Ball Cyclotron/Electrostatic Accelerator How it Works/Making

The ball cyclotron (aka electrostatic accelerator) - how it works and how to make it including demonstrations using a Wimshurst machine as the high voltage power source.

IMPORTANT: You need a high voltage DC power supply (e.g. a Wimshurst machine) to make this work, probably in the low thousands of volts. Just using batteries won't work since the voltage is much to low.

Update: Krylon BBQ and Stove paint, available in all hardware stores that sell paint, works just as well as the nickel paint. Also, an uncoated ping pong ball doesn't work at all, as expected. Thanks to USWaterRockets for asking me to test this in the comments below. If you want the nickel paint, it's this Super Shield Nickel Coating from MG Chemicals, available in most electronics stores:
The resistivity of the nickel paint is a few ohms per centimeter and the resistivity of the Krylon paint is a few hundred megaohms per centimeter so for lower voltage applications that require more conductivity the Krylon paint may not work.

Also check out my webpage about this ball cyclotron:

See also:

How to Make Corona Motor (v2) aka Electrostatic Motor/Atmospheric Motor

Wimshurst machine - How to make using CDs

Solar Energy - Nuclear Fusion in the Sun

Follow behind-the-scenes on:

[hacksmith]

Very cool! You never cease to surprise me with these electrostatic projects!

[whatelseison]

For everyone asking about alternate power supplies, I recommend finding yourself an old CRT TV or computer monitor. They are the heavy old boxy kind that were common until the early 2000's. I usually say the bigger the better but in this case I think practically any size would do. Lots of people have them collecting dust in their basements, but if you don't, just ask around or watch for them on curbs, in back alleys, or in dumpsters. There's probably zillions of videos explaining this already, but here's how to use them as a HVDC supply.

Get a screwdriver with a plastic or rubber handle and a wire with alligator clips. After removing the back of the case, clip one end of the wire to the metal frame that the circuit boards are mounted to and clip the other to the blade of the screwdriver.

Identify the big wire connected to the side of the tube under what looks like a suction cup. Stick your screwdriver under the cup and pop the cup off. The wire is to make sure you don't get a shock. Cathode ray tubes can store enough charge to give you a minor shock even if the device is unplugged.

Now all you need to do is disconnect the screwdriver from the clip and connect it to one terminal on the demo and run another wire from the inside of that suction cup to the other terminal. Stand clear and plug the TV in. NEVER make adjustments with the device plugged in. Large units produce over 30 kV which can jump over a full inch and easily punch through low voltage wire insulation.

Using a CRT as a HVDC power supply can be hazardous but it's not too difficult to mitigate with care and common sense. They usually stand up to the abuse quite well so long as you don't go nuts drawing arcs for minutes at a time. Even a tiny B&W travel TV should happily run this demo indefinitely. For added safety, replace the back cover and run your wires through a pair of holes drilled a few inches apart in the case (or use the existing vent holes if they're large enough). Just make sure the high voltage lead wont get anywhere near any of the metal structures inside the case.

[RimstarOrg]

1st video since the holidays! A Ball Cyclotron, a neat electrostatic thingy that makes balls rotate at high speed in a bowl. Includes how it works and how to make one. Enjoy!

[nixie]

Ball-o-tron!

Very interesting! I especially like the fact that any question that arised on my mind while watching half of the video, was adressed in the end. +1!

[sciencetoymaker]

Bravo! Fun and educational, as always. You've taken a lot of difficult electrical engineering projects and made them accessible to everyone.

[Slider]

Enjoyed that demo...of something I had no idea existed before watching :)
Thanks for another great learning vid.

[RimstarOrg]

+harsha vardhan No, you need high voltage DC. I don't know exactly how much but it's in the thousands of volts. I don't know which ones you can buy off-hand. A Wimshurst machine with disks around the size I show in this video works and is available on places like ebay. Just search for Wimshurst machine and you'll see plenty.
PS There's no Reply button under your comment because of your Google+ settings.
- go to your Google+ page,
- in the top, right corner click on your thumbnail icon,
- in the popup that appears, click on "Settings".
- for the 2nd question down "Who can comment on your public posts?" set it to "Anyone".

[pkillor]

You just gave me a good idea to do my nephew's science project next year!
Thank you!!

[electronicsNmore]

You did a great job. :-) Cool project.

[davidmadisontheguardian]

I really appreciate your videos...short, informative and simple to understand.  The word I would use is "clean".  I've felt that as time has moved on from, say the 1900's...we have progressively gotten more ignorant about the technology we habitually use to live and enjoy our lives.  This takes away a great deal of our power to mold our lives in the manner that we would prefer.  Your videos have a way of creating interest and are easy enough to understand, and the materials for the do-it-yourself science and technology videos - can be very easily acquired.

This tends to help technologically clumsy people such as myself, to have the confidence to learn, in steps, how to understand and build for our future; even if a little bit at a time.

All great reasons and an over-riding one of developing a certain level of self-sufficiency - to keep watching and 'liking' and/or 'subscribe'-ing to your youtube channel.

Thanks again!

[THOMASTHESAILOR]

I love it, I have the same Wimshurst machine I bought on Ebay, It's great, except, I had to remake the capacitor jars out of plastic pipe, they leak like crazy, sparks were tiny.. LOL, I wore the belts out, . :) but I bought replacement belts on Ebay.

[TubeNotMe]

You could connect the two strips that don't run across the bowl by making them from one long strip that runs under the bowl. I'd try it without the aluminum foil on the ping pong balls. They may hold enough change without it and they will roll better. Electrical experiments used to involve pith balls, and if you could get one of those it would probably work great. Thanks for the video! Very stimulating. Hmmm, wonder if you could make a giant model of an ion propulsion unit using puffed rice cereal ....

[GoRepairs]

Great share! Is there a way you could control the speed?

[harshavardhan-dchb]

can i use an battery eliminator for this ?? 
if not tell me any other power supply can be used for this??

[MrElapid]

Awesome! Potential for a little motor here? Keep 'em coming..

[Lechoslowianin]

 Thanks to you, I understand how it works. These balls is pumped electric charges

[wilfredsaulnier]

what would happen if you made one donut style inclosure with two separate smooth and circular channels putting one ball in one channel and then a scond in a second grove then made one go clock wise and the other counter clock wise making the rotating clockwise one to power the other and then the other to power the first with a kind of relay to switch polaraties at the right times to keep each powered

, Wilf

[godwinbright]

Can you explain why there is a space required to be left between the positive and negative strips inside the bowl?
Thank You In Advance.

[Rulof_Fai.da.Te_]

 now I want to build me a whimshurst machine! nice video!

[heartedmind]

Very cool! Planning to use this for my science fair. Can I use a normal battery and switch instead of the Wimshurt machine?