If there’s one thing Blasted Science likes more than Jacob’s Ladders, it’s microwaves. They’re loaded with tons of useful equipment, most notably the massive transformer and the magnetron. We’re planning on making a HERF gun out of one, but first we’re going to have a little fun. Hopefully something explodes.

The post New Video: Microwave Experiments with Various Household Objects appeared first on Blasted Science.

The thing we cracked open is a big light from inside a projector TV. They are full of juice.

We don’t recommend spilling any on your driveway as it takes days to disappear. Don’t drink it either.

The post New Video: “Super Juicy” – Jacob’s Ladder Bonus Video appeared first on Blasted Science.

This is hands-down the easiest way to make a Jacob’s Ladder, period. All you need is an old TV and a death wish.

The actual tutorial in the video is quite subtle, so here’s a written explanation of exactly what we did:

Instructions:

1. Take apart a CRT TV. Be careful! They can implode if you crack the glass.
2. Rip the circuit board out. This will probably require cutting a few wires.
3. Plug it into the wall, and turn it on. You should hear a high-pitched noise. This is the part where you be EXTREMELY careful.
4. Two of the biggest (usually red) wires will arc up to a few centimeters. These are the wires you want. Don’t get your bare skin near them. Keep your left hand behind your back at all times.
5. Hook the two arcing wires up to a pair of metal rods that are in a long V-shape. Voila! That’s all there is to it.

You might have to initiate the spark by putting something metal between the two wires at the bottom.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. A SINGLE MISTAKE WILL KILL YOU. The electricity is powerful enough to instantly kill you. Would not recommend.

The post New Video: How to Make a 20,000 Volt Jacob’s Ladder (Sort of) appeared first on Blasted Science.

Late Condolences to a Brother in Arms

Turns out we aren’t the only idiots in the world. Some other guy decided to copy us and make a Jacob’s ladder. Unlike us, though, they were unable to keep themselves safe. They are no longer with us. Actually, they haven’t been with us for almost a year now. We didn’t get the message until recently.

Homemade Jacob’s Ladder

A young boy, not unlike the members of Blasted Science, built a Jacob’s Ladder in his garage, just like we did. Tragically, he was found dead by his parents.

A 15-year-old boy in Ohio electrocuted himself while attempting a science experiment he saw on YouTube, Reuters reported.

The teenager, Morgan Wojciechowski, tried to conduct a high-voltage experiment, called Jacob’s Ladder, in the garage of his home in northern Ohio. Wojciechowski’s parents found him there on Tuesday, ABC News reported, and emergency crews took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Source

Cause of Death

The article suggests that the reason he died was because many online Jacob’s Ladder tutorials don’t have any warning about how dangerous it is:

It’s easy to find a Jacob’s Ladder tutorial on the internet, and it might not tell you you can die from making it.

That’s a pretty awful thing for people to do. How could they just ignore the danger to their viewer’s lives? That’s downright sinister. A big problem for many tutorials is that the author can unintentionally assume that the viewer already knows how dangerous electrical experiments are.

(Editor’s note: contrary to popular belief, we aren’t guilty of this whatsoever; we know how dangerous Jacob’s Ladders are, but choose to ignore it. Because we’re smart, y’all.)

The Lesson

Don’t be a dumb! Compared to the one in the article, our Jacob’s Ladder had double the voltage and we probably took less precautions. There’s also no chance that we’re more intelligent than our deceased compadre. How did we survive? The answer is simply the combination of our two best traits: sheer luck and incredibly thick, resistive skin.

Blasted Science’s first attempt at a Jacob’s Ladder.

The post Possible Foreshadowing? A Failed Jacob’s Ladder Experiment appeared first on Blasted Science.

Everyone always has a complaint about their iPad or, for that matter, any other tablet (we just prefer to roast the iPad in particular). Having trouble finding a good tablet? Trick question, there are none. You’ll have to make your own. Before you even take another step this will cost money. We know this breaks our own rules, but it’s unavoidable. Sadly, even Blasted Science can’t build a good tablet with parts found in a dumpster.

Being the master of electronics and engineering that we are we decided we should share our knowledge and wisdom with those of you at home who may not be so gifted. That doesn’t mean you; you must be smart because you’re reading this. Just tell everyone you know that they do not have the knowledge of the all-powerful Blasted Science to help them along the journey of life. we have done the research and we know we can make the most powerful tablet you have ever seen. We have decided that the best way to do this is a step by step process, so here it goes.

1. Do some research. It is important to have a good idea of what you want. Find a tablet that you would want and absorb all of the knowledge from the reviews. The details and specs are useless only go to reviews, preferably reviews written by people who have not bought the product.
2. Buy it. To make the tablet that fits you you will have to test it out and see what you like. While the reviews may be a very good source you are better. Test it out for a month all the while making a list of the things you do and don’t like.
3. Destroy it. You can’t be tethered to these Earthly objects when going through the process of engineering. I recommend meditation to get the clear mind that is necessary when destroying to rebuild. The destruction process is really important. You must open it up take out all the electronics in the case then use a sledgehammer to gently destroy it. Keep the case it will be important later.
4. Buy a new one. Now that you have that list of things you do and do not like buy one that fits those criteria. Once you have one that you know you like move on to the next step.
5. Take out the insides. We are still making our own.
6. Get the case out from earlier. Get the case and stuff the electronics from your new one in the old one. If it doesn’t fit then just saw off one side, it’ll probably still work.
7. Clickbait. Take out your 1000 DEGREE GLOWING KNIFE and slice the second tablet’s casing. YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, ONLY 3% OF PEOPLE CAN SEE THE FUMES THAT IT EMITS! DO THE FUMES CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WARMING??????
8. ENJOY! You are so welcome for the new and improved tablet.

We at Blasted Science accept tips, and welcome you to contact us and we will give you the opportunity to donate to us.

The post Build Your Own Tablet appeared first on Blasted Science.

Onion Omega2

The Omega2 is one of those increasingly popular single-board computers. It made its debut on Kickstarter last year. Is it any good?

I’ll be up-front about it. I’m not the target market for the Omega2. It’s similar to a Raspberry Pi Zero, but with one big difference: the Zero is designed for, well, doing a lot of things. The Omega2 is designed for IoT. Blasted Science has absolutely no interest in IoT whatsoever, but the price tag was absolutely irresistible at $5.

Actually, the version I’m reviewing is the $9 “Plus” version. The only difference is that the Plus variant has double the RAM and storage. This review should apply equally well to both models, though. Here’s the spec sheet:

Slower than the Pi Zero, but you don’t buy these for speed, right?

Shipping Woes

For a brief time, I was very disappointed in Onion’s shipping ability. It had been more than a month longer than they promised and I still hadn’t gotten our Omega2. However, it turns out it wasn’t their problem. I had forgotten to fill out the delivery form on Kickstarter. Oops. My bad.

Setup

The Omega2 was much more difficult to setup than I thought. To power it via MicroUSB, you need dock, purchased separately. The dock costs twice as much as the computer itself, which is a big disappointment. If the Pi Zero can incorporate USB and keep the price under $5, it seems inexcusable to make it an add-on feature for $10. Being a tightwad, I passed on buying it and decided to build my own power supply. I already had all the parts except one: a voltage regular. I found a pack of 10 on Ebay for cheap.

The power supply isn’t complicated at all, and is well documented. However, it still gave me a bunch of problems, which once again were likely my fault. The Omega2 would start booting up, but the power light would turn off after 10-20 seconds. After spending hours trying to isolate the problem, I discovered it was my power supply. As a quick hack, I swapped out a broken-out phone charger with 4 AA batteries. Success!

My messy, homemade Omega2 power supply. It’s simpler than it looks.

The setup process is surprisingly simple and well-designed. You interact with the Omega2 via another computer; connecting it to the Omega2 via Wifi. You simply point your web browser at a specific IP address and the setup can begin. All you have to do is give it your Wifi password, and you’re done. Optionally, you can update your device’s firmware and install the “console”. After that, you’re ready to begin using it.

Usage

One advantage the Omega2 has over any Raspberry Pi is that it comes with 32Mb of storage (64Mb for the Plus); this allows it to run a full Linux installation out of the box, no microSD card required. While it’s by no means a sizable amount of storage, it’s enough for basic functionality. Fortunately, it does have a microSD slot.

The underside of the Omega2

You can interact with the Omega2 via SSH or serial, but I didn’t try either one. The simplest method of interaction is via the same IP address used for setup. If you choose to install the console, you get a good-looking web interface loaded with a few useful apps.

Kinda reminds me of Ubuntu

To reiterate, I have no interest in actually using this device for IoT. I poked around the various apps, but have no real use for any of it. I did install Python and test a few lines of code, but that’s been the extent of my testing so far.

The Bottom Line

The Omega2 is a well-designed, low-cost Raspberry Pi competitor, although its cheap price rises quickly with the addition of basically-required accessories. It’s also pretty good at doing IoT things. Probably. I wouldn’t know. But it’s cool. It made a fine addition to my collection.

A pretty snazzy little machine. I bet it works just fine.

Various accessories for the Omega2 can be purchased at the official store.

The post Onion Omega2 Review – a Pi Zero with a Cool Trick appeared first on Blasted Science.

This update is a couple months late. We noticed.

The post New Video: Blasted Science Documentary appeared first on Blasted Science.

5. Spaghetti

A thermic lance is a heavy-duty demolition tool that burns steel alloys and aluminum in pressurized oxygen to create temperatures hot enough to cut… anything, really. Instead of burning steel, this do-it-yourself version uses spaghetti as fuel.

Spaghetti may not seem particularly flammable, but with pure oxygen just about everything becomes a pyromaniac’s dream. With just an oxygen tank, aluminum foil, and a small handful of spaghetti, you can make a thermic lance that burns hot enough to melt through concrete.

Thermic lances are used in construction and demolition to cut large pieces of steel. This homemade version can get hot enough to melt metal. All you have to do is hook up one side of a small hose to an oxygen tank and attach a small amount of spaghetti wrapped in aluminum foil to the other. Igniting the spaghetti in the oxygen-rich tube produces a crazy-hot flame, creating the cheapest steel-melting lance you’ll ever see.

It is worth noting that Blasted Science has constructed their own thermic lance. However, ours never runs out of oxygen. Instead of a tank, we hooked it up to an oxygen generator for longer burning.

4. Ammonia

Ammonia itself can be dangerous (inhalation not recommended), but when combined with iodine, the extremely volatile explosive Nitrogen Triiodide is formed. Touching it with just about anything is enough to make it explode.

All you need is ammonium hydroxide, easily purchased as a household cleaner, and iodine crystals, easily purchased online. Simply dissolve the iodine crystals in the ammonium hydroxide and wait a few hours. Pour the resulting liquid over filter paper to collect the explosive. Be careful: even though the compound is more stable while in solution, it can still potentially explode while dissolved.

Nitrogen Triiodide has no practical use, due to its extreme sensitivity to friction, but it can certainly be entertaining. Be extremely careful with these crystals; the slightest touch and you can kiss your fingers goodbye. It’s recommended that you start small, and work your way up to bigger amounts once you know what you’re doing.

Blasted Science attempted to make Nitrogren Triiodide, but our iodine samples weren’t nearly pure enough for it to work.  Sticking live wires into a bottle filled with iodized salt water probably wasn’t the best way to obtain iodine.

3. Etch-a-Sketch

This common toy is loaded with powdered aluminum. Aluminum, sadly, doesn’t burn. Unless it’s combined with rust, that is.

Mixing powdered aluminum and iron oxide (rust) in the correct ratio, three parts iron oxide to one part aluminum, creates thermite. Thermite isn’t explosive, but burns at insanely high temperatures and produces iron. However, it also requires insanely high temperatures to ignite; a normal flame won’t do it. Using a sparkler is an easy way to get it started. Never ignite thermite near yourself; it spews molten metal all over the place. You don’t want to be anywhere near it once it’s lit.

After the time of writing (this list has been in limbo for a long time), Grant Thompson and Cody’s Lab successfully created thermite from an Etch-a-Sketch. The video from Cody’s Lab goes into greater detail on their project.

Thermite burns at well above 4,000° Fahrenheit: hot enough to melt through things not usually considered meltable, such as dirt. Good luck finding a container that can hold it. Most commonly, ceramic containers are used, such as flowerpots. Surprisingly, it is 100% legal to own and use. Have fun.

2. Drain Cleaner

Drain cleaner, aluminum foil, and a pop bottle are used to make what is called a “Drano bomb.” Combining drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide) and aluminum foil produces hydrogen gas. If the reaction occurs in a sealed bottle, the pressure will increase until the bottle explodes.

Using drain cleaner to make bottle bombs can be very dangerous. The explosion can cause chemical burns and the loss of fingers. For this device in particular, please be mature. These bombs are often left in people’s yards and mailboxes, and can cause severe damage to people and property. Be extremely careful with explosives and never use them to harm anyone or anything.

Alternatively, try stretching a balloon over the mouth of the bottle. The balloon will fill with hydrogen gas, which is lighter than helium and extremely flammable. Try lighting the balloon with a match, even a small balloon will make a sizeable explosion. You’ll definitely want to wear thick gloves while lighting it.

Blasted Science’s hydrogen bomb in the making

Blasted Science can confirm that this works very well. Unfortunately, our video has become corrupted, and our only evidence is the single photograph above.

1. Lantern Battery

Using a power supply built from microwave oven transformers, the carbon rods in lantern batteries happen to work perfectly as electrodes in a miniature electric arc furnace hot enough to turn metal and rocks into molten goop.

The entire process is detailed by Grant Thompson in one of his most dangerous DIY projects to date. This project is a bit more complicated than the rest: you’ll need to use the transformers from a pair of microwaves to convert the electricity from your house into a current capable of forming an arc. But the effort is well worth it. With a couple of microwaves, pliers, carbon rods, and a block of firebrick, you can make a forge capable of melting just about everything imaginable.

However, all that power comes at the price of serious danger. This is easily the most dangerous item on this list. You’ll be dealing with electricity, extremely high temperatures, toxic fumes, and molten metal. Because of this, take appropriate safety measures. This project is not for the faint of heart.

Once again, Blasted Science has constructed their own version of this. However, it deserves more than just a mention in a list. Expect more information on our arc furnace in the future.

Just to prove we aren’t making this up

The post Top 5 More Household Items to Turn into Weapons appeared first on Blasted Science.

The internet is silent on this subject. It took hours to find any useful information about the rarity of disposable cameras. After sifting through almost a dozen pages of Google search results, I finally stumbled across a forum thread that was discussing this problem. A person by the username venchka shared the following information:

Walmart sends the film to the nearest Fuji lab. Fuji process the 35mm C-41 film. Everything else goes to Dwayne’s.

Source: Ranger Finder Forum – Walmart stopping film processing?

Assuming venchka speaks the truth, this is exactly what we’ve been looking for! Apparently, the cameras either go to someplace called Dwayne’s or they get sent to the nearest Fuji lab. What are those places?

Dwayne’s Photo

Dwayne’s Photo is a photofinishing lab located in the middle of nowhere. More specifically, they reside in a “small town in Kansas” according to their web site. Their history page more or less explains why Walmart sends some of their film to them:

With over 50 employees, Dwayne’s is one of the largest specialty labs in the United States.  We are very proud to have been the last lab in the world to process Kodak’s iconic Kodachrome film.  We are one of the few labs that still offer processing for a variety of film types that are no longer manufactured, including Disc and 126 films.

Dwayne’s is quite literally one of the last places on the entire planet that still develops certain types of film. It seems that Walmart has no choice but to send some types of film off to a tiny Kansas town for processing. The only place that still  has the technology required is a tiny family owned company smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

Also, forgive me, but I find it quite hilarious that “one of the largest specialty labs in the United States” only has around 50 employees.

Unfortunately, unless you happen to live in Kansas, Dwayne’s camera doesn’t seem like a good choice for getting a bunch of free disposable cameras. Even if the company were kind enough to mail them to you, it would defeat the entire purpose. We want to get the cameras for free. Stupid shipping costs. Fortunately, we still have one more hope: Walmart also sends cameras to Fuji labs.

Fuji Labs

What the heck is a Fuji lab? After doing a bit of research, I found out. Fujifilm is a company that makes photo-developing equipment for businesses. A Fuji lab is any location that owns Fujifilm photofinishing equipment. Essentially, Walmart just sends the cameras off to the nearest place that still has photo equipment.

How can you find these locations? Conveniently, Fujifilm has an index of every Fuji lab in the United States! Score! This list is probably everything you need. In fact, there are two Fuji labs within just a few miles of where I live. These places almost certainly have disposable cameras ready for the taking. You can view Fujifilm’s list of labs here.

This is the information we needed! All that’s left is to visit my local Fuji labs and do some smooth talking. Will it work? You’ll find out in the next post.

The post Hunting for Disposable Cameras: Locating Them appeared first on Blasted Science.

Somehow I get the feeling that it’s not going to be this easy

In the previous post of this series, we complained about the scarcity of disposable cameras, which makes many electronics projects much trickier to complete. Now, we’re going to find a solution to this problem, starting at the source: business.

Where are the cameras going?

Many places that develop film no longer possess the necessary equipment to develop it. Instead, they ship the camera off to be developed elsewhere. The first step to finding the El Dorado of cameras is to find out where they all get sent. I reached out to about a dozen companies, including Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, and Walmart, and asked them something similar to the following:

I am interested in acquiring a large number of used disposable cameras for a project I am working on. I have visited many of your physical locations and have been unsuccessful. According to the employees, your stores no longer develop the film on-site. They ship the cameras away to be developed somewhere else. I am wondering if you could tell me where they get sent off to. Thank you.

It’s been weeks and I’ve only gotten one response. Target replied to my email within the hour. Loosely paraphrasing, their reply stated “No, we won’t give you any cameras. Shut up,” which, needless to say, disappointed me greatly. At least they didn’t totally ignore me like the rest. Why haven’t I gotten any more responses? Maybe this is because all the customer service employees at every single contacted company simultaneously took a month-long vacation. Maybe it’s something far more sinister. That remains to be seen. Although it’s entirely possible that I get more responses later, I’ve jumped to the conclusion that I won’t get any. In any case, on the off-chance that I get another response, expect this post to be updated.

Where to from here?

If companies insist on ignoring me, there’s only one other option: the internet. Unfortunately, when it comes to locating disposable cameras, the internet is a barren place. In spite of this, after hours of research, I managed to find a few bits of useful information. I will share everything I’ve learned so far in the next post in this series.

The post Asking Companies About Disposable Cameras appeared first on Blasted Science.