3만 볼트를 쏴라! 중독성 넘치는 하이테크 실험기 ‘대전건’의 위력과 원리
I’m Ken Kuwako, Science Trainer. Every day is an experiment.
When you hear the word “static electricity,” do you only picture that painful zap! in winter? In the world of science, static electricity is actually an amazingly powerful and entertaining phenomenon! Especially in class or for science fair projects, visually impactful experiments are essential for sparking that “Why?!” curiosity in students.
I got my hands on a special item. Its name: the “Static Charger Gun”! It excited the science geek in me so much that after witnessing its incredible power firsthand, I just had to buy it. Today, I’ll give you a hands-on review of this high-tech “Static Charger Gun” and help you rediscover the fun side of static electricity.
The Static Charger Gun used on TV was this one
💡 Science Magic! What Can the “Static Charger Gun” Do?
As the name suggests, the Static Charger Gun is a special device designed to instantly charge an object with a massive amount of static electricity (electric charge). It looks like a prop from an sci-fi movie, but it’s a huge hit in science classrooms.
◆ What You’ll Need (For a Safe Experiment)
- Static Charger Gun (If possible, having both positive and negative guns allows you to experiment with the difference in charge polarity.)
- Wig (Used for the most visually entertaining experiment: making the hair stand on end.)
- Leyden Jar (Also known as Raiden-bin, this is a classic device used to store static electricity and visualize spark discharge.)
- Insulating mat (Absolutely essential for safety.)
- Rubber gloves and safety goggles (For student safety.)
⚡ 30,000 Volts!? The Amazing Mechanism and Power of the Static Charger Gun
The high-performance Static Charger Gun used on the program is shown here. It’s a product from Green Techno and is available on Amazon and Rakuten.
[Example: AS ONE Corona Static Charger Gun GC90-N]
While available on Amazon and Rakuten, as expected for research and educational equipment, the price tag is quite high.
Using it is incredibly simple: just aim at the object you want to charge and pull the trigger. The voltage can be adjusted, and for a human body experiment (within a safe range, of course!), you can set it to about 30kV (30,000 Volts) and fire. Watching hair gently stand on end is guaranteed to make your students’ eyes sparkle! With both positive and negative Static Charger Guns available, you can expand your experiments to visually demonstrate the fundamental law of static electricity: like charges repel, and opposite charges attract.
🔍 What’s the Difference Between the Static Charger Gun and a Van de Graaff Generator?
A famous piece of static electricity equipment is the Van de Graaff generator. It accumulates charge through triboelectric effect (friction). The Static Charger Gun, however, uses a phenomenon called “corona discharge” to project the charge directly onto the target object. This makes it a more direct approach—providing powerful, pinpoint static electricity without the hassle of friction. You can check the detailed mechanism on the manufacturer’s website.
🚀 Choosing by Performance and Price! Alternatives and a Geeky Purchase
There are also slightly more affordable models for school use or personal experiments.
◆ Alternative: Battery-Powered Static Charger Gun (GC25B)
The voltage is fixed (25,000 Volts), but it’s portable and more budget-friendly. This is still perfectly usable for experiments like making hair stand up or attracting lightweight objects. → You can find this on the Green Techno website.However, I couldn’t resist the allure of static electricity and ended up buying the even more powerful 50,000 Volt output version (GC50S-N), which cost ¥160,000 (of course, it’s a secret from my family!). Here it is:
[Example: Static Charger Gun GC50S-N] Price: ¥183,495 (tax included)
Amazon Static Charger Gun GC50S-N
Rakuten Static Charger Gun GC50S-N
✨ I Tried It! The “Science Phenomena” Created by the Static Charger Gun
Green Techno’s website also features a collection of experiment videos using the Static Charger Gun, but I decided to try out various experiments myself.
Wig hair standing on end: You can visually capture the repulsive force of static electricity.
Experiment storing charge in a Leyden Jar: This is an experiment that allows you to feel the history of science, as you inject charge into a classic capacitor using modern high-tech equipment.
The cup used as the Leyden Jar is the smaller one on the left in the next image. I even performed a controlled “shock experiment” by touching it myself (with safety precautions, of course), and this small size stored more than enough charge. I felt it was safer not to increase the capacity too much. The version on the right, with less aluminum, stores less charge, which might make it safer for experiments where children touch it.
Here is what it looked like when the static electricity was stored. You can see the spark discharge with a sharp Bzzzt! Since lightning is also a massive discharge phenomenon, there’s a sense of wonder in thinking that you are artificially creating a tiny bolt of lightning.
These experiments are perfect for a little theatrical flair in class or as an introduction to a unit on static electricity (charge, discharge, triboelectric charging, etc.). I felt that this is an incredibly effective teaching tool for sparking students’ “Why?!” questions and deepening their interest in science. Specifically, the Static Charger Gun is a powerful tool for giving students a visually impressive understanding of the “movement” and “polarity” of electric charge. I highly recommend the Static Charger Gun as an accent for your lessons or science fair projects!
I actually performed the experiments. This is what the wig hair looked like standing up from the Static Charger Gun. And this is a view of the charge stored in a homemade Leyden Jar.
💡 Also Worth Checking Out! Fun Experiments with the Static Electricity Generator (Van de Graaff)
I also have a collection of fun experiments using a Static Electricity Generator (Van de Graaff), which has a slightly different mechanism than the Static Charger Gun. This includes experiments I performed on a TV program with celebrities like Suzu Hirose, Ryohei Suzuki, Yasuko, and Chocolate Planet’s Osada and Matsuo. You’re sure to feel the depth of static electricity.
* Please ensure that any experiments using a Static Electricity Generator (Van de Graaff) are conducted with a qualified expert present. Please take all necessary safety precautions. For requests regarding static electricity experiments (e.g., experiment classes, TV supervision/appearances), please contact me here.
[Feature] You Won’t Be Able to Stop! Static Electricity Experiments
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