Tesla coil hat: "a really bad idea"

MIT student Tyler Christensen created a musical Tesla coil hat for his Hallowe'en costume (it played the Mortal Kombat theme and the Harry Potter theme while discharging semi-tame lightning). While freely stipulating that this is "a really bad idea," Tyler is still generous enough to document his project for others who might follow in his bad footsteps.

Really, it’s just a DRSSTC. Nothing less, nothing more, nothing fancy. It was a bit tricky to make a bridge appropriately sized, and even harder to make a boost converter for it. In fact, the boost never truly worked. If I play a mid to high note for a few seconds, the boost can’t keep up and it fades away. I think this is due to saturation of my boost core, but I haven’t really taken the time to do much on this since now I’m back in the gate driver world and also have to throw together my 6.131 power electronics final project. I’ll fix hatcoil in February.

Hat Coil (via Engadget)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: costume • happy mutants • High Energy • howto • maker • mit • video • youtube

More at Boing Boing

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Hackers prepare for first "national holiday" in their honor

http://www.facebook.com/HyperionToASatyr Jack Holmes

Correction: that is the Mortal Kombat theme! Come on, Cory!
HahTse

Awesome. And stupid. But mostly awesome.

(Harry Potter theme plays later – 1:12 or something like that)
- http://homebiss.blogspot.com/ Saidul A Shaari
  
  Awesome, yes. Stupid, no. More like reckless and I hope kids would not do these kind of things.
http://twitter.com/jc_gonzo jc⋇gonzo

you guys 90% of this video is the MORTAL KOMBAT theme OMG
Alvis

So – it’s a Raiden costume?
tamooj

Wow. This is a REALLY bad idea. I love it. :-)

(Son, if you are reading this article – don’t do this! Yes yes, I know you *can*, but just don’t, ok?)
http://twitter.com/ducchau99 duc chau

If I play a mid to high note for a few seconds, the boost can’t keep up and it fades away. I think this is due to saturation of my boost core

I knowww-ah! I HATE boost core saturation! Gah!
Lobster

I bet this’ll be in Team Fortress 2 by Friday.
kernkraftwerks

Who thinks Cory did NOT mis-type “tame” when he noted the hat lightning was “semi-tam”?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_(cap)
nixiebunny

This is so righteous! A wearable Tesla coil. Now it just needs to be built into a stovepipe hat for the ultimate steampunk headgear.
Brainspore

Most people choose to advertise their insanity via head-wear use simple tinfoil.
http://egypt.urnash.com Egypt Urnash

This is AWESOME. Also I am beginning to think that the Mortal Kombat theme is instant comedy.
Culturedropout

Next up: Tesla Coil Underwear. Because after this, he’s never going to get laid anyway… ;-)
InsertFingerHere

My luck he’ll sit in front of me next time I go see a movie.
Douglas Stuart

And WHY are the OWS protesters not kitting out in these
stephanie coleman

My little bro made a tesla coil for his science fair. Best of show, man!