Tesla Forums

Hi,
New here - first post... I've been looking around the web and haven't found any reference to this idea. Has anyone tried using compact disks (CD's) stacked to make a capacitor? I have in mind a stack, say a foot high with copper foil at each end with wires soldered on. Wrap the whole thing tightly in plactic wrap. It seems that it should do "something"; just not sure, voltage, capacitance. I figure *someone* must have tried this at some point. Thoughts?

Thanks,

Mike T.

CDs are made up of layers of different stuff, including a shiny metallic layer. You wouldn't want a conductor in the dielectric material between plates. You would get a better capacitor made from simple items, and high voltage caps are so cheap now that it's rarely worth making your own. Do a quick eBay search to see.

Don't they also have  a Hole in them?  It's an Elegant Idea--would look wicked, like Sci-Fi, but you'd have to cut holes in the plates and shove a plastic tube dawn the middle. I'm not saying it Won't work, but there are more practical caps. 

EDIT: I find no reference on any metalized coating. How could a R/W disk have metals---you can't very well expect the "holes" to be "refilled" when rewriting--it must be some reflective gel or metal colloid that can "refill the holes". CD's or Read only  May have metal-, Just try some  al foil as an experiment an  dsee--if they arc internally, too bad..

I needed to make some insulators for my 6" induction coil (my neverending project). I decided to use 3 mil poly rather than waxed paper, as the 1908 Collin's book said. I found empty 5-gallon oil jugs at a Chinese restaurant's dumpster. Each made 4 nice 6"  pieces. If kept indoors, this plastic is very stable--would make great dielectric, and, of course, free. (The Arizona sun ruins everything!)  .  Plastic is getting $$--A small, 1/4"  sheet of Lexan cost me $75 in 2004.

Aluminum flashing for the plates looks better than wrinkly-old Al foil, but is expensive, new. Find a construction sight where they are tearing down a building or find "used housewares" or something on Internet.  http://www.HabitStore.com  , a Tucson site,   has used, donated  windows, doors, etc.  You can find the big, aluminum dryer duct for Toroids,  sometimes, too.

I also get great sonotubes or plastic pipe from work sites. Cutoff lengths are worthless to them; they give 'em away.

 I found a line crew changing insulators..they can't reuse old ones, no matter how good a shape they are in. So, I got some Wicked, long onesgfor free! (Heavy, Too!)

 I once  made a  salt water cap out of beer bottles, but it  weighed 45 pounds! I put foil on the outside to save weight--worked good. Then, I tried flake aluminum, glued to the inside of the bottles to save even more weight. Bad Idea! Al oxidizes and won't conduct. Especially flake. Some grades are difficult to even ignite.

I'm sticking with series strings of MMC caps or something. The .015 mF/15 kv caps at ebay seemed the best deal. Put them in oil/wax with equalizing resistors:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180401264097&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Too bad I see so few doorknobs or transmitting micas out here at a decent price. Saw them all over the Bay Area and sold them  back east and as far as Hawaii and the Philippines.  for a small profit. Many surplus-poor areas in the world.  Helped a couple 'coilers get their school project going!