5 FT Artificial Sun, only $2900.00

[Maverick319]

Do not look directly at Happy-Fun-Ball.

 

[vailman]

Wow, thanks!! Just the thing to annoy the neighbors. hehe :Q

 

[stonerdave]

Ha, I remember that snl skit too.

 

[rhinox99]

I wonder what would happen if you used it indoors

 

[Argo]

You prolly need a dedicated power plant for that mofo.

 

[Autolycus]

hehehheh.....i'd attach it to the old car and go driving down the highway at night while ppl are flashing their lights at me to down off my bright(s).

 

[IBhacknU]

OMG! just what I need!

 

[spec411]

you linked the small one...I need the BIG one ($4500)!!

all it is , is 4 650 watt halogen lights in a big balloon filled with helium....I bet a lot of people here can make one for under $50..just get 4 of those little shop light things (8.99 at the home depot), mount em up and find a balloon-type material that can fit these in and take the heat...

 

[SiberianTiger]

great way to keep those vampires away. oh wait, halloween has passed. maybe it'll light up my house bright enough so santa can see it and stop by.

 

[dogberry]

why use helium? the halegon bulbs produce alot of heat.

at 200°F, 63 cubic feet of hot air can lift a pound, add fabric, lights and electrical cord to come up with total weight then calculate the volume of the sphere needed.

 

[Fumiup]

Anyone care to make a spaceship?

 

[shamu]

hmm, would be great for a pissed off neighbor having target practice with their pellet gun.

 

[spec411]

dogberry: True, just like hot air ballons which use heated "normal air: for lift, that could be done. However, the sphere would have to be too big...for the larger model, it states:

"Fills with 148 cubic feet of helium in approximately 20 minutes."

If it takes 63 cu.ft. of 200deg air to lift a pound, this 148 cu.ft. globe would only be able to lift about 2 pounds...im sure the light setup weighs 8 pounds or more...necessitating a much larger globe, at which point it becomes too large and ungainly for its home use purposes...a 6 foot globe is much more "practical"...

So,,,who is gonna go out and make one of these translucent beauties!! It'd be just the thing for those christmas parties!

 

[SLEEPER5555]

please note i am not a scientist but isn't helium flammable?

Wouldn't that make this a 6 foot globe bomb flying above your house?

I may be wrong, I know computers not science.

 

[amnesiac]

spec411 - notice that dogberry was talking about hot AIR, not helium. 148cu ft. of helium can lift a hell of a lot more than 2lbs. =)

www4asearchcom - helium is NOT flammable. You're thinking hydrogen (a la Hindenburg). If helium was flammable, then I would be deathly afraid of the Goodyear blimps.

 

[dogberry]

spec411 - 8lbs seems like alot, but we'll go with that. 8lbs x 63 cu.ft./lbs = 504 cu.ft., a sphere 10 feet in diameter has 522 cu.ft. sure it's big but not that much more than 6 1/2 feet.

If you could cut down the weight, which I think you can, the diameter could be reduced closer to the original, the biggest obstacle to reducing weight would be the power cord. Coming up with a light weight cord that can deliever the power needed is the key.

now whether 4 quartz halogen bulbs can produce enough heat to heat the space to 200°F is another matter

 

[RoadRuner]

i need this bad. anyone got coupons? My neighbor always leaves the light on across the street and its annoying to sleep with it glaring.

hehehe

 

[dna2z]

Hydrogen is Flammable. Helium is a noble gas - it's pretty inert. Hydrogen is what brought down the Hindenberg. You might ask why the Nazi's used hydrogen filled zepplins - the Americans wouldn't sell them helium.

 

[JasonH]

Hydrogen was used because it is lighter than helium and therefore the same volume can lift more. The Germans went to great lengths to keep the hydrogen from being exposed to heat, flame, or static discharge. In the end, the static discharge across the skin the Hindenburg caused it to burn (due to the type of doping agents that were used in the outer skin material,) eventually reaching the inner hydrogen bladders and causing them to combust.

Jason

 

[CentralScrutinizer]

Waiting for the Sun
Waiting for the Sun
Waiting.....waiting
For ...the
SSUUUNNNN!

-Mr. Mojo Rising

 

[bigjon]

2600 watts at 110vac is about 24 amps! Not many 110vac outlets supply that much current (most in the US are 15). Most extension cords are only rated for 1875 watts, too!

I still want one ;-)

 

[CinderElmo]

It says you can just plug the thing into a standard 110 outlet in your house. I wonder what the law says about lofting artificial suns (imagine having about 10 of them up at once!)...and I wonder how many lawsuits that would get you?

In a few years we will ALL be able to afford these things

 

[Souka]

*sigh*

 

[geoffct]

hey why not fill it with helium

first, the size could be greatly reduced.
second, provided it is fully sealed(ie no oxygen inside) it is safe.
Third, who cares if it goes up into a ball of flames, it is just an artificial sun.

Anyway, this is the perfect thing for us college students and programers who never see the light of day.

Geoff

 

[Scarpozzi]

I still would fill it with hydrogen just to see the ball of fire......If you order it now, it will be here in time for New Year's and you might be able to make the NYC celebration look lame...