How to Make A Water Rocket!

This is an instructable on how to make a water rocket using only recyclable materials. All materials can be found in your house or classroom. This also involves a parachute, which is attached to a tennis ball, that will be deployed and in the air for at least 30 seconds. It's simple and quick, all you need is the right materials.

Materials:
2 2L Bottles
1 Thin Garbage Bag
1 Manila Folder
2 Sheets of Arts & Crafts Foam
1 Water Balloon
3 Rubber Bands
1 Tennis Ball
Fishing Line
Scissors
Exacto Knife
Duct Tape
Masking Tape
Stapler/Staples
Wire

Step 1: Cut the First Bottle

In this step you will have to use an Exacto knife to cut out the center of the first bottle. Look at picture to see where to cut. Make sure you keep the top and bottom leftover from cutting out the center.

Step 2: Attach the Bottles

Place the middle of the cut bottle on the bottom of the second bottle and attach using duct tape. Make sure the two pieces are securely attached.

Step 3: Adding the Fins

Take the manila folder. Along the folded side, cut three triangles so when they are opened, they appear as diamonds. Fold the edges of the fins so there is a flat piece that will be taped down to the bottle. Attach the fins to the bottle using duct tape.

Step 4: Creating the Top

Creating the top of your rocket is really simple. All you have to do is take the top of the first bottle you cut and attach it to a foam cylinder using duct tape. Then take a piece of foam and place it under the top of the bottle. Trace the outside of the circle on the foam. Cut out the circle with the Exacto knife. Use the outside as a skirt and place it around the cylinder, attach using a stapler.

Step 5: Inserting the Elastics

After creating the top, create 6 incisions using the Exacto knife, spread equally apart, around the top part of the cone. Then cut each elastic band so they are straight lines. Slide the rubber bands through the incisions. The first one through the first incision, and through the incision across from it; the second one through the second incision, and through the incision across from that; the third through the third incision, and through the incision across from that.

Pull both sides of the elastics up over the top of the bottle and screw on the top to hold in place.

An asterisk should appear in the inside of the top of your cone.

Step 6: Creating the Parachute

Take your garbage bag and cut the bottom off so that it lays out flat into a big rectangle. Then cut down the center so you have two squares. Cut a circle out of one of your squares, and there you have your parachute.

Step 7: Attaching the Tennis Ball

Using your Exacto knife, cut a hole through the tennis ball. Take a piece of wire and loop it through the tennis ball so it creates a handle. Then take your parachute and put 8 pieces of masking tape, spread evenly around the edge. Then punch 8 holes, one in each piece of masking tape. Take your fishing line and cut 8 even pieces. Tie one end of the fishing line to a hole in the parachute and the other end to the handle on the tennis ball. Repeat 7 times. Make sure the fishing line is taut when you lift up the tennis ball in the center of the chute.

Step 8: The Balloon

The ballon should be blown up to capacity (which isn't very big because it's a water balloon). After it is blown up, place it in the top of the cone.

Step 9: Folding the Parachute

Fold the parachute in half horizontally and then again vertically. Fold the parachute into vertical triangles. After it is the thinnest you can make it, fold it in half horizontally. Place the tennis ball, followed by the parachute in the bottom of the bottle rocket.

Step 10: Launching

Fill your bottle between 1/2 way & 2/3. Pump the air pump to between 60 & 80 and launch! The air pressure on the top, to the balloon should bounce the top off on the way down, releasing the top and then your parachute. Watch as your tennis ball floats through the air!

for more fun visit electronic

Build a World's Smallest Electronic Shocker!

by Plasmana

It is good to know if the tiny shocker is on or not, by adding a wonderful invention called the "LED", so you don't risk get bitten by the shocker again!

Disclaimer: This shocker can be dangerous if used improperly, it gives out about 400 to 450 volts, so I am NOT responsible if you or anybody are injured or killed by the shocker, the responsibility is yours...

Improved instructable!
I have been asked by comments and email how to attach a LED to a shocker to indicate it is on. So I then decide to make another instructable how to do that.

And, I have copied and pasted everything from my original shocker instructable onto this instructable and greatly improved the text on every step, also added more steps and replaced some pictures. I am hoping it would be less confusing to you and understand the project better so you can have an higher success in completing this project. :-)

If you do find anything confusing or an error on this instructable, please let me know and I'll fix it.

Step 1: What type of disposable camera should I use?

The best disposable camera you can use for this project are the "Boots" or "Polaroid" types, because they have everything you need.
The "Kodak" type is a bit more difficult, you need to find the type that uses an LED indicator, NOT a neon bulb indicator, those types will not work. Also, the LED type cameras uses SMD resistors, so you will need to find or buy one 220 ohm and one 100 ohm resistors.
All other types of cameras like "fuji" ect. will not work because they have an different and/or more complex circuitry.

Step 2: What else you will need from the junkbox and the toolbox...

Hardly anything is needed for this project but the tools, all of the important bits are found in the disposable camera...

Some bits wires
AA battery holder (or other types of battery holder)
Solder

And the tools...

Soldering iron (with a micro-tip if you have one.)
Hot glue gun.
Desolder pump (it makes the job much easier, but you could probably get away with out one).
Flat-head screwdriver.
Wire strippers.
Wire cutters.
Pliers.
Vice (to hold the shocker in place while soldering)

Also, if you don't know how to solder or having trouble, this guide can teach you how to solder and other cool little bits that are good to know.

Step 3: Slaughter the camera!

Now this is going to be a fairly dangerous part, open up the camera and get the circuit out safely without getting shocked by the capacitor...

First, pry open the camera's case apart with a flat-head screwdriver or just use your hands if you like, but you are more likely to get shocked by the capacitor.
After you taken the camera's case off, discharge the capacitor with a insulated screw driver, and you may get a big loud spark, and after that, the capacitor is discharged... (Use a screwdriver you don't like because a charged capacitor will leave a fairly large scar on the metal part of the screwdriver!)

Also, to avoid getting shocked by the capacitor, wear plastic or thick gloves.

Great! You had done the dangerous step on this instructable! Some people say this is the fun part because you get a nice big and loud spark!

Step 4: Gut the camers's components

Okay, after you had took apart the camera and discharge the capacitor...
Desolder all of the wanted components off the camera's circuit (I desolder all of mine off of the camera board).

The components we will need from this camera are...

Ferrite transformer with five pins
22nF film capacitor
Transistor (NPN type)
Diode
Red LED
220 ohm resistor - Color code: Red/Red/Brown
100 ohm resistor - Color code: Brown/Black/Brown

As you might have know, the ferrite transformers has different tape colors, it does not matter what color they are, they are all the same. I don't know why they have different colors...

The 330v 80uF capacitor can be fun to use, you can make a capacitor bank with a bunch of 'em and makes some big bad ass sparks or use it to make a powerful coilgun on this instructable! Coilgun Handgun
You can do some really interesting light effects with the xenon tube if you put it near the plasma globe...

Also, be very careful when desoldering (and soldering) the transistor, they are quite heat sensitive because they very small. So try desolder it quickly otherwise the transistor will burn out without showing any signs of being dead. Using the dead transistor on the shocker will give you some very low output voltage results like 0.41v or something like that. This makes some people think this instructable is a scam, it is not, it is because they burnt out the transistor without knowing it...

To reduce the risk of a burnt out transistor, clip an alligator/crocodile clip onto the leads of the transistor (or the case if there is no room to put the clip on the leads). The clip will act like an heatsink, this should give you some more time to desolder the transistor.

Step 5: The difficult bit...

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Okay, this is the difficult part of the project, making the shocker itself...

Because we want to make this shocker small, it is a good idea to use a magnifying glass so you can see what you are doing and avoid make any solder bridges.

I also made a schematic and a design to show to show you how the shocker is made.

Start with the five pin ferrite transformer.

It is important that the transformer has 5 pins, if the transformer has 4 or 6 pins, it will not work for this project.

Step 6: Solder on the transistor

Solder the transistor's base lead to the pin 4 of the transformer and solder the transistor's collector lead to the pin 1 of the transformer.

The transistor's emitter lead is the ground.

Step 7: Solder on the 200 ohm resistor.

Solder one lead of the 220 ohm resistor to the pin 2 of the transformer and solder the resistor's other lead to the pin 3 of the transformer.

Step 8: Solder on the diode

Solder the cathode lead of the diode to the pin 5 of the transformer.

Step 9: Solder on the film capacitor

Solder one lead of the film capacitor to the anode of the diode and solder the other lead of the capacitor to the pin 2 of the transformer.

If the capacitor's leads are too short (like mine) to reach pin 2 of the transformer and the anode of the diode, just solder some some wires on the leads of the capacitor to make it longer.

Also, the film capacitor has no polarity (like the resistors), so you can connect it any way round.

Step 10: Solder on the 100 ohm resistor

Solder one lead of the 100 ohm resistor to pin 3 of the transformer.

The other lead will be connect the LED.

Step 11: Solder on the LED

Solder the anode lead of the LED to 100 ohm resistor's lead.

Then solder the cathode lead of the LED to the transistor's emitter lead.

Step 12: Wires...

Solder the ground wire (black) from the battery to the emitter lead of the transistor and the cathode of the LED.

Solder the positive wire (red) from the battery to the pin 2 of the transformer.

And solder the high voltage output wire (blue) to the cathode of the diode and the capacitor.

Step 13: Bend everything down...

Then, gently push all the components onto the side of the transformer and use hot glue if needed.

Step 14: Construction on shocker completed and being tested..

Okay, now you built your shocker and it is time to test it...

You should get between -400 to -450 volts out of the shocker. My multimeter is reading -438 volts from my shocker.

If yours does not work, calm down, don't get so angry and blow off your head about hours of work for nothing.

First, check your shocker closely, are there any solder bridges? If so, remove them and replace the transistor.
If it still does not work, you probably burnt out the transistor from putting the soldering iron on its leads for to long, replace the transistor and don't keep the soldering iron on its leads for to long again. If it still does not work...
Then the ferrite transformer's internal wiring might be damaged if you went rough with it trying to get it out of the camera board. Build another shocker, because you cannot repair a tiny transformer (unless you have the proper equipment to do so!)

And if it STILL does not work, well I guess you can you can go very angry, and smash up the shocker with a hammer and get over it. Or try make another one...

Step 15: Two ways to attach the shocker to the battery holder...

Maybe more...

You can connect the shocker in a crude and simple way by using lots of wires... However, it would be quite difficult to use with all those dangling wires.

Or you can spend a little more time soldering and gluing the shocker and switch onto the battery holder to make the shocker more portable and easy to use.

Step 16: Have fun electrocuting people and don't get caught by the police!

Okay, now that you had built a shocker with a useful LED indicator, what is stopping you from going outside and electrocute your friends (and perhaps strangers)? Also, watch out for police who is looking for trouble!! (That wouldn't be good!)

To use the shocker, the victim must touch the live -400v wire and the +1.5v wire to get a unpleasant shock...

The pain of a 400v shock is the equivalent of getting a really nasty static shock from a car. But the shocker gives a continuous shock...
Also, if you want the shocker to give more painful shocks to the victim, you just simply increase the input voltage!

So, if you give it:

1.5v input = 450v output.
3v input = 900v output.
4.5v input = 1200v output.
9v input = 2700v output. (OUCH!)

Beware the higher voltage you give to the shocker, the sooner it will burn out. If you give the shocker 9 volts, it WILL not survive longer than a few seconds, or it may immediately blow up... It is the best if you feed your shocker only 1.5 volt, it may hurts less, but it won't burn out.

There is one funny idea that Kiteman thunk up...

What you can do is wire up the shocker to a battery with a switch and make the 400v wire and the 1.5v wire long and then box it up in a small plastic case (except the long wires) to prevent shocking your self...

Then put the shocker in your pocket and have the long wires running down your jacket or long sleeve and put a insulator like a bandage on your finger tip to insulate you (so you don't shock your self). Then put the bare ends of the wires on top of the bandage and tape it down.

And now you are for some fun! Go into the crowded school corridor and touch people with your electrified finger tip, you might not want to touch the girls as they have a bad habit of screaming their head off if they get an unexpecting surprise, but go ahead and touch them if you want...
Or maybe go into the dinner queue and shock people as they slap the mashed potato on his/her tray...

So, what other funny and things can you think up for this small shocker?

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