Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
#wimshurst #geissler #helium
In this video, I show you how to operate a Geissler tube with a Wimshurst machine. The Wimshurst machine is from AliExpress, and the Geissler tube is from eBay. Geissler tubes are filled with various gases at low pressure, with metal electrodes at each end. A high voltage of several thousand volts is applied between the electrodes. The high voltage ionizes the gas, causing it to give off light by fluorescence in a glow discharge. The color of the light depends on the gas used. To give it a vintage look, I made a new base from lime wood and tube holders from turned wood. I also made the brass wire connections myself and paid attention to other historical details. My Geissler tube is filled with helium. I checked this with a diffraction grating by looking at the spectral lines.
#wimshurst #geissler #helium
In this video, I show you how to operate a Geissler tube with a Wimshurst machine. The Wimshurst machine is from AliExpress, and the Geissler tube is from eBay. Geissler tubes are filled with various gases at low pressure, with metal electrodes at each end. A high voltage of several thousand volts is applied between the electrodes. The high voltage ionizes the gas, causing it to give off light by fluorescence in a glow discharge. The color of the light depends on the gas used. To give it a vintage look, I made a new base from lime wood and tube holders from turned wood. I also made the brass wire connections myself and paid attention to other historical details. My Geissler tube is filled with helium. I checked this with a diffraction grating by looking at the spectral lines.
