Electric lighters are fascinating variations of a classic accessory, provided we're willing to recharge their battery and add one more gadget to our list. However, there's a project that can turn them into something spectacular: a compact lightning generator capable of reaching at least 67,000 volts. The key is to create a voltage multiplier based on the Cockroft-Walton design, which combines capacitors and diodes in a special configuration.
A USB electric lighter or "Tesla lighter" costs on average about 15 euros. They are very convenient when the wind betrays us, and we don't have to battle with stones or fluid. Of course... the battery inside the lighter presents other limitations, and to be honest, manufacturers are not very interested in allowing the user to replace it. On the other hand, electric lighters are begging to be hacked, and if you have one in your hands that you don't mind sacrificing in the name of science, DIY, and high voltage, then you need to watch the video we share below:
That's right: the lighter transformed into a power source for a lightning generator that can jump up to seven centimeters (and a little more). An electric lighter creates about 3,000 volts, but by passing it through an eight-phase voltage multiplier inspired by the Cockroft-Walton design, the final number crosses the barrier of 67,000 volts. Now, there are lighter models on the market that are even more powerful, so we recommend checking the specifications and being very careful. In total, you'll need 16 ceramic capacitors (15 kV, 1 nF), 16 high-voltage diodes (15 kV, 100 mA), a protoboard, screws, nuts, spacers, and a couple of plastic or acrylic plates to insulate (after all, we don't want spontaneous arcs in other sections of the multiplier).
Besides not bringing any part of your body near the mini lightning (theoretically not lethal... but I'm not interested in testing it), the other recommendation is to connect the wire we use to attract them to the ground point of the multiplier, or you risk ruining the lighter. Before making the video, they destroyed two on Plasma Channel.
Editor's note: I found the same lighter from the video for 17 euros.
