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This hand powered Wimshurst machine has two transparent plates that are supported by two rigid uprights and driven by a belt in opposite direction. They are heavy, high resistance plastic, with sectors of aluminum sheet. The Electrostatic Wimshurst Generator consists of two 12" dia. circular plastic plates, which are rotated in opposite directions by a drive belt mechanism. Machine includes two Leyden jar condensers made from Corning glass and aluminum foil. The assembled unit is mounted on a sturdy ABC base. It stands 15" tall and generates up to 75,000 volts! Voltage and Current output are dependent on the humidity the machine is working in, as well as how fast one cranks. At maximum output, voltage can range up to 400,000 volts, but current is usually 10 microamps or less.
Capture your Family or Student's Imagination Instantly!
- Converts mechanical energy into electrostatic potential energy
- Includes assembled machine, two attached Leyden jars, one hand crank and an instructional guide
Recreate Lightning in your own Home or Classroom
Cemented onto each disc are a number of metal foil sectors, which both generate and carry small charges of electricity to be stored in the capacitor. Each sector accumulates the charges derived by influence with the other sectors. Diagonal neutralizing brushes on the front and back distribute the correct charges to the sectors they revolve.
Two additional pairs of brushes collect the accumulated charges and transmit them to the storage capacitor. The brushes are also connected to spark gap electrodes. As the plastic discs revolve, a high voltage spark will jump between the electrodes as they are gradually brought together. Static electricity is stored in the Leyden Jar condenser until discharged. Two swinging arm dischargers with insulated handles are built-in and the unit is mounted on a wooden base. Instructions included.
Alexander Stone
Reviewed in Canada on October 25, 2024
I've bought several products regarding electrostatics from Eisco & HBarsci lately. I choose their brand because their quality is superior to the others on the market, and the catalogue is quite unique! It's hard to find these things anywhere else. My only quarrel is the shipping fees which seem quite high, and dissuasive. Still, I've bit the bullet and paid those ludicrous shipping fees because I can't find this stuff anywhere else.
M Lee
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2024
As described, plus excellent service. Extremely well made and very powerful!
Carmen Rios
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
I bought 3 of this item for a school and two of them are broken
Customer
Reviewed in Mexico on September 20, 2023
Esta maquina es demasiado cara como para que llegue rota y de diseño disfuncional. Los cepillos no tocan ambas terminales debido a que el numero de electrodos es non, lo que requiere reemplazar todos los electrodos de los discos por un numero par para que la maquina sea funcional. Uno de los cepillos llego roto, previamente pegado con algun pegamento y tuve que limar, lijar y soldarlo yo como se debe. Los cepillos llegaron anudados y requieren ser reemplazados. Gracias a que tengo la herramienta, el conocimiento y el interés puedo y decido reparar esto en vez de regresarlo, pero si no tienes la herramienta, estas jugando a perder tu dinero o gastar aun mas.
Old Guy
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2023
First of all, this is an awesome machine. It is heavy duty, with machined metal parts in the places that count. I wholeheartedly give this product 5 stars. I have never had a problem ordering something used from Amazon. Recently, they had a used generator, in damaged packaging, full return rights, for $105. That's a bargain - right? When the unit arrived, the original packaging was undamaged and so was the large over pack box. The machine itself had a broken part, and had been thoroughly squished to the point it would not work. The metal electrodes on the disc indicated a lot of use. Instead of saying this was "used", the description should have said "almost worn out, broken piece, and non functional." I worked with it for a while, got it operational, and then figured I would see how much replacement parts cost. I called the manufacturer Eisco, and they provided the phone number for the distributor who ships to Amazon, Mbarsci. Turns out they were not the seller like I thought, but they would sell anybody parts. Problem is, they do not sell the parts that were broken on the machine I bought, nor did they have replacement metal tabs for the disks. The part they did sell, was the brushes. The machine uses 4, and they cost $10 each. The astute person realizes this is highway robbery, and the brushes are nothing more than flat braided shielding that can be scoured from a 6" long piece of coax. So, I took Amazon up on their generous offer to return it for full credit. Mbarsci seems like a class operation, and so is Eisco. But make darn sure if you buy an open box or used unit, that one of these two companies is the seller. Oh, by the way, you can replace the metal electrodes on the spinning discs with aluminum duct tape. Tedious, but doable. Mbarsci says that there is no demand for new pads. If there becomes one, they will order the parts.
Mark
Reviewed in Canada on December 20, 2022
I can just barely get 12cm sparks after tunning (after learning how to tune from YouTube).That's about 120kV !I've used this for a few projects involving electrostatic motors and am very pleased with the buy.Other users complain about bad wires, but I think they could easily fix them if they go learn exactly how these devices work.
Tim
Reviewed in Germany on October 30, 2020
Die Lieferung erfolgte nach >1 Monat, mir war nicht klar, dass es aus den USA kommt und ICH den Importzoll von ~26€ zahlen muss.Es kam defekt an - eine Lötstelle ist abgebrochen und das lose Teil lag außen auf der Styroporverpackung im Paket, so dass ich davon ausgehe, dass der Defekt bereits in der Fertigung entstanden ist.Die Erstattung des Kaufpreises erfolgte prompt, auf dem Importzoll bleibe ich selbst sitzen. Viel Stress!!
Hugh Johnston
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2018
This is a well-engineered and aesthetically pleasing device. It arrived broken, which is just one of those things that happens from time to time. The company that was selling it on Amazon was hbarsci -they sell all manner of scientific stuff. Their customer service was wonderful! They were fast, pleasant, knowledgeable and fun to talk with. I spoke with Mike and with Matt and they immediately got me the parts I needed. I am an emeritus professor, which means I am retired, but still teach. The difference is that I now get paid even less. Anyway, I often purchase various gadgets like this Wimshurst as teaching aids. From now on, I will always start with hbarsci. There is a lot of junk out there, being sold by idiots. It is so refreshing to buy quality stuff from nice people! I'm trying to persuade them to sell a radial dirod. It's another static electricity generator like the Wimshurst; the difference being that it works better in every way, and few people have ever heard of it. In any case, buy with confidence!
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