lightning bolts

[gerald sundberg]

For next years display I am wanting to make a lightning bolt to hit the star on top of the mega tree. In sequencing this how do I do it? Is it the same as an arch?

[Max-Paul]

Sounds like a job for a CCR. Off of the top of my head, I was say yes, much like an arch, but do you want your lighting bolt to look like a pipe or a line? Hence the reason I suggested a CCR unit.

[gerald sundberg]

I'm not knowing what a CCR is. I think a small diameter would be better as it should look more like a streak don't you think?

[Victory402]

http://store.lightorama.com/cocori.html

[JBullard]

Jeff Millard wrote:

How big a lightning bolt? Jacob's ladder using a neon transformer would be a nice slow one that travels. They'll go up or down depending on the design of the gap. I'm talking real lightning here. Another way is a Vandegraff Generator. It'll make an arc that'll travel quite a distance... It just won't be a big one, and it'll be really fast. Bang and it's gone.

Jeff

uh Jeff,

Nice thinking, but..... either of those would throw out so much EMF energy to render the RS-485 comms usless!

[JBullard]

Jeff, I have a couple of 25K neon transformers in storage somewhere, maybe in the spring I'll dig one out and try it.

But I do remember tons of posts on here advising to move the RS-485 cable away from the 120 volt supply lines.

I can't help but think the sparking emf would wreck some havoc on any commications envirionment. After all, that's basically what Marconi's early transmitters were, an arching sparkgap!

[FireMedic4Christ]

Make it like a leaping arch. Depending upon the distance spanned, a cable could be used and the lights ziptied to it.

Brian

[gerald sundberg]

I like this idea Brian, it saves channels and is easy to do!
Thanks much

[Alan C]

JBullard wrote:

I can't help but think the sparking emf would wreck some havoc on any commications envirionment. After all, that's basically what Marconi's early transmitters were, an arching sparkgap!

I agree. The other problem is that an arc such as this will have a very large RF bandwidth, and is likely to wipe out any radio and tv signals in the immediate area - including the transmitter you want to use for the synchronised lighting. I can see the FCC people getting very excited over this one!

Regards,

Alan.