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The project was realized with the support of European Regional Development Fund and Széchenyi 2020.

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Jacob’s Ladder (Musical Plasma-arc)

Jacob of the Bible saw a ladder in his dream that reached the sky from the earth. This is where this spectacular demonstrative instrument got its name from.

Zenélő plazmaív

How to use?

Press the button! Wait what happens, then repeat it again!

What happens?

We extended the outputs of a high capacity transformer as electrodes. When pressing the button, we can generate upwards moving sparks between these electrodes; the sparks are driven up by the hot air. Moving away from the transformer, the distance between the electrodes slightly widens, thus we may see more and more longer plasma-arcs between them – these constitute the steps of Jacob’s ladder. The phenomenon is very spectacular in itself but not many people know that the plasma-arc is also able to “play” music.