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Build Your Own Stun Gun
mariox19 writes "Wondering what to do with your disposable camera when you're finished with it? TechTV has an article describing how to reach out and zap someone with a home-made stun gun. I discovered the link via Bruce Schneier's latest Cryptogram, where Schneier half-jokingly warns not to let airport security find out about this, lest (in their 'wisdom') they ban cameras along with nail clippers."
About the only way I can think of securing against such a threat would be to ban all battery-operated devices from the plane.
Yep, some backlight inverters for laptops run at over 1000V for firing a cold cathode tube.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
I suppose its possible that "some" cameras have the right hardware inside to make this. However, personal experience leads me to believe that there are cameras which will deliver just enough shock to piss someone off even more. In fixing a rather nice digital camera a while back, I just happened to touch the wrong wire and... ZAP!!! Ouch? Yes. A knockout? Definately not. Confusing, especially since the batteries werent in the thing. Put it back together, tried it, ended up charing the thing again. Took it apart again. Discovered another wrong spot to touch... ZAP! Equally painful the second time, but still no knockout... That time I ended up throwing the thing in a brief hand spasm which resulted in it landing on my leg and... oh no.. ZAP! That was number 3 and damn I hated that thing but it was still just painful and nothing like a stun gun should deliver. Heck. Not even as bad as picking up a damp laptop battery and having it discharge into you. That'll make your arm numb for hours ;)
~~ Please keep your arms, legs, and outright stupidity inside the ride at all times. Thank You ~~
Just stop by your local farm store and pick up a cattle prod. Or order one at http://www.redhillgeneralstore.com/prod.htm or one of their many competitors.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Yeah so the article really just says that the battery in the camera can charge the capacitor, and you can procedure to discharge that capacitor on a grounded person. Big deal.
Yeah, capacitors on slashdot once again :)
/.ers know more?
But beware that this is really dangerous. I touched a flash capacitor some time ago, 40uF@400V are not really nice. 200uF@600V and I can assure you that you will fly across the room, hopefully surviving the shock. I have several 1uF@10kV caps, and I don'T dare to charge them to > 3kV (LOUD, risk of EMI, some PC failures already because of cap discharges)
Because this is all too destructive, here is a nice modification (I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY!!):
Leave the connection to the flash tube intact. Increase the capacity of the HV cap. Add capacitors salvaged from other cameras, or as a very cheap alternative, from PC power supplies.
Check the voltage rating. Often, they're rated at 800uF@200V, if your flash light operates around 200V, connect two of them in series (+ -)(+ -).
You can get nice, very *bright* flashes with this method. Do not add to much or the flash time will explode.
Problems here:
- NEVER touch power supply caps, they can store 10x - 20x the energy of flash caps. Lethal!
- Discharge the CAPs from the power supplies before salvaging.
- Discharge the unit after use with an *isolated* gripper, better yet, a high-wattage resistor (few kOhms) hold by an *isolated* gripper.
Someone said that more that more than 10 joule are dangerous, but I think you should not set an upper bound for harmless capacitors.
PS. Someone told me that you have to drink much liquid after an electric shock. Because it removes toxic products from your body which could result in kidney failure or so. Maybe the medicine-studying
But... better don't let this happen!
Yes, and that is IMHO not absurd. Recent advancements in rechargeable technology get the energy stored per mass unit into the region of chemical explosives. According to various source (google), cell phone batteries have around 165Wh/kg, approx 0.6MJ/kg. TNT has 4GJ/ton, i.e. 4MJ/kg. Now consider the mass of a common laption LiIon battery ...
That's the scary part, most people don't have a clue what a taser gun is in the first place, not even the authors of this camera stunt project.
The goal is not to inflict pain, that would not even stop a determined attacker, and he would end up hurting twice as bad for pissing him off.
The point is not to shock a person's heart with high voltage. The way real police grade tasers work is by sending electric pulse into the muscles, so the muscles contract and retract multiple times per second (or is it miliseconds? can't remember) then the brain freaks out and you become paralized, you fall on the floor like a drooling retard and the cops take advantage of this moment to handcuff you.
Indeed, it appears that this /. article may effectively be an advert for a new tech tv show premiering this week;
e /
http://www.techtv.com/unscrewed/ihateyou/archiv
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