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Can anyone tell me how to make a simple electric shocking device (like a electric pen or hand buzzer style). I've seen people use piezoelectric elements from lighters (is that correct?) but I would like to know how to create one from scratch, and also what current and voltage is needed to give a small shock. Thanks, ell.

Ell
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    electronics should be used for good and not evil – vicatcu Jan 19 '11 at 22:05
  • no schematic but i think this is more of what your looking for? http://planetstephanie.net/2010/12/07/owbox/ you should be able to figure out how it works, but pretty much just a 555 timer 9v battery and a few other components. – jsolarski Jan 20 '11 at 02:04
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    @vicatcu, evil and good are often determined by whom you use the tool on, not the tool. For example, if I were to shock @tyblu, that would be good, but @pingswept and I get scolded. – Kortuk Jan 20 '11 at 18:07
  • @Kortuk... wow, never thought of it that way lol – vicatcu Jan 20 '11 at 22:15
  • @Kortuk: Wait, why do I get scolded just because you're testing your "Touch of God" machine on @tyblu? I'm innocent! – pingswept Jan 21 '11 at 03:28
  • @pingswept no, you would scold Kortuk if he were to test it on you. – Kellenjb Jan 24 '11 at 03:02
  • @kellenjb: Ah, I misunderstood. That's a relief. I was worried I was complicit in shocking @tyblu. – pingswept Jan 24 '11 at 15:10

1 Answers1

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This is actually quite a simple circuit which works by stepping up the collapse of a magnetic field in a small audio transformer.

The schematic looks like this:

schematic

I think something like this part should work for the transformer.

If you touch the two output wires, you'll get a very small electric shock as you release the push button.

BG100
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    god I love stack exchange – Isaac Jan 20 '11 at 19:45
  • When I was a kid some 50 years ago I built something like this using a Model T spark coil -- then attached the output to a doorknob handle. – tcrosley Jan 21 '11 at 00:10
  • And this is safe to zap people with, right? Causing no permanent or serious damage? Thanks, that is very helpful! I always like to seek advice for potentially dangerous projects – Ell Jan 24 '11 at 17:13
  • @tcrosley - didn't those make inch long sparks? that must have been quite a surprise for someone. – JustJeff Mar 05 '11 at 17:05
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    @Eli - Yes, it's safe because you only have *E = 1/2 * C * V^2* ~= 0.1 millijoules of energy stored in the cap. – Kevin Vermeer Mar 05 '11 at 20:01
  • @JustJeff -- yes, about that and very visible. Yes, it was a quite a "shock" for someone. – tcrosley Mar 05 '11 at 21:27
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    "The effects of electrical current passing through the human body are covered at length in the International Electro Technical Commission document IEC 479-2:1987. In this document it indicates that a transient or capacitive discharge, as is the case with static electricity, requires energy in excess of 5 Joules (5000mJ) to produce a direct serious risk to health." http://www.wolfsonelectrostatics.com/04_news/index.html – endolith Apr 27 '11 at 18:32
  • EN 60065 limits the maximum energy of a discharge to 350 mJ for safety certification. – endolith Apr 27 '11 at 19:32
  • could you please explain "works by stepping up the collapse of a magnetic field in a small audio transformer" – meonstackexchange Mar 20 '15 at 03:01
  • In the DigiKey link provided below the circuit diagram above, note that it isn't the part pictured in the diagram, it's a 600:600 ohm transformer, and probably wouldn't work. While also not the part pictured, this might work better. http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/tamura/MET-35/MT4153-ND/285670 –  Jun 20 '16 at 06:57