Thompson’s “solar scorcher” device.
Posted on 03/29/2013 10:04:57 AM PDT by null and void
Plastic sheet focuses sun light to the point that it can melt pennies, boil water, more Grant Thompson, also known by the online moniker “The King of Random”, has posted a wildly popular video on YouTube in which he hacks an old, 50-inch TV to remove a plastic sheet from it for use as a “solar scorcher.”
Thompson’s “solar scorcher” device.
A bit more specifically, Thompson removed the TV’s front screen and separated the three parts that make up the component. Of the pieces, the TV’s Fresnel Lens displays a perfect ratio, Thompson notes, as it allows him to focus the sun’s rays onto a tiny spot or target.
The target spot which a TV’s Frensel lens creates.
When focused, the temperature on this spot reaches 2000 F which, as Thompson demonstrates, is hot enough to ignite wood, melt pennies, explode glass bottles, melt concrete, and more. Much more as a matter of fact.
An egg after it was exposed to Thompson’s DIY laser.
What’s particularly noteworthy about this project is the fact that when the lens is unfocused, it’s harmless. Only when it’s positioned right will it super-focus the sun’s light.
The following videos come from this project. The first is a demonstration on how Thompson hacked open the TV; after that is a 4-minute clip that shows Thompson burning various objects.
To see more of Grant Thompson’s projects, clear a few hours from your schedule to check out his website, thekingofrandom.com
With an old hot wter heater tank and coil of copper, the solar heating via a lens would be a neat-o system.
BTW, it hurts. Anyone who did this probably tried it on themselves.
After you’ve found it and fooled with it some...... can a I borrow it to mess with a day or two.
(or perhaps a week here in the land of perpetual rain and clouds)
You need a set of copper coils separate from the tank. You pump the water through the coils and aim your 65' wide fresnel lens at the coil array, and away you go. hook up a motor to turn the lens as the Sun moves (along with a simple guidance system) and you've got it made.
Check with John Hutchison on that one ...
The old granny trick is what you’d need ... put a ribbon between the magnet and the fridge door.
Lol, I was the little brother. That’s what I was for.
If I haven’t killed myself with it...sure.
I’m quite familiar with that fraud. LT. Colonel Bearden as well.
Oh boy...... can’t wait
In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled DIYer removes screen from TV to create death ray laser, COBOL2Java wrote:
When I was a young’n there was a mail-order company called Edmund Scientific Corporation. They sold fresnel lenses as well as a bunch of other cool stuff like prisms and optical equipment for geeky kids like me.
Years back I also ordered along with a couple of freznel lens their solar tracker which you could track the sun from them. Hope finally to set it up for my water heater hooked to a circulating pump to fill my 40 gal hot watertank. One of these daze maybe.
The latent heat of evaporation drives the fluid through the coil. You don’t need a pump. Of course the flow is not at high pressure and burbles, but it works even if the coil is placed in a ammo can stove burning wood slivers. Most hot water heaters are insulated and would act only as the storage/collector/dispenser for the water.
Wow. It is still being used!
There are a lot more powerful modern languages.
You probably still have the scars and marks.
Pretty cool huh?
Hmmm, we could only figure out how to focus the atmosphere above Iran, N.Korea, Russia,China, and Kenya, it would make a great weapon.
Ya. Pretty cool.
With two older brothers it’s amazing I survived.
Ya. Younger brothers take a beating. I was the older brother. My apologies to all younger brothers.
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