Aluminum Foil Electroscope

An Electroscope is an apparatus that is used to detect electrostatic field, it shows in a visible way the presence of an electric charge, with one you can even have a quantitative idea about how strong is the field. The simple electroscope proposed here is constructed with minimum and common materials and in fact you can build one right now in your kitchen. Visit http://www.innovationview.com/vdg.html for Electrostatic Generator plans.

You will need only a glass jar with plastic cap and Aluminum foil roll.

Cut a square 10 x 10 of Aluminum foil and smash it in something resembling a ball

Take an Aluminum strip with 4 x 10 and smash in form of a rod with 4.

The rod and the ball made with smashed Aluminum foil.

Connect the ball with the rod wrapping a piece of Aluminum foil covering the ball and twisting the end over the rod.

Take the plastic cap and make a centralized hole on it enough to the rod pass through, use a puncher or an electric drill.

Introduce the rod in the cap leaving the ball outside when the jar is covered.

Make a 90° bend in the rod leaving a 1 long bended end.

Take a 10 strip of Aluminum foil and fold the extremities leaving it with the dimensions given in the figure.

Connect the folded foil with the rod/ball conjunct by curving the bended end over the middle of it.

Close the jar with the cap and it are done.

When the Electroscope top sphere is put near or contacting a charged body, like a Hand Powered VDG, the leafs will spread apart proportionally to charge intensity. More DIY plans at http://www.innovationview.com