Akashiya

Thank you for the intel...so...I'm going to have to sit down and do the math...I didn't want to, but I suppose I'll have to since it can be so deadly. My original question still remains, however, for the "small lightning flash" how would I step up the voltage? A set of capacitors in series?

A common misconception is that larger voltages are more dangerous than smaller ones. However, this is not quite true. The danger to living things comes not from the potential difference, but rather the current flowing between two points. The reason that people may believe this can be explained by the equation V = IR. Since V is directly proportional to I, an increase in voltage can mean an increase in current, if resistance ® is kept constant. http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/JackHsu.shtml This is the text from the first paragraph of that same website. It is the Amperage, or current that is deadly, not the voltage. From a conversation with a friend of mine that deals with electrical circuits, it is my understanding that the process of stepping up the voltage will actually lower the amperage. Eventually I would like to have a sustained arc, but because I am new to circuits and short on funds I want my first prototype to be "like a very small lightning flash." It is my understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the sustained arc would be more complicated and more expensive to create as well as have a larger power source.

I am looking at creating a single glove that generates and electric arc from thumb to middle finger. According to my friend I have a couple of options, but it breaks down into two categories: Expensive, and complicated. Rather than going with a backpack holding a neon capacitor I'm thinking I'd like to go with a belt holding something roughly equivalent to disposable camera flash circuits to step up the voltage on, say, a standard 9 volt battery. The thing that concerns me with using a car battery is the deadly amperage. Can anyone give me a hand in coming up with a circuit design that will step up the voltage on over-the-counter batteries to create a visible arc across the space of, say, 1 or 2 inches?