Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
Hi all,
I am currently in the 5th week of my chemistry PhD program at USC and wanted to let you all know! I am interested in a field of chemistry called solar fuels: basically researching how we can transition from fossil fuel use to using artificial photosynthesis to make fuels using new chemistry and devices. That's right, I'm going to be in a chemistry lab for the next 5 years of my life. Dream come true? You could say that. Problem solving every day that will drive me insane? 100% chance.
If you're interested in learning more about what I'm talking about and learning, check these articles out:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6463/ac6f9…
www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainssolar-fuels
But either way, this is an exciting development in both my professional and personal life and I wanted to let you all know--especially those of you who have been watching me since the days when BackMacSci had a cohost and we just lit things on fire. Good times.
So that being said I am super busy and will be uploading like how @ExplosionsAndFire did for a while during his PhD haha. A few videos I am working on:
Short term projects:
testing out a viewer's high voltage power supply
plasma spiral lamp theory breakdown
Long term projects:
portable tesla coil
more plasma toroid videos
maybe a video about solar fuels? (my research)
Have a great week,
Tate
22 - 4
Hi all,
A viewer of mine, Max, compiled most of the modern, documented builds of the plasma toroid into this thread below. The resources cover operational theory, design, testing, and photos and videos. If you still can't get enough plasma toroid or want to build one yourself, I highly recommend reading this thread. Thanks again to Max for doing this.
Have a great week,
Tate
highvoltageforum.net/index.php?topic=2919.0
51 - 5
Hi everyone,
I really should be studying for my thermodynamics final exam but I feel like updating you guys on what I'm up to and celebrating for several reasons!
1. I have been doing home science for over 10 years now! Just crazy.
2. People really enjoyed my recent video and there are 30,000 of you who like my stuff!
3. I'm graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry at the end of this month!
4. @TeslaExplorer is helping me revamp my Tesla coil gun and get me out of my rut!🙏
5. I just posted some rainbow plasma toroid videos to my Patreon, join any level of my Patreon to see those now and support my work!
Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=35614864&fan_landing=true
I hope you all are doing well and are looking forward to all the amazing things 2024 has in store for you! Faith is what keeps me going, personally!
Best wishes,
Tate
356 - 15
Here’s a sneak peak at the board schematic for my musical plasma toroid. If you wanna see the values before the next video on it, join my Patreon, I’ll be posting the most updated version of the circuit there within the next few days.
Also, I plan to bring a version to Open Sauce in July so I’ll see you all there!
62 - 5
I was just asked by a viewer where I have learned about plasma and engineering. If you were curious about the same thing, here is a list of edutainment resources that I highly recommend checking out to learn more STEM:
YouTube:
Leo's Bag of Tricks youtube.com/@leosbagoftricks3732
Lesics
Branch Education
Electroboom
LabCoatz
Hyperspace Pirate
3Blue1Brown
FesZ Electronics
Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture
the Efficient Engineer
Vidduley
See the Pattern
Simply Electronics
Books:
The Art of Plasma by Wayne Strattman
Websites:
Deepfriedneon.com/tesla_frame0.html
Loneoceans.com/labs/
What STEM resources have you used to learn? I would love to hear as I am just a beginner in engineering and plasma. I’m more of a maker.
47 - 11
❗️Dirt-cheap plasma toroid alternative found thanks to @PosthumanKindergarten ❗️
His video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXclT...
A friend of mine, Derek, let me know about this video and he confirmed that the bulb linked below forms a diffuse, pink glow when placed above the plasma toroid circuit. The seller mentioned low-pressure neon and/or argon in the bulbs which explains the pink solor. So if you want to see an inductive plasma for cheap, you can use this method. It's not the same as xenon, but I know the cost of the bulb is very limiting for many people so I hope this helps!
$7 Bulb
www.amazon.com/DarkSteve-Decorative-Antique-Vintag…
The second pic is of Derek's setup where he got a beaded donut! Sick!
80 - 8
In the past month, my Instagram account has blown up faster than nitroglycerin and I’ve been inspired like never before thanks to this increased support.
If you haven’t yet, follow my Instagram, it’s the easiest place for me to post little clips and I feel I need to remind yall (as my supportive YouTube community tab homies) that this exists.
Also, check out this AI generated art I “generated” using Midjourney. I asked it to imagine “tesla coil gun, steampunk, plasma”. I love the results.
Finally, check out this cool graphic on display at the Strattman Design studio summarizing the different “types” of gas discharges. It’s a beautiful piece of art. I say “types” in quotation marks because in reality they are all a chip off the same block, i.e. a high voltage applied across an evacuated glass vessel. I hope your day was made a little more fun with this post. God bless!
Tate
64 - 12
Thoughts on my Undergraduate Research Symposium poster? This poster session is for a more general audience so that is why there's a lack of technical jargon--if you scholars were wondering.
293 - 51
Project updates and new videos soon!
The second version of my plasma toroid driver is almost ready for testing and is heavily based on Steve Ward's plasma toroid driver. Check it out below, here's my progress as of Friday night. I plan on modulating it in many ways, getting it to run only warm, and maybe even making it battery-powered. The final hope is to have a plasma toroid device for my desk that I can turn on like a normal lightbulb and not worry about it breaking itself.
Also, the second picture is the second Uranium sample I sent to a viewer of mine from Pennsylvania for leaving a great video suggestion on one of my videos.
Don't forget, this contest is open indefinitely, if you ever suggest an idea for a visually stunning demonstration of the physical sciences, you've got a great shot at getting a $100 element sample for free.
Also, the viewer, Ben, measured the radioactivity of the element sample because we were both curious if the sample was a safe desk toy after all! The results of his measurements are relieving.
"I checked the Autunite out with a Geiger-Müller counter. The manufacturer was not lying about the acrylic shielding most of the radiation. It is detectable at about 300cpm right at the surface of the acrylic. For comparison, I held a piece of orange Fiesta Ware up to the meter and got a count of 30,000cpm. The orange pigment from the mid-20th century was created with uranium and emits a bunch of unshielded alpha particles. It is still safe to use these dishes as long as chips of paint are not ingested. Alpha particles cannot really penetrate the skin from the outside but are hugely harmful if they are inside your soft tissues. The radiation that does escape the cube must be from the emission of radiation by daughter products of uranium."
New project videos coming soon! I've been busy learning quantum mechanics to graduate and enjoying the LA sun while I'm still a relatively carefree university student.
Best,
Tate
94 - 20
Follow me on Instagram at @backmacsci if you want to see more project updates! I document my laboratory classes here at USC and for my independent research, I'm working on a 6-foot-tall spiral jacob's ladder and learning more about the plasma toroid driver.
69 - 5
Hey, you!
Welcome to BackMacSci, the science show created by me, Tate McAluney! I create videos and visually-stunning, science demonstrations to teach STEM and inspire others!
Why is the show called BackMacSci? "Back" represents how I used to record my show in the *back*yard of my childhood home, "Mac" represents my last name, and "Sci" is short for science and gives the show unquestionable validity. 😎
Enjoy my videos and don't be afraid to learn!
Support me on Patreon using the link at the bottom :)
Follow me on Instagram for more short-form science demonstrations!
@backmacsci