How do you make a vandergraph generater?

Question

i was just wondering How to make a vandergraph generater because we had 1 in science class the other day so i was just wondering. thanks

Answer 1

Kits for those are available.

These are very hard to make. They look easy, but they are not.

Basically, there are 2 conductors with a hollow insulating pipe in between. The bottom conductor is grounded to earth (usually through the AC power cord ground lead). The top conductor should be a smooth-surfaced dome.

A felt band is run from the bottom to the top through the pipe. As the felt runs over the bottom pulley (made of a particular hard rubber), static charges separate from the friction and travel up the belt, where little conductive wire fingers pick up the charge and deposit it onto the dome. THe top pulley should be made of a different material that does not produce static when the felt belt runs over it (felt-lined wood or something). At the base, the rubber bearing and axle are attached to earth ground.

The tricky part is getting the proper materials (pulley and belt), and the proper spacing for the pick-up-fingers at the top. It's hard to get it all properly aligned, and setup -- that's why a kit is a better choice.

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Answer 2

coke cans a rubber band a an electric motor some pipes and a nail there was a guide online telling you how to make one of these devices

http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/electro/electro6.html