I demonstrate the Tesla guitar setup and briefly explain how it works. This is the uncut version of the spot that appeared on MakeTV’s Maker Channel. I built the Tesla coil and processing electronics myself, see scopeboy.com for details
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Who doesn’t want their own Tesla coil? Particularly if you can get one that isn’t incredibly dangerous or expensive to build. Well, this electrical savant built one in the 8th grade using vacuum tubes and a microwave oven transformer.

Safe is relative of course, but this isn’t quite as intimidating as some other Tesla coils out there. The steps are fairly clear, the author included a schematic, and I might just have to make one of these myself. Rather then rehash the steps here, I’m just going to direct you to go to Make and see the complete 10 step process (including parts list).

[Via Hackaday]

Oppenheimer won’t have nothing on you when you turn a standard cordless drill into a fully-operational plasma gun. This gun sends huge arcs of blazing hot plasma to your targets, ensuring that you can light light bulbs and scare cats off your lawn with absolute precision.


The project is based on a DIY tesla coil and uses all kinds of crazy electrical stuff to creae sparks from an 12V battery. The distances is fairly small here but its still darn impressive.

Best of all, they include full specs on manufacturing your own. Blast away, Star Troopers!

Oppenheimer won’t have nothing on you when you turn a standard cordless drill into a fully-operational plasma gun. This gun sends huge arcs of blazing hot plasma to your targets, ensuring that you can light light bulbs and scare cats off your lawn with absolute precision.


The project is based on a DIY tesla coil and uses all kinds of crazy electrical stuff to creae sparks from an 12V battery. The distances is fairly small here but its still darn impressive.

Best of all, they include full specs on manufacturing your own. Blast away, Star Troopers!

Somehow we make it past the wild Tesla coil in the room to bring you an awesome (if not kind of late) show! Today we show you how to self-destruct your private data, discuss how 3D is totally lame, and why we think Jon Stewart should run for president.

(Credit: The Sisyphus Files)

Sorry for starting late today, live listeners! I think today’s show made up for the tardiness, and it all starts with Little Big Planet celebrating one million user-created levels. Since the game’s popular release, a level is created every 21 seconds or so, on average, which means that if you were to play all of the levels it would take 5 years to finish them all, and that’s only if you’re playing 24 hours a day. Wild!

I’m also very excited (big surprise!) about the rerelease of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, dubbed TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled. Who can forget that classic side-scrolling beat-em-up? I logged so many hours at the local nickel arcade next to my house just sitting there with my friends feeding nickels into that machine. Those were always my favorites kinds of games, and there used to be so many titles, too, including Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Simpsons, and Sunset Riders! Ahh, the old days when you actually had to go to an arcade to play a video game…

We also complain about the recent upsurge of all things 3D and how even YouTube is jumping on the bandwagon, offering users the capability to display their 3D videos in multiple formats. Later on in the second half, we analyze Jon Stewart’s role as America’s Most Trusted Newscaster, according to an online poll by Time Magazine. Should we be scared that America is relying on a comedian to report the daily news? We’re not questioning Stewart’s credibility here–he’s clearly a smart man–but we’re wondering how Comedy Central will leverage such a powerful figure.

OK, I have to bring up the Wikipedia page one more time and then I’ll shut up: after a brief recess following yesterday’s announcement, the page is now in Wiki-limbo. We need users and 404-supportive Wikipedians to populate the page with more details about the show, the hosts, references, guests, etc…since we can’t do it ourselves (no, really, we can’t), feel free to insert our appearance on “Fox Strategy Room” as well as other blogs on the Internet that mention The 404, even if it’s your own! Anything helps, but please remember not to edit the redirection page; only edit the content at the existing address. Thanks, everyone!

EPISODE 388

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…

Originally posted at The 404

It’s only deadly to paper, but hey. We here at CrunchGear love our coil guns. Tesla coil guns, Wiimote coil guns, robot coil guns, we’ll take ‘em all. What can I say, it’s just good fun for the whole family! This one is for baby.

The little light-switch enclosure contains a camera flash battery, some circuit hackery, and the few parts necessary to accelerate a BB to paper-penetrating speed. Want to make your own? Assuming you know how to make a basic coil gun, here are parts used. Go forth and coil.

[via Make]