Homemade Capacitor - Just Aluminum Foil, Paper, and a Few Surprise Discoveries - Simply Put 

For a guy who loves math, I sure am bad at arithmetic. When you see 33.15nF, that should be 3.315nF. The good news is, that means my estimate calculation is actually closer to the reality. Yay!

This by FAR....BY FAR....the best presentation on RU-vid of a DIY capacitor and their abilities. Especially the realtime pushing and crumpling of the capacitor as it is on the scope. This video needs millions of views.

I think the way you demonstrated how the capacitance changes when you press on the plate is the main principle driving touch screen technology, pretty darn cool

"Fun and learning." Those are the best reasons to do anything, really. I like your channel. We're kinda in the same boat: Know the math, but lack the electronics knowledge. Keep em coming 👏

Who would win? A high school teacher or A random bearded guy from youtube

I watched your entire presentation. I randomly have thoughts and today you helped me. I believe when we do something for fun it heals the cynical parts of us. Thank you and I hope you continue your journey.

This is definitely not stupid, it's super cool, thank you so much. Your videos are very fun to watch, and great for learning.

I legitimately watch the entire 15 mins. I love it. By far the best 15 mins learning about capacitors than I could've learned in years of college education. Thank you!!! Keep it up my dude! You gained another subscriber today!

This is the first time I have seen anyone use an oscilloscope in a meaningful way. This has also been the best, clearest, simplest explanation for a capacitor I have seen, and I have watched a lot of them. Thank you for your RU-vid. Just before the charge starts there is a tiny dip. What causes that? PS: your capacitor should include this instruction: please fold, bend, spindle, or mutilata, but don’t staple.

This is both brilliant (and valuable info) because it shows a real world demonstration of how a capacitor works (well, enough for us who know very little about electronics or kids trying to learn), fulfils our curiosity and this is how many of us learn best. I hope you come back to make more videos in the future. Thank you!

very entertaining and very informative, every one learns in a different way and I think you get it over perfectly. thanks

This was exactly what I was looking for and more. For years I didn't understand how capacitors worked but a physical description sets me on the right track. Thank you!

Great explanation! Fun to see the farad value change as you press down on the capacitor.

I've been doing this for years now for a living but I am dog terrible at explaining things, I watched your video and thought it would make a lot of sense to a friend to explain some things, I want you to know that these people with hateful comments that you mentioned at the end have absolutely no grasp of the joy some people get from learning and anything they think they can form a discussion on is pointless to explain and will never be capable of teaching, kinda of a lengthy comment so: great video, good job, good energy, and keep it up!!

Yes to learning through having fun. Thanks for your efforts - much appreciated.

This was great, thank you!

This is the best video with all the info you need to make one to a specific value! Everyone else will just make it and show it charging.

Love it! Just for the sake of it, marvelous. Often think about doing something like this but seldom find the time.. Thank you so much for doing it for me and everyone!

Excellent. I enjoy learning this way.

Paper circuits are getting interesting! So make me a paper and foil transistor and I’ll be really impressed. 😂

Great work! Thank you for sharing!

Cool demonstration.

Lovin the Demo. Thank you. Schooling, experience, knowledge. More please

Your videos are Einstonian. Great work professor. I love your video because it not only tells us how to make something but to fully understand the idea and principle behind them. You are a GREAT teacher. I love you knowledge that you share. Thank you so much.

Very good and packed with info

Enjoyed the video. You've got a great teaching voice.

I'm a big fan of your videos and style, keep on doing your thing! This was a really neat one, thanks.

Thank you so much for this video!

So cool thank you!

Damn this is thorough, great video kind sir!

Dude had a blast , enjoy the context of you getting breath to finish a thought

Nice explanation, keep it up!

This really helped me for my only project ❤️

thank you man im going to do this and this helped a lot

Cool. I'm going to go make a homemade taser out of paper and tinfoil now

Excellent, especially the pressing down bit. And there's nothing stupid about learning by experimentation.

Right then. Just for fun and learning, and inspired by your work, I'm going to try to make a variable capacitor out of some toilet roll cardboard tubes and aluminium foil. I've got two subtly different roll diameters that I can cover with foil and vary the mesh. I'll do it as part of "working from home" as we all are during these times of social distancing. Cheers from Melbourne Australia!

This is actually not stupid. And its practical. By pressing down on his foil capacitor - he has made a pressure switch.

Very good experiment, i use this demo when teaching capacitance, but i use ready made components.

Simply put...Well done ma guy.

great video thanks

Thank you for show us this. ❤️

Bro, That's awesome 👏

EXCELLENT VIDEO ALL AMAZING FOR MAKE CAPACITOR IN HOME

I think I may try a similar 'journaling' approach to topics I'm learning. It might help me with shyness/ extemporaneous speaking / organizing and motivating myself to study things

It's not useless. I'm kinda using it for a school assignment and thanks ♥️

subbed, I like your spirit!

Thank you. All the best.

This is awesome 😍

Love your headset mod. :)

I don't subscribe to many channels but I'm subscribed here. Keep up the good work. Thank you.

This is cool! That’s how they can be cylinders😯

thank you teacher!

Amazing.

I like the simplicity of your explaination Very exact !!! Don't listen to what people say , I don't But back to your capacitor There are other things that you can do than just building a capacitor (I'm speaking about the information , this knowledge) with this information 🙂🙂🙂 Excellent video 👍👍👍

For the trolls out there: "You are learning along with me" -there is no better way to put it. Great Video. Thanks!! Got Subscribed

I like your style…. Keep em coming!

Plain simple thank you

Just a comment since you mentioned the 5RC time constant rule. In your typical lessons, where the proffesor has various capacitors on his desk (to make the famous discharge, generating screams, he goes on to tell you tells you that a cap is 'safe' if you let it discharge for 5RC...BEWARE! This does not always apply. For those monster 200lb caps, 5RC discharges will discharge over 99% energy, but that tiny fraction left can be instantly lethal! What I do is discharge to 5RC, then sccrewdriver short what is left (quite a spark sometimes), then quickly put the thin shorting wire across the terminals. Also, even if you wait 20RC time constants, leaving the cap unshorted, and check it the next day, the energy can build back, (WAY UP!)...enough for a violent screwdriver firecracker. GREAT VIDEO!!

No, this is not stupid. We made aluminum foil paper capacitors when we were learning RCL circuits in high school. It is called "modeling". We made inductors from magnet wire and steel nails, and made resistors from carbon pressed into small cylinders. We made batteries from a nickle, penny, and paper soaked in salt water. We made a diode with a tungsten needle and a tiny piece of slightly impure silicon. These are the building blocks of modern electronics. By building these crude models were learned the math that is behind the technology.

Ty I learned something

Great , its cool

your headphones surprised me

I am a new follower of your channel and I enjoyed a lot of information

Great video. Put sturdy non metallic boards on either side and use a screw clamp on it?

thank u random bearded guy. i love your way of explaining! lol

U'r video helpful and different from other

Bravo.......great job........like the capastor free form.......if u separate the plates .......how long will they stay in harmony ......cheers

you are the Man! love it man , dont listen to the haters...

Epic

I never new that tinfoil is conductive.

I like them headphones man. I remember making caps like this when I was in jr high.

Super cool. Thanks and I won't use glue.

Great explanation! Thank you Just one thing, at 7:00 you say when the transistor is "closed", is charging the capacitor and when is "open" its shorting the capacitor... but it is the other way around :)

You could potentially experiment for days with this idea, seeing how different compostions and construction methods affect the measurement.

Bravo

Anyone else remember the guy from the Simpsons with the beard/pony tail and the comic book obsession. This dudes soul animal

👍 great

Thanks

Pretty cool 😎 wonder if you got the paper wet and let it dry onto the foil if it would stick ? Like all the only times it does when you actually dont want it to 😂

I make them with empty jars and aluminium foil with the kids. Our favourite april fool gag is to drop a chocolate wrapped in plastic into the jar...which is glued to an old table in the garden. Charge the sucker up....with a van de graf and a hidden wire. I was really proud when the youngest turned up with a wooden skewer,instead of shorting it with a wire. My favourite experiment is the Kelvin water dropper,simply because it looks bizarre enough to be a scam,but when the kids examine it they assume there's a hidden power source. . Simplest trick to set up requires you to dress in nylon,drag your feet whilst on a suitable carpet whilst your arms and legs are spread out.... walk up behind your target...place your pinky next to their earlobe.....and bring your other arm down...bring legs together. 😸this reduces your surface area just enough to make the spark if you were sufficiently charged,if not...shuffle off and recharge and repeat.

Hello. I did the experiment, put the aluminum and put the regular paper insulation, but you did not work with me. What is the reason?

very fun

Thanks for keep the scince is simply! Great video! Did you planned for made electrolitic capacitor?

paperglue-pen-stick is exactly conductor! substance, pretty high resistance, but still conduct - approximately like solid hand-soap layer dried from soap water foam puted on surface, or(almost same) grafet(pen core, burned off from fat, and crushed in thin powder) coating on plastic... such coatings allow to charge PETF or LDPE(f.e.) film from HV like 500V or 5000V... like many capacitors connected in paralel via resistors - can be charged/discharged slowly - and due to high internal resistance - effectively only when slow- with low curents - reducing heat resistance loss of power - (working more like accumulator rechargable cell than supercappacitor). This glue is some kind of polymer, little soluble in hot glacial acetic acid, so i use glue-GAA solution, and coat PETF film with that liquid charged in to medical syringe+sprayertop(from any aerosol balloon desodorant or paint color baloon cap), i put some like 5-10 layers of GAA+glue liquid sol-n on my PET film(30micrones - for flowers shop) sprayed and dried one after one - drying about 5min each layer - until disappear of vinegar smell(evaporates like a water), so i made membrane for DIY electrostatic loudespeacker, that awfull and as simple/tricky to construct as water electrolysis apparatus. glue coating disadvantage - that dust collected on glue-coated film surface, but grafet coated film - conducts little to much, notwithstanding amounts putted on, and cotton wool+alcohol cleaning of excess of grafet - cleaning it off - for no any grey color on fresh piece of alcohol vetted cleaning wool tampon will collecting. now i like most of all- dried water soap foam(one layer enough) between sandwich of two PET film layer,with dried soap layer(on one or both film) isolated by film layer - from each side, with any little wire(electrotechnical grafet or copper or silver spray aerosol balloon painted line or even border(that you don;t really need for charging such membrane in dry environment at least, but can be useful near border - against charge leakage out of film - to one of two stator-plates situated with 0.7-1.5mm gaps (conducting grid(perforated metall or even conductive spray painted plastic grid(5-10kOhm resistance of which - not a problem for 10mA AC current operating(1000VAC from tube-amp-transformer in oposite connection(20VAC->2000VAC)(any one end of HV coil(does not need middle wire really) will be common gnd for charger of film) to mosfet amplifier like TDA7294 or so) 1.5mm+1.5mm f.e., with spacer-points on any 100-150mm of distance(for A4 paper size and 1.5+1.5mm you need one center handle point-round 10*1.5mm plastic coins - two pcs - glued on both sizes(mirror...ly) of membrane center) on surface- film handled(holded in gap center) by coin-size(1cm) spacers points(3M 1.5mm mounting PEfoam film or so) usually. if you put resistance coated film on grounded metallic base, or on another same film, and connect some 500-4000VDC from air ioniser or ozone generator, or anode voltage and common("ground") of tube-screen TV, serial via ~100MOhm(4.7MOhm*20pcs 0.125Wt serial f.e.) safety resistor(so you can touch wire after resistor without damage- getting little "static discharge spark" - no any high current(in 220VDC phase detecting neon lamp - builded in 200-500kOhm resistor - for safety), and you can stabilize voltage without stabilitrones - by some safety varistors serial chain - it will work like stabilitrone bacically - in any polarity - simmetrical -so dont need to think much - connecting paralel(to gnd) after safety resistor - you can get any voltage limited down to summ in chain of varistors rated voltage -stable enough. film starts to charge, best - if it happens in 0.5-2 minute , grafete charges in 1 second or faster - it is faster than needed for migration-prevention resistance damping of surface coating equipotential charges, against moving to center on bass - when membrane closer to stator grid, and locally produce (with parasite positive feedback effect) bigger capacitance area - if charging of film fast as bass wave or film is conductive metalic coated(old ESP - when no understanding was collected) when charging - resistance-coated membrane - starts to "lamination-like" attract to any grounded surface - like electrized statically film do, some sparks cracking sounds can appear on edge of film due to charge leakage away from coating, so good idea is not to put close upto end of border(you have to save some 5mm border of membrane -not coated - isolative plain film "leakage outside disconnecting border area)near edges of membranes layers) water-soap-foam(not foam really needed - just very weak solution - of solid foam(liquid soap evaporates in one week or faster - disappear, solid more stable, especially if between two film layer-prevented from atmosphere drying(and so - flying away) coating-degradation, it sounds like wire connected to brain sound nerve-line - can be even discomfortable - when you hear in record - crushing glass or plastic film cracking damage sound - unreachable naturally pulse-request compared to dynamic loudespeacker you don't need stator isolation really with doublelayer membrane,-steel or aluminium grid Rv3-4 or Rv-4-5 or another-good, 30+30microns PETF films almost same good like 3+3microns at 0-20000Hz(i can use that different membrane thickness right and left for stereo - feels difference just a little, capacity of speacker gap(but not parasitic capacitance of paint of grid, or spacer border between stators) proportional to its efficiency - "Ammount of ESL", and must be high as possible - by thin gap or wider-higher size, no third way to reach it, better lower voltage charging(600VDC) with 0.5+0.5mm gap, than 4000VDC with 5+5mm gap,after glueing each membrane to own half of speacker, heat it with industrial fan( >100C) it will reach 50-60hz resonance - that wright, when charged - will be like 30hz -shift down resinance-and starting freq, 2*A4size 2+2mm speackers with 2*100wt transformers, and two TDA7294 amps sounds loud like 10wt dinamic loudespeacker, flat like LCD, focused to ears(it is doubtable feature of ESL when walking on room) and plays from 30hz surprisingly loud-and clean, especially -fast and no intermodulation, freq respoonce must be corrected - by software filters best, ESL anyway have bass and treble feed cutoff freqs - treble due to amp-possibility of instant current flow, bass - due to no any box user - open freeair concept

Your f’n hilarious... 🤣 love it 🤙

Very useful I'm about to try to make a new condenser capacitor for a 1950s Wisconsin engine on a 1921 turner hay press I'm positive that the capacitor is bad because it has very small sparks when it is removed none when it is installed

1:05 Hilarious

It's not stupid ! The big stuff is in the small !

You just reminded me of the 10 mylar emergency blankets that I want to play with to make an capacitor. Wonder if it will work. I'll let you know if I get around to it... Maybe two of them on top of each other will do the trick. Just have to find a way to make the connection with the very thin Aluminium film between the plastic coating.

Hey you’ve probably come across this by now, there’s another factor for multilayer capacitors, multiply by n(layers)-1 now I’m not sure if that means separate layers or if you were to take the same capacitor and role it. Making the capacitance go up by that much. Anyway great video.

Years ago I came across a good deal for a high end handleld DVM in a pawn shop and I had the money at the time so I snagged it. I didnt have it very long before my dad had a fun experiment. We stacked up mylar and aluminum foil to make a capacitor. The lesson he wanted to teach, I should mention he was an electronic engineer, was that if you compressed the stack it would generate a voltage, and if you release the pressure it should spring back a bit and while doing so the voltage would go opposite polarity. So I hooked up my schmancy meter to it and we tried it. By golly look at that, if you could hook that up to a mechanical oscillator of some sort you would have a generator. So we messed with it, and I wish he would have warned me cause he knew. I balled up a fist and smacked it. Blew the s*** out of my schmancy meter. I have never paid more than $25 bucks for a meter since, the $8 one is close enough for anything I am messing with and should I ever be compelled to smack a stack again I wont be so heartbroken from my own ignorance, the lesson will be a lot cheaper. I came across that stack of mylar and aluminum the other day, 30 years later. Just cause, I'm gonna go count the layers for ya. Foil is .002", mylar .006 and area is 7x12. One caveat, among others is the foil has a 1/2 square grid embossed into it havent seen that in a long time and that may have helped a little with springback separation. Seems to me like that used to have more layers to it and there is a stack of tissue paper on top and a single aluminum layer was out of place so I dont know what it originally was. I guess the moral to the story is, put some kind of a known load on it because there is no telling how high the voltage went with the tiny load of a DVM. Since I am storying anyway heres another, related deal. I worked in a shop that fabricated stuff out of plastic sheet, mostly acrylic but lots of other stuff. We got a job rounding the corners on a bunch of signs that were made of 1/2 in HDPE with an aluminum sheet bonded on and printed. I wasnt till about 6 or 8 layers that when you lay one on the stack and go to line them up it would zap you hard, like getting hit between the shoulders with a baseball bat. Nobody wanted to do that job. I tried a pair of latex gloves and that cured the problem for a little while, then I got it again and I think it was even worse when the voltage got high enough to make it through the latex. made a plate that would lay on top of the stack, attached to a wire with a 1meg resistor on the other end, taped to a pvc pipe, touch the resistor to the one you are going to stack, then clamp the wire to the one you are going to stack. Three of us who got zapped by that thing were sore for days. I feel sorry for the poor suckers on the other end who had to unstack those without scratching them if they didnt know some basic electronics!

very understandable, because my capacitor were made today are failed, and now I know why fail

Did you try the copper tape? It’s adhesive is different. Also, it could be just one long strap wrapped into a cylinder.

I want a cap that's more like 100 farads & 16v... how much aluminum foil will I need?

Love your voice, dude. Or the way of speaking, I guess.

Your math skillz.amaze me - I always just turn to calculators online. Old caps used to be made from oiled paper - I think the permittivity improves? Oh dear, I looked it up, oiled paper caps are a whole thing... sigh. Anyway, love your videos!

I like your videos. I'm learning about old elecronics, Can you doa tube diagram possibly with a 6v6 tube ?? 12 volts audio in amp..

I made my own in the past.. It would be nice to make a small one, say for .005mfd then put in a container then pour clear or colored resin and make a permanent mold. Presto, now I have a capacitor.

Hi, my name is Emilio and I live in Brussels Belgium, I am a luthier and in my quest to do as much as possible myself, I would like to manufacture my own 0.047uf and 0.022uf paper-in-oil capacitors professionally, make one it's easy but one that gets a professional finish isn't. I would like to know if you can help me, what kind of machine I can use, how to give the correct coating that is hard like bumblebees, or has an aluminum can. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this message.