After-hours Fun with Capacitors at Work?

Chiggy_Von_Richtoffe asks "Hey, Folks! I start a new job at a small manufacturing plant (capacitors and small run custom circuit boards) in a few days, which itself is kind of cool. What is even more cool is that their facilities include an electron microscope, programmable high temperature ovens (think kilns), rapid cooling chambers (liquid CO2) to test component robustness, a lapping machine, all the kinds of ceramics i can think off, as well as equipment for die cutting, electroplating, and a few other industry related tasks. This of course fills my mind with wicked designs for homebrew projects, but i am always looking for new ideas to try. Given this kind of workshop what sort of (non-destructive, and fully legal) DIY projects could you come up with?"

non-destructive

[Myrkur]

"non-destructive, and fully legal"

Where's the fun in that?

From a disinterested third party...

[SeanTobin]

I've got a couple project ideas for you!

Project 1: Gather up all the cast-off caps, surface mount parts, bits of stripped wire, and dust bunnies on the floor. Place them into a cylindrical faraday cage, lined with an insulative material, and leave the top off the cage so the odd gamma ray strikes them. See if they self-assemble into something interesting

Project 2: Perform high-energy tests of the superstring theory in the ovens. In order to assure that you have the required symmetries, you're going to have to use a bit of that easy-off and clean the gunk off the inside of the ovens first.

Project 3: Test for new low-temperature superconductors. Remember that you're going to have to refill all the empty CO2 canisters first.

Project 4: Perform a detailed analysis of the wave reflection properties of aluminum vs. tin foil. To ensure an accurate reading, recalibrating the electron microscope is going to be necessary. It's a 10-hour job, so make sure you start the minute you get off of work.

I'm sure I can come up with more projects for you. Let me know when you've finished these first.

Re:From a disinterested third party...

[OzPeter]

> Project 1: Gather up all the cast-off caps, surface mount parts, bits of stripped wire, and dust
> bunnies on the floor. Place them into a cylindrical faraday cage, lined with an insulative
> material

Translation - Clean up the trash lying around your workplace.

> Project 2: Perform high-energy tests of the superstring theory in the ovens. In order to assure
> that you have the required symmetries, you're going to have to use a bit of that easy-off and
> clean the gunk off the inside of the ovens first.

Translation - Clean the kitchen and then cook dinner for everybody at the office. (and then clean the kitchen again)

> Project 3: Test for new low-temperature superconductors.

Translation - Clean out the office fridge.

> Project 4: Perform a detailed analysis of the wave reflection properties of aluminum vs. tin
> foil. To ensure an accurate reading, recalibrating the electron microscope is going to be
> necessary. It's a 10-hour job, so make sure you start the minute you get off of work.

Translation - Stay out of the way of all the people who actually work at your new place of employment.

Yep, I concur that these are worthwhile projects to do at work.

Think kiln

[lost in place]

What is even more cool is that their facilities include [...] programmable high temperature ovens (think kilns)

What's a think kiln? Is that where crackpots are hardened?

Wait a sec...

[Lacit]

I own a manufacturing plant and we just hired a guy who was so excited he would have access to our equipment...

Does your girlfriend own a cat?

[spineboy]

Oh man - sounds like fun. Interesting projects are listed below

1) See subject title. Cat + Tesla coil = fun
2)Industrial strength Twinkie testing! - Nickel plated Twinkies anyone?
3) Raw hamburger + huge charged capacitor = "Insta-cooked" hamburger
4) Use electron microscope to take picture of a cell of yours. Use inductrial fabricating machine to create 100,000x actual size copy out of rare ceramic. Proceed to chrome it. Use as object d'art.
5) Does your girlfrind have a second cat? Rapidly freeze in liquid CO2 bath, soak in acetone to remove oily fats, then chrome plate cat.
6)Make ultra hard/dense ceramic Dungeons and Dragons dice - especially the pointy, pyramidal 4sided die. Can be used as emergency caltops to escape from bad guys.
7) Make shatter proof ceramic coffe mug out of $10,000 ceramic. "Accidentally" drop off desk often, and make co-workers envious of your "lucky" cup.
8) Freeze dry rose, and gold plate. This will be useful for making up with girlfriend from steps 1 & 5
9)Make rail gun and fire magnetically plated ceramic sabot at ultra-fast frozen pumpkin. Film at high speed.
10) Use industrial kiln as personal trash incinerator.

Electron Microscope

[deadweight]

I used to play with one. It was fun to put quarters and pennies in it and zoom WAY in on them. The "owners" of it needed me to fix the attached computer and were happy to let me screw around with it if I could keep it running. I do remember that you had to put liquid nitrogen in it every so often. I found out why they let me "play" with it everyday - I was keeping it full for them and when the liquind nitrogen spilled it landed on me and I was the one hoping around going OH F#CK and they were the ones laughing. Speaking of which, if some roaches come out put the nitrogen on them and YOU will laugh and the roaches won't!!!! Mandatory safety warning - If you spill enough nitrogen on the wrong part of you it won't be funny. That sh!t is cold.