A Jacobs ladder is an arc that forms between two upright electrodes that are wider at the top. The arc starts at the bottom and rises with the heat of the arc becoming progressively larger until it “breaks” at the top. It then reignites at the bottom to start over again.
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The Jacobs ladder powered by my original old unpotted NST and shielded with acrylic tube to allow safe public display. This was struck by my TC resulting in mains arc-over in the power switch and fuse and also destruction of the limiting resistors for the indicator neon’s. I need a bigger shed.
The left photo shows a 1.6 second exposure showing the arc rising in steps. Occasionally there is orange in the spark due to sodium (from salt in sweaty hands on the electrodes). The right photo shows the arc as it rises in a 0.016 second exposure (1/60 sec).
The Jacob’s ladder was a classic backdrop for mad scientist movies.
Related pages
Circular Jacob’s LadderTry something else
Bernoulli BeerExternal links
Photo Date: Sept 11, 2005