Introduction: Amazing Plasma Globe Tricks That You Never Knew Before!!!
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On this instructable, I will show you what thing can react to the plasma globe.
I find just looking and touching a plasma globe kinda boring, I wanted to do something more fun with the plasma globe.
Some times later, I saw a short video on You Tube about a florescent tube lighting up when placed near the plasma globe, I was surprised that the florescent tube glows near the plasma globe without any physical electric contact!
So I started experimenting with my plasma globe with gas discharge tubes and some solid-state things. And it is amazing how some things reacted to the electric fields that is created by the plasma globe.
Please note that I am only 15 years old and I am not very good at grammar so if you find some parts of the instructable confusing, please let me know and I will try fix it.
I find just looking and touching a plasma globe kinda boring, I wanted to do something more fun with the plasma globe.
Some times later, I saw a short video on You Tube about a florescent tube lighting up when placed near the plasma globe, I was surprised that the florescent tube glows near the plasma globe without any physical electric contact!
So I started experimenting with my plasma globe with gas discharge tubes and some solid-state things. And it is amazing how some things reacted to the electric fields that is created by the plasma globe.
Please note that I am only 15 years old and I am not very good at grammar so if you find some parts of the instructable confusing, please let me know and I will try fix it.
Step 1: Get the Things!!
The thing you must have is the plasma globe itself, you can use any plasma globe you have - from little tiny USB plasma globe all the way to the gigantic laboratory plasma globe, the plasma globe I used is called "Plasma 360".
Also you need some more things if you want more fun out of your plasma globe...
Get some of those thing you have around your house! I am very sure you have one of any of those things in your house!
- florescent tube (any size will do)
- Energy saver lamp (compact fluorescent bulb) (any type will do)
- Cold cathode tube (any color and type will do)
- Xenon tube (you can find one inside a disposable flash camera)
- neon bulb (I used some tiny ones)
- LED's (use cheap junk LED's, you will find out later in this instructable)
- LCD screen (I used one from broken electronics)
You could also try experiment using other things like...
- Neon sign
And some more things...
- Aluminum foil
- A big nail
- A long piece of wire
- any thing that is paper (like paper towel, tissue, wrapping paper and so on...)
OK, before we move on, please note that I an NOT responsible for any damage you have done to your things with your plasma globe and also plasma globes are high voltage devices so I am NOT responsible if you harm your self in any way from the plasma globe. And one more thing, be reasonable and have fun!!
Also you need some more things if you want more fun out of your plasma globe...
Get some of those thing you have around your house! I am very sure you have one of any of those things in your house!
- florescent tube (any size will do)
- Energy saver lamp (compact fluorescent bulb) (any type will do)
- Cold cathode tube (any color and type will do)
- Xenon tube (you can find one inside a disposable flash camera)
- neon bulb (I used some tiny ones)
- LED's (use cheap junk LED's, you will find out later in this instructable)
- LCD screen (I used one from broken electronics)
You could also try experiment using other things like...
- Neon sign
And some more things...
- Aluminum foil
- A big nail
- A long piece of wire
- any thing that is paper (like paper towel, tissue, wrapping paper and so on...)
OK, before we move on, please note that I an NOT responsible for any damage you have done to your things with your plasma globe and also plasma globes are high voltage devices so I am NOT responsible if you harm your self in any way from the plasma globe. And one more thing, be reasonable and have fun!!
Step 2: Gas Discharge Tube Fun
Once you got some gas discharge tubes, flick the switch "ON" on the plasma globe and place a tube near the plasma globe and sit back and enjoy the fascinating glows from the tubes... Pretty cool eh?
- The florescent tube does not glow so brightly but surprising enough that it glows without any physical electric contract! Energy saver lamps (compact fluorescent bulb)will do same thing what florescent tube does. Please beware that some types of energy saver's ballast will "die" after being exposed the electric fields from the plasma globe, so maybe use a "dead" energy saver lamp if you don't want to risk killing your good one.
- Any neon bulbs should have an orange glow, you could try put your neon sign near the plasma globe and see what happens...
- The xenon tubes should have an eerie blue glow.
- The cold cathode I have glows brightly, brighter than the white florescent tubes.
- The florescent tube does not glow so brightly but surprising enough that it glows without any physical electric contract! Energy saver lamps (compact fluorescent bulb)will do same thing what florescent tube does. Please beware that some types of energy saver's ballast will "die" after being exposed the electric fields from the plasma globe, so maybe use a "dead" energy saver lamp if you don't want to risk killing your good one.
- Any neon bulbs should have an orange glow, you could try put your neon sign near the plasma globe and see what happens...
- The xenon tubes should have an eerie blue glow.
- The cold cathode I have glows brightly, brighter than the white florescent tubes.
Step 3: Solid-state Things Fun
Now try putting some solid-state things near the plasma globe and see what happens...
- The LED's may or may not glow and use cheap LED's because the LED's may die after being with the plasma globe. I had already lost two white LED's that cost me $3.00 each, so be careful on what LED's you use.
- The LCD screen should show digits or something. Now take the LCD screen far away from the plasma globe and notice what happened to the LCD screen? The LCD screen still shows digits! And the digits on the LCD screen will soon disappear...
- The LED's may or may not glow and use cheap LED's because the LED's may die after being with the plasma globe. I had already lost two white LED's that cost me $3.00 each, so be careful on what LED's you use.
- The LCD screen should show digits or something. Now take the LCD screen far away from the plasma globe and notice what happened to the LCD screen? The LCD screen still shows digits! And the digits on the LCD screen will soon disappear...
Step 4: Dangerous Fun!!!
Now this is a dangerous fun part!
Turn off your plasma globe and cover your plasma globe with aluminum foil and turn the plasma globe on again...
Now you need a wire that is connected to the earth ground. Get an big nail (I used a glow plug) and wrap some wire around the nail. Then stick the nail with wire wrapped on it in the soil outside. There now you have a source of earth ground, that will be used for your plasma globe experiments!
OK, bring the earth ground wire very close (but not touching) to the plasma globe with foil on it and you will get teeny tiny purple arks. Now put a piece of paper very close to the ark and it should burn or even catch on fire!!! (Sorry no picture of this happing)
OK, you had done that fun bit, but now what happens if you connect the gas discharge tubes and solid-state things to the plasma globe with foil and earth ground?? Obviously it will glow brighter! Take a look at the pictures down below! Also I recommend that you do not do this to the energy saver lamps and LCD screen as it might get damaged.
Be careful not to touch the foil of the active plasma globe because you may get nasty RF burns and damage your nerve cells, although you may not feel any pain if you let the arks jump from the plasma globe with foil to your finger because the plasma globe operates at high frequency and our nerves cannot detect such frequency, so be careful.
Turn off your plasma globe and cover your plasma globe with aluminum foil and turn the plasma globe on again...
Now you need a wire that is connected to the earth ground. Get an big nail (I used a glow plug) and wrap some wire around the nail. Then stick the nail with wire wrapped on it in the soil outside. There now you have a source of earth ground, that will be used for your plasma globe experiments!
OK, bring the earth ground wire very close (but not touching) to the plasma globe with foil on it and you will get teeny tiny purple arks. Now put a piece of paper very close to the ark and it should burn or even catch on fire!!! (Sorry no picture of this happing)
OK, you had done that fun bit, but now what happens if you connect the gas discharge tubes and solid-state things to the plasma globe with foil and earth ground?? Obviously it will glow brighter! Take a look at the pictures down below! Also I recommend that you do not do this to the energy saver lamps and LCD screen as it might get damaged.
Be careful not to touch the foil of the active plasma globe because you may get nasty RF burns and damage your nerve cells, although you may not feel any pain if you let the arks jump from the plasma globe with foil to your finger because the plasma globe operates at high frequency and our nerves cannot detect such frequency, so be careful.
Step 5: Plasma 360 Experiments...
Now let your imagination loose... Try experiment with other things, like what happens if you put a cell phone (use a broken one) with a screen near the plasma globe? Will the screen light up? who knows...
Have fun with your plasma globe!!
I hope you enjoyed this instructable!
Question, idea, help, or something? Make an comment!
Have fun with your plasma globe!!
I hope you enjoyed this instructable!
Question, idea, help, or something? Make an comment!
Step 6: (UPDATE) What Happens If You Put the Neodymium Magnets Near The...
(UPDATE)
What happens if you put the neodymium magnets near the plasma globe???
I had been told that if you put strong magnet near the plasma globe, the arks supposed to do something strange... So I brought 100 1/4 x 1/4 N38 rod neodymium magnets from Power Magnet Store ( http://www.powermagnetstore.com/ ).
When my order finally arrived, I put a cube of 100 magnets on top of my plasma globe and guess what happen... Nothing the arks is doing nothing but it is attracted to the magnets because of its conductivity. Oh well, it was a worth try (or am I doing something wrong? Please tell me if you know what am I doing wrong.)
I now wanted to know if a plasma ark inside a xenon tube will do anything interesting if I put my magnets near the tubes, so I am going to do that experiment...
I covered my plasma globe aluminum foil. I connected one end of the xenon tube to the plasma globe and the other end of the xenon tube to the earth ground.
Then I turned on my plasma globe and the xenon tube is making an ark inside of it, and I put a cube of 100 magnets near the tube and what happened? The ark inside the tube move and wiggled due to the magnetic force from the magnets. Yaay, the ark inside the xenon tube is affected by the magnets!
But I don't understand, the arks inside the plasma globe are not affected by the magnets? (I guess its because the arks are always moving about in the plasma globe.)
What happens if you put the neodymium magnets near the plasma globe???
I had been told that if you put strong magnet near the plasma globe, the arks supposed to do something strange... So I brought 100 1/4 x 1/4 N38 rod neodymium magnets from Power Magnet Store ( http://www.powermagnetstore.com/ ).
When my order finally arrived, I put a cube of 100 magnets on top of my plasma globe and guess what happen... Nothing the arks is doing nothing but it is attracted to the magnets because of its conductivity. Oh well, it was a worth try (or am I doing something wrong? Please tell me if you know what am I doing wrong.)
I now wanted to know if a plasma ark inside a xenon tube will do anything interesting if I put my magnets near the tubes, so I am going to do that experiment...
I covered my plasma globe aluminum foil. I connected one end of the xenon tube to the plasma globe and the other end of the xenon tube to the earth ground.
Then I turned on my plasma globe and the xenon tube is making an ark inside of it, and I put a cube of 100 magnets near the tube and what happened? The ark inside the tube move and wiggled due to the magnetic force from the magnets. Yaay, the ark inside the xenon tube is affected by the magnets!
But I don't understand, the arks inside the plasma globe are not affected by the magnets? (I guess its because the arks are always moving about in the plasma globe.)