ignition for my combustion

[spikerbond]

i am planing on making my first combustion so i was looking at the sticky in the forum about ignition sources and when i scrolled down to the neon sign transformer i realized i had my ignition source =D

[youtube][/youtube]

[kjjohn]

That would be a very sufficient ignition source, however I would advise against it. Neon sign transforms usually wear out eventually, and most, if not all of them require an AC power source, which means you would either have to bring a generator with you wherever you fired the cannon, or you would have to be near a wall outlet. Instead, I suggest an ignition coil, stun gun, or some of the commercial ignition circuits, like the ones from Sureshot.

[spikerbond]

actually this one runs off of a 12v transformer
so i could probably hook it up to a battery

[spudtyrrant]

actually this one runs off of a 12v transformer
so i could probably hook it up to a battery

even so this ignition is extremely bulky, i would go with a stungun ignition, or if you really want a spark that fat a marx generator both of which can be build much smaller and produce more than adequate sparks.

[spikerbond]

i would buy a stungun if i could but i doubt i could buy one at the age of 16...

[deathbyDWV]

I got one when I was fourteen off the Internet...

[rna_duelers]

Good old flint twister style,what I wouldn't do for one of them over here in Aus.

Reliable,cheap and easy to replace parts.All the things you want in a first launcher.

[ramses]

what are the specs on that NST?

I assume it's the high-frequency type, not one of the 50/60 hz monsters.

Do you know where your uncle got the desktop neon sign?

[spikerbond]

what are the specs on that NST?

i am not sure, it does not say

Do you know where your uncle got the desktop neon sign?

all i know is that he did not get it online, but i have seen some signs like the one i took this from online

[spikerbond]

ive decided to use this instead for my ignition. it is the circuitry out of an old flatbed scanners external light thingy (i think the light was florescent).

[youtube][/youtube]

[Gun Freak]

Haha I like how you dropped it at the end of the video
That's a very small gap... is that as big as it can get or can you unscrew the screws a bit to make the tips further? You get a bigger spark that way...

[Technician1002]

The cold cathode power supplies are relatively low voltage so the very small gap is required. They provide a strike voltage of about 1500 volts.

[mark.f]

I'm thinking power supply > rectifier diode > HV capacitor > tiny spark gap > ignition coil.

[Hotwired]

What's that little spark like for ignition anyway?

Reliable?

[ramses]

SIDACs are effectively solid-state, low voltage spark gaps.

My next plan for ignition involves pretty much exactly what you describe. I just need to figure out how to fit it into a handgun size, without using the grip/handle.