it over while sealing it. The principle is like pushing an empty bottle into a bucket of water, waiting till it's full and then closing it up while still in the water.
Hugh Holder
Well-Known Member
Actually, making plastic conductive isn't as hard as you think. You can do it yourself, for a price that is. There are kits that you can use to make plastic parts conductive in your own garage, but typically you do this so you can simulate a metal plate look without the super expensive chambers and such. The materials come in powder form, and you use separate wash stations. You end up with waste though that MUST be handled by someone licensed to dispose of it, you can't dump this stuff down the drain.
Now, I am not sure if this is relevant to what you are trying to do. But it could be a good lead for some research. Do a search for do it yourself metal plating kits.
My question is how well it would work on transparent or thin plastic?
lordzoabar
Active Member
Ok, 2 things.
1st. Gonna start off by saying that I think this is an awesome idea!!! in theory... your logic is good, and in all practicality it WOULD work. (I had one a few years back and kept trying to come up with ways to use it to power a plasma gun... compared to this, your's would be more likely to succeed.)
2. This is where I bring the bad news. There are A LOT of things I'm not sure you have considered yet. My main concern is, how are you going to power it? the typical plasma globe needs 2-5 kV of AC current in order for it to work. Even if you were to use the guts from the original ball and knew how to wire the sword so you don't fry yourself, it will be very heavy, unbalanced, and at worst, very limited in usage. (As you could only use it next to a wall socket.)
Like I said, I love the idea, but make sure you do ALL your homework on this so you don't accidentally kill yourself.
1st. Gonna start off by saying that I think this is an awesome idea!!! in theory... your logic is good, and in all practicality it WOULD work. (I had one a few years back and kept trying to come up with ways to use it to power a plasma gun... compared to this, your's would be more likely to succeed.)
2. This is where I bring the bad news. There are A LOT of things I'm not sure you have considered yet. My main concern is, how are you going to power it? the typical plasma globe needs 2-5 kV of AC current in order for it to work. Even if you were to use the guts from the original ball and knew how to wire the sword so you don't fry yourself, it will be very heavy, unbalanced, and at worst, very limited in usage. (As you could only use it next to a wall socket.)
Like I said, I love the idea, but make sure you do ALL your homework on this so you don't accidentally kill yourself.
Hugh Holder
Well-Known Member
lordzoabar makes a good point on the power issue.
But, even if he was limited to using it near a wall socket it would still be an amazing looking display piece
...unless he pulled off some Whiplash kind of miracle lol
But, even if he was limited to using it near a wall socket it would still be an amazing looking display piece
...unless he pulled off some Whiplash kind of miracle lol
lordzoabar
Active Member
But, even if he was limited to using it near a wall socket it would still be an amazing looking display piece
lol, TRUST me, I am by NO means saying it wouldn't be! I would be insanely jealous if he were able to pull off something like this, I mean, by all respects, it would be a "real, working plasma sword"!
I AM saying though not to take electronics lightly, I admit, I've done my share of blind electrical "playing" (who on here hasn't?
) and I've been shocked enough times to know it isn't fun and now I do my homework before taking anything apart...The ball he linked is powered via an USB-port. These things don't even provide enough power for a decent keyboard light
You're right, plasma balls need high voltages and AC, but you can easily transform DC into AC and raise the voltage in return for a lower current (after all, wall sockets usually don't provide 2-5 kV either). A battery can certainly power that thing thing for a while (I'm thinking rechargeable Li-Ion, not supercheap alkaline). If you use the original ball, all you have to do is build in a power regulator (available as an integrated circuit) that gives you a constand 5V (or whatever USB has) out of your battery and you are done.
lordzoabar
Active Member
Please... everyone knows that will never work... I mean, Palladium as a self fusing energy source? Give me 4 ounces of good ol' plutonium and I'll have you a nuclear reactor you can strap to your chest.
lordzoabar
Active Member
That is a good point, but now by removing the simplicity of an (fairly) straight through wall-transformer-sword circuit, You've now got the complexity of adding in the Li-ion pack, a charging port, voltage inverter, larger/heavier transformer (not sure on that part... does the transformer get bigger the more voltage it has to transform? I took apart a microwave oven once and the transformer alone was like 8 pounds of pure iron.), the groundings so nothing shorts out, the heat-sinks so the batteries don't blow-up on you, and finally the circuitry to connect all that electrical goodness... PLUS the space to PUT all that stuff in the first place! :confused
The battery pack is hardly a complex thing. Use a popular form factor (AA?) and make it removeable, that way you can simply recharge them in your charger at home. And you can carry spare batterys for quick replacement.
Aside from that voltage regulator I mentioned, you really don't need any other electronics. All that stuff you mentioned is either unneccessary or already built into the ball he linked, because that ball already runs with 5V DC from a USB port. (Reminder: Even powered USB doesn't provide more than 500 mA, so we aren't torturing the batteries too much).
Space may indeed be the biggest limitation here.
lordzoabar
Active Member
AHHH!!! your right your right! I was thinking of laptop Li-ion packs! I have a tendency to over-think some things. lol
Mh, interesting. I think I need one of those balls, they're really cheap
Do you have any more info on the twisted thingys in the second image? I've never seen anything like them. Not with plasma, at least.
I dont know a lot about them but i do have one. It seems to work a lot like a plasma ball exept there is no ball inside the glass. The plasma comes from the bottom of the glass bulb. I really interesting thing is that the bulb can be removed and replaced. Heres a pic to explain it better.
Sooo if one was to put the same kind of end on the bottom of each side of the sword, you hook them to the handle via the socket. Im very close to hacking it open and seeing what makes it tick. I found out that the gasses used in a plasma ball are Argon, nitrogen, and krypton. There are a few people have made online. I need to also figure out how the different colors are produced.
thatdecade
Well-Known Member
I'm hearing a lot of ideas thrown around, but no solid research or references. If you are serious, you should check out the links below.
Gameplan and Overview
http://www.ehow.com/way_5329962_diy-plasma-ball.html
References
http://www.rmcybernetics.com/projects/DIY_Devices/homemade_plasma_globe.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/80s/sixmhz/globe.html
http://old.4hv.org/index.php?board=18;action=display;threadid=1723
http://web.archive.org/web/20071203054903/http://www.geocities.com/delacroix101/construction.html
Executive Summary
To create a plasma ball in the shape of an energy sword you will need glass forming skills. The container must be strong enough to hold a vacuum (air is removed) before the noble gas can be add in. You could use plastic, but you wouldn't get the cool surface effects that glass will produce.
The electronics side is tricky and (like previous suggested) it would best to get a commercial product then remove the circuit and attach to a new bulb. Size matters, the circuit must be powerful enough to run the whole sword, not just near the handle.
Gameplan and Overview
http://www.ehow.com/way_5329962_diy-plasma-ball.html
References
http://www.rmcybernetics.com/projects/DIY_Devices/homemade_plasma_globe.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/80s/sixmhz/globe.html
http://old.4hv.org/index.php?board=18;action=display;threadid=1723
http://web.archive.org/web/20071203054903/http://www.geocities.com/delacroix101/construction.html
Executive Summary
To create a plasma ball in the shape of an energy sword you will need glass forming skills. The container must be strong enough to hold a vacuum (air is removed) before the noble gas can be add in. You could use plastic, but you wouldn't get the cool surface effects that glass will produce.
The electronics side is tricky and (like previous suggested) it would best to get a commercial product then remove the circuit and attach to a new bulb. Size matters, the circuit must be powerful enough to run the whole sword, not just near the handle.
Thanks for the helpful information. You said that if i were to use plastic it wouldnt have the cool surface effects. What if I used something like clear acrylic? My step dad works with plastic for a living so im trying to use that to my advantage.
Just found this website that shows what gases make what colors. Looks like either pure krypton or krypton and argon to get the right color.
http://bogard.110mb.com/Plasmaglobecolors.htm
Also in one of the pictures it looks like he used a clear plastic juice container which gives me hope for the plastic idea
http://bogard.110mb.com/Plasmaglobecolors.htm
Also in one of the pictures it looks like he used a clear plastic juice container which gives me hope for the plastic idea
Sorry for triple posting but i keep getting new info. So after looking over my lamp closer i started wondering how there were 3 distinct color differences inside it. After looking at it for a few seconds closely i realized that the inside of the glass was coated with something that changes the color of the plasma depending on where is on the glass. Soo now thats something else i gatta figure out.
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