Wow...he calls it the Scariac!!

[chopnhack]

I enjoy his videos, but man some of the things he shows.... I can imagine quite a few people injuring themselves!

 

[Old Steve]

There should be rules about people posting videos like this on YouTube. 'Scariac' is right!!!

And to think that I wasted all that money buying a variac.

 

[Tha fios agaibh]

Wow, Not exactly what you'd call UL approved. Lol
A side from the possibility of people getting electrocuted, there will be people burning up motors by running them under voltage.

 

[Old Steve]

Wow, Not exactly what you'd call UL approved..

No, you're right there.

I couldn't even count how many things could go wrong. Exposed heads of screws that extend into the box, the fact that the plastic box would become brittle over time and could crack/shatter, the lack of an earth connection etc etc etc and etc......

 

[hevans1944]

I like it! And notice there is no "green wire" safety ground to confuse things up-stream, like a GFI circuit breaker. I wonder if using NaOH + H2O as the electrolyte keeps the copper nice and clean? I have about ten pounds or so of copper sulfate out in the garage... I wonder if that would make a decent electrolyte for this contraption? Then, OTOH, I already have several Variacs but no welder yet... I think I will pass on building this thing.

Note to newbies on this forum: don't even think about building this! Everyone else: make sure your life and fire insurance is paid up and your will is written, witnessed, and notarized before plugging it in and flippin' the switch.

 

[Tha fios agaibh]

At least you guys don't have to worry about changing the electrolyte in your variac. Lol.

The Jacobs ladder goes along well with it. Both are dangerous as @$#€!

 

[rickselectricalprojects]

he should of just made or even brought a dimmer. i hate it when i see people do dangerous stuff on youtube without realizing the dangers.

 

[Old Steve]

he should of just made or even brought a dimmer. i hate it when i see people do dangerous stuff on youtube without realizing the dangers.

Yeah, me too. I posted a comment on YouTube earlier, voicing my feelings in that regard. The way I see it, someone could easily be killed if they haven't already, and he'd be directly responsible.

 

[rickselectricalprojects]

while on the topic of dangerous electrical videos on youtube check out these guys:

(things get really dangerous about 45 seconds in the video)

 

[rickselectricalprojects]

Yeah, me too. I posted a comment on YouTube earlier, voicing my feelings in that regard. The way I see it, someone could easily be killed if they haven't already, and he'd be directly responsible.

i always see dangerous stuff, i remember i saw this video where this shredding company was shredding microwaves for recycling and the left the magnitrons in the microwave (magintrons have beryllium oxide in them and when crushed can cause all sorts of nasty illnesses).

 

[Martaine2005]

I thought they were quite tame. Stupid, yes, but tame.
Andy @ Photonicinduction uses his own house for experiments. Even his wife had enough and left lol.

 

[Old Steve]

I thought they were quite tame. Stupid, yes, but tame.
Andy @ Photonicinduction uses his own house for experiments. Even his wife had enough and left lol.

I don't think the "Scariac" is particularly tame. The other stuff isn't so bad, with the guys blowing up caps etc. Looked like fun.

Edit: Martin, what annoyed me about the 'Scariac' vid was that he presented it as an 'instructional', with step-by-step instructions on building it. The guy is a dangerous fool.

 

[Tha fios agaibh]

while on the topic of dangerous electrical videos on youtube check out these guys:

(things get really dangerous about 45 seconds in the video)

Natural selection plays an important role in mitigating people that are so utterly stupid. Sadly, others also fall victim to their shenanigans just from their proximity. (Usually by fire)

 

[(*steve*)]

it's quite revealing that none of the examples of speed control show them under load.

 

[hevans1944]

it's quite revealing that none of the examples of speed control show them under load.

Yup. And most novices armed with a Variac don't realize that it doesn't work as a speed control for the common induction motor found on most stationary power tools like drill presses and table saws. I have found that a variable AC transformer (Variac) is useful as an incandescent light dimmer on occasion, but there are better solutions that don't involve a few pounds of transformer steel and copper wire. The last Variac I had was driven by a hefty stepper motor, and that motor is still somewhat useful. All my Variacs are just curiosities now, gathering dust somewhere in my basement because I like to hoard obsolete technology. It will all probably wind up in a landfill after I am gone.

 

[Old Steve]

Yup. And most novices armed with a Variac don't realize that it doesn't work as a speed control for the common induction motor found on most stationary power tools like drill presses and table saws. I have found that a variable AC transformer (Variac) is useful as an incandescent light dimmer on occasion, but there are better solutions that don't involve a few pounds of transformer steel and copper wire. The last Variac I had was driven by a hefty stepper motor, and that motor is still somewhat useful. All my Variacs are just curiosities now, gathering dust somewhere in my basement because I like to hoard obsolete technology. It will all probably wind up in a landfill after I am gone.

They're usually an auto-transformer, too, and don't have full isolation. I used to have to use mine with a separate isolation transformer. (I used it for CRT TV repairs.)
Never seen one that has a stepper motor.

 

[brevor]

I built one of those scariacs when I was about 12, not quite as fancy as his though. I used to do those capacitor bombs too. At least I never figured out how to get 240 Volts for my "experiments".

 

[Old Steve]

I built one of those scariacs when I was about 12, not quite as fancy as his though.

Not a very bright thing to do.