Ok, so my daughter has the typical spirit week stuff going on at school before halloween, and one of them is crazy hair day. I had the stellar idea to find a way to have essentially a pocket van de graaf device that she could switch on and off to make her hair stand straight up (like you see in the science museums).

Anyone know of how to do this, or have links to someone who has done this. Safely, I should add. She is my daughter and I don't want to kill her with my crazy hair day ideas

Thanks.

 

Probably best to stick with hair gel and a brush.

This kind of device poses many challenges .... and probably wouldn't be possible to design.

Interesting idea though.

 

How about a portable plasma ball (I have one which works on 4xAA), it may have enough static charge to make hair stand up.

 

Presumably to make one's hair stand up noticeably requires a very substantial electric field to be set up between the body and an external object or 'other place' electrically insulated from you. So I guess you couldn't be grounded (or earthed) for instance. Also you need to somehow establish that field between yourself and the other place - such as you do as you rapidly remove a woolen pullover when wearing a nylon shirt under very low air humidity conditions. I've felt my own hair stand up momentarily in that case.

Not sure if a plasma ball can do that for you.

 

tom66, can you tell me any info on that device? Brand, etc.?

 

tom66, can you tell me any info on that device? Brand, etc.?

I don't know. It was a present, about £5 somewhere.

However, this product looks almost identical (to the point I would say it is the same): http://www.coolstuffexpress.com/portable-plasma-tesla-globe.html

 

It would make a good wand.

 

I don't know. It was a present, about £5 somewhere.

However, this product looks almost identical (to the point I would say it is the same): http://www.coolstuffexpress.com/portable-plasma-tesla-globe.html

Thanks for the link. But now I have more questions...

How safe would it be to dismantle? I'm wondering if I take the thing apart and extract the device from the globe, would that work to put your hand on the inside part and turn it on to get the static charge?

 

I take the thing apart and extract the device from the globe, would that work to put your hand on the inside part and turn it on to get the static charge?

Why not check any reference on how they work:

Most commonly, plasma globes are available in spheres or cylinders. Although many variations exist, a plasma lamp is usually a clear glass orb filled with a mixture of various gases—most commonly helium and neon, sometimes with other noble gases such as xenon and krypton—at low pressure (below 0.01 atmosphere)[3] and driven by high-frequency alternating current at approximately 35 kHz, 2–5 kV, generated by a high-voltage transformer.

Now, you tell us, do you think it is safe to disassemble and have your child connected to that?

John

 

Thanks for the link. But now I have more questions...

How safe would it be to dismantle? I'm wondering if I take the thing apart and extract the device from the globe, would that work to put your hand on the inside part and turn it on to get the static charge?

I've done it already. Inside there is a small circuit board (an oscillator) and a high voltage transformer. The low output current should only give a mild shock. I touched the wire coming from the transformer and be careful, it can cause tiny burns (due to the small arcing that happens - I now have small black spots on my fingernails) but I don't really get a static shock nor does my hair stand up.

 

Hello,

I do not think we want to have a child play with high voltage.
It is not good possible to make it safe.

Bertus