How to: Make a stun gun with a disposable flash camera

Zeus · Thu Nov 03, 2011 6:38 pm

I'll speak for Hotwired, I don't think he'll mind.

Nathan, Look up Mouser, Digikey, Element14, and "electronics suppliers".

Goats, it won't. The charge needs to build up and release, the spark gap holds back the electricity untill it reaches a certain voltage. Think like a popoff valve.

Deltawar · Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:47 am

Hi hotwired or anyone who can help.

Ive been trying to find the components online as there is not electrical shops in my remote area and I just want to confirm I have the correct Items.

Could someone tell me if i got this right please?

SPARK GAP - IT 3-POINT THOUGH, DOES THIS MATTER?

Capacitors

HV Coil

Camera Board

Any help appreciated.

jackssmirkingrevenge · Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:56 am

Just sayin'

Deltawar · Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:59 pm

but making one is half the fun

jackssmirkingrevenge · Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:40 pm

Fair enough

mark.f · Sun Dec 18, 2011 12:00 am

I think you have the right parts there... the spark gap is a little overkill, as you could make one yourself (although they are quite fiddly). The spark over voltage is a little high, though, as my board could really only put out about 300-320 volts (measured). You could always increase input voltage to solve that problem though.

Other than that, I would suggest using an SCR instead of the spark gap. It won't make for a repeating spark, but it's much more durable (in fact, much more durable than the flash board I found).

Good luck.

frigaardj · Tue Jan 03, 2012 8:12 pm

I got a free disposable camera, seems to be a generic brand for weddings etc.. I have disassembled it and managed to get a spark etc, but I am trying to work out which bit is the charging circuit you spoke of.

Here are some pictures, please help me indentify it

^the tab piece here is the button you press to charge it up.

^the piece sticking out is the other end of the battery connector.

If anyone can help me please do. Also, the red LED never seems to engage, is this expected? I am running it off a 1.5V AA..

Cheers, Fj

saint .357 · Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:34 pm

Hotwired wrote:Something just arrived in the mail

However to my disgust the circuit merely bumps up 2xAA to ~ 400V to charge a chubby capacitor.

I was hoping for the type which, yes bumps up the voltage to ~400V but then has a 3 stage multiplier after that for over 1000V output.

Now I need to do my own multiplier

One step closer to a higher powered version anyway.

hey hot wired great how to buy the way really great the answer to my stun glove problem. and i was just wondering is this circuit you were hoping for.

and if so can you tell me how to use it to replace the kodak circuit for your build. also i can tell you were to buy the swatter with this circuit in it. assuming its the right circuit.

Hotwired · Tue Mar 06, 2012 7:27 am

No that's the same circuit.

The large red capacitor is charged up to a few hundred volts and there's wires from that directly to the swatter grid.

What you have there is a circuit which will create the few hundred volts you need.

It can replace the camera flash circuit.

You still need:

1) A spark gap

2) A high voltage coil

You put the spark gap and the primary side of the coil in series with the red capacitor so every time it hits X voltage that the spark gap arcs at it pulses through the primary of the coil = HV spark off the secondary coil.

saint .357 · Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:33 pm

great cause i already got a bbq ignition just gotta cut out the coil. so all i need is a spark gap or SIDAC. wonderfull this saves me so much time trying to find that exact camera. so i don't have to mod the circuit at all just one side of the capacitor goes to the spark gap and then the coil and the other goes strait to the coil right?

saint .357 · Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:40 pm

another quick question the gas discharge tubes you used do you think i could get one from say a regular surge protector strip cause i got a extra few of those lying around. i can cut it out no problem. would that work. one like this i mean

correction i cut that one open and it just has a relay. is it the ones with he black buttons on top that you half to press when they blow that have the GDT?

Hotwired · Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:14 am

Yes, you should be able to use the circuit as it is.

I can't say how fast it will charge or cycle but it should work.

Looks like you've got something with a residual current device built in, that's not designed to do anything in the case of a surge, it's to switch off in case of an earth fault.

Even if you do get a surge protection type there's a variety of components which may be used in it, not all are suitable.

I would personally raid ebay or the online catalogue of electronics suppliers (these tend to have minimum orders of quite a bit) and specifically look for SIDACs or GDT rated to about 200-300V

You can put several lower rated ones in series to get the desired voltage they will conduct at.

saint .357 · Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:57 pm

thanks hot wire for the help i put the circuit together today with an air spark gap and it worked. but the output was as low as when it was just a bbq ignition. and after awhile one of the diodes on the bug zapper started sparking really bad it looked more like a tazer then what was coming out of the coil. any idea why that was. could it be because the bug zapper doesn't have a diode to protect from feed back or is it because i was doing to high a load. cause i had it hocked to a 9 volt battery. which worked well when i was just using it as a kids zapper like you say in intro. "two nails to the capacitor" any ideas about what happened? oh and thanks for all the help your the first tazer design i ever got a spark out of. the rest all failed with out so much as a sizzle. and i tried a lot of different designs.

Hotwired · Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:27 pm

A picture might help.

Shouldn't really be enough volts on the bug zapper board to jump more than 1-2mm and the board is already designed for that.

Are you using an open air spark gap to trigger the coil? While that works it's also fairly unreliable in my experience and the points like to corrode over time.

I really would not worry if you're not seeing the same output as from the one I made. If you're getting the circuit to charge up the capacitor and pulse it to the coil for a HV output then it is working as intended although maybe with some bugs.

The one you can see is not the first one I've ever done. It's the best one and I bought specific components after tinkering and research to make sure it was going to work as I wanted.

saint .357 · Thu Mar 08, 2012 4:31 pm

Hotwired wrote:A picture might help.

Shouldn't really be enough volts on the bug zapper board to jump more than 1-2mm and the board is already designed for that.

Are you using an open air spark gap to trigger the coil? While that works it's also fairly unreliable in my experience and the points like to corrode over time.

I really would not worry if you're not seeing the same output as from the one I made. If you're getting the circuit to charge up the capacitor and pulse it to the coil for a HV output then it is working as intended although maybe with some bugs.

The one you can see is not the first one I've ever done. It's the best one and I bought specific components after tinkering and research to make sure it was going to work as I wanted.

i can do better then a picture here. also sorry you cant really see the arcking the circuit went dead right after i shot that.
[youtube][/youtube]
also here's a video of a mock up with a fresh charging circuit.
[youtube][/youtube]

How to: Make a stun gun with a disposable flash camera

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