Electronic Fireworks

[Gary]

Okay guys, July 4th coming up in two months. Time to think pyrotechnics in the air. So as not to set dry grass on fire, I'm wondering if some kind of solid state fireworks are possible. Maybe shot from a slingshot or air cannon, or my carbide tennis ball cannon.<p>Am thinking about very small things that would flash or create streaking lights. They don't have to operate for more than a few seconds, like fireworks, and should be light in weight, disposable, and inexpensive if possible. Maybe rechargable.<p>Am thinking of a capacitor and a bright LED mounted to some kind of plastic or foam spinning wing, like a maple seed. If that's the right name. The idea is to make a bunch shot into the air and float or spin down. Maybe a 3v button cell where the seed would be and a cheap LED on the wing. The light would then make a spiral pattern when it floated down from high in the air. Several at a time being launched, maybe of different colors. If they get caught in a tree, they light that up. If launched in a park, they could be picked up and used again.<p>Parachutes, folding gliders, illuminated helium balloons maybe?<p>A whiffle ball with a light inside looks kind of cool. I invented a kind of thing we call a "whiffle flare" for use in reenactments that lights when a string pulls a piece of cardboard from between two metal strips.<p>I understand you can take apart 9v duracell batteries and get six little AAAA batteries. Know of anything smaller and cheaper? Flash bulbs might work? Are there cheap sources for capacitors that might work, or are they too weak?<p>* * *
.\|/..........<p>[ May 05, 2002: Message edited by: Gary ]</p>

[bobsRAC]

I have just been experimenting with that very idea...<p>I drilled a 0.5" hole 1.5" into a 3/4" * 1.5" * 2" aluminum block, as wel as a 1/8" hole perpendicular to the first, at the closed end of the first, such that their bottoms open up to one another. A rough cross-section is shown below.<p>|--||--------|
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|____________|<p>The block was grounded, and a wire stripped about 1/16" and inserted into the small hole. The stripped wire was attached to an 80v power supply and two 4100uF caps, all in parallel, as follows.<p> ---------
| | |
+ _ _
80V - -
- | |
| | |
---------<p>The discharge is sufficient toexpell a paper wadding from the tube. If alchohol is added, which I've tried, a more powerful and impressive discharge resluts.

[bobsRAC]

just to mention it, Those caps produce a 26J discharge at 80v, and a 105J discharge at 160v, which is quite an impressive firework in and of itself.

[josmith]

Fill a baloon with helium and bits of reflective material like foil or reflective tape. Have a timer pop the baloon at a predetermined altitude. Use ground based lasers to illuminate the cloud of reflective bits. You could modulate the lasers to give a wide variety of effects.

[Gary]

Wow!<p>Laser illuminated confetti baloons and spark discharge cannons!<p>[ May 22, 2002: Message edited by: Gary ]</p>