alt Hacker NewsIf you're into gas displays, there's also the plasma toroid (not globe).
People have be filling it with different gasses to get different colors.
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cubefox • yesterday at 5:18 PM
I wonder how this one works: https://youtube.com/watch?v=xlcywgEMuGI
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A few safety PSAs on these:
1. This puts out a fair amount of UVC light. Most people are not familiar with this hazard because the atmosphere filters it, but even a modest flux can degrade your eye lenses and give you cataracts. Get a set of safety glasses that explicitly say they block UVC if playing with this for more than a minute or two cumulative. Normally you would use borosilicate glass to filter it, but I would not trust these to use anything other than the cheapest materials.
2. The hazard is "high voltage" but it is 1 MHz, not DC. Conventional wisdoms on DC high voltage insulation isn't sufficient. You need RF safety guidance. If you get your finger within about an inch of the terminals the air will break down and turn your skin into a 50W load. It will smell a lot like burnt plastic, but it is your skin that's been burned. Treat these with respect. They are inherently unsafe because they do not have engineering controls to keep touches away from dangerous locations: a knife with no handle.
In case anyone's wondering: no these aren't really above the level but few enough people are getting hurt and [insert your preferred explanation why society doesn't meet demands] that nothing happens.
Be safe, have fun.