Griz B gone!

By chance I have come into the byproduct possession of a rather large capacitor. As I am moving to a rather wild rural area and may need a diversion type device (to help a predator decide I am not their next meal) I am thinking of making a "cattle prod" on steroids.

The capacitor in question is 7,700 uf @200VDC -10% +50%. As it is about an inch taller, 1/2 inch wider than a beer can (and weighs less than 1/2 lb, portable?) I'll assume it packs quite a wallop if discharged into an animal that thinks I'm the main course. I imagine the animal would consider other dining preferences after receiving the fore mentioned jolt.

I have a transformer to charge the capacitor so this isn't the problem. I wish to make an operator safe device, perhaps work it in to a 5 Ft walking stick. (with a nasty surprise?) 5 ft ought to keep me out of claws reach, if not I'm dinner anyhow.

I'm an electronic dimwit so please use small words.

Any suggestions? And NO! I won't charge it and touch my tongue to the posts to test it.

BTW is anyone up on renewable energy? Winde tubines? Charging systems?

TIA,
BW

Are you sure you want to rely on this? The discharge is not going to be enough to really hurt the bear/cougar. It's more likely to piss it off and provoke an attack. Part of the problem is that the cap has internal leakage, and will not be fully charged at the time you might encounter the preditor.

Maybe an 12 ga flare gun with 00 buck loaded. Hard on the wrist and on the beast, but preferable to getting eaten.

It's a big ol electrolytic.. it won't keep its charge for too long.. It will leak away. So you'll have to keep it constantly topped off with charge (annoying?)

Oh, and if during your struggle for survival, you happen to discharge the 200V into yourself, well, you'll make the predators job much easier.

How about a rifle instead? Save the cap for a coin shrinking experiment.

if I were up close and personal with a bear, I'd prefer a side arm over a rifle. 38 or 45 with hollow-point rounds

You're like the guy who brings a knife to a gun fight.
ROFLMAO Ahhh...cha...cha...cha

Your biggest problem occurs when the capacitor blows up because it needs DC and your transformer supplies AC.

Your second biggest problem occurs when you shave the predator so the jolt reaches its skin.

Play rap music. Most predators hate it.

200VDC is far to low to hurt a large animal, it would probab;y feel a small zap though.

You really need to up the voltage even if you keep the energy level the same, 770:mu:F@ 2kV will hurt a lot more than 7700:mu:F @ 200V, it would kill a human, I don't know about a bear though.

If the bear needs a second jolt, he'll have to wait.

mneary said:

If the bear needs a second jolt, he'll have to wait.

Click to expand...

Yep, the biggest flaw is not having enough energy on hand to recharge and re-zap a very pissed off animal. It's too much like a single shot pistol, the first shot is all you really can count on and if you just wing him you are in a world of hurt.

Lefty

how about making that stun gun in the other thread on this forum, and adding 20 10kv caps in parallel

things said:

how about making that stun gun in the other thread on this forum

Click to expand...

It would just tickle the beast. Then while it is laughing you will get a chance to hit it with a baseball bat.

As mentioned I have very little understanding of electronics but some responses have set me straight on the Cap in question has the wrong kind of power (low voltage) to provide the desired effect. I was not aware that Capacitors lose their charge so quickly

In answer to the "packin iron" replies, in Canada unless you are a cop or military performing your duties, a side arm will net you a bit more jail time than a child molester. I used to shoot hand guns and even 20 years ago your transport permit only allowed transportation directly to and from a specific gun range with your hand gun in a locked case. You need a special permit to take a handgun to a gun shop or another firing range.

All joking aside you need a license to buy .22 cal ammunition. In fact if a pellet gun exceeds 500fps muzzle velocity you need a license to purchase and register it. Carrying a rifle outside of hunting season would probably net you a visit from a police officer and an interrogation.

The shaving the bear comment has me concerned. I want to know who leaked the secret that us Cannucks shave bears as a hobby (boy do they look silly when you are done)? It's supposed to be a secret! And play Rap music? I rather be eaten by a bear!

Thanks for the replies that set me straight on the lack of zap, and I'm glad you had some fun with this.

BW

Have you looked into bear pepper spray (Google)? Or do you also have to be a law enforcement officer in Canada to carry this?

Hi BushWhacker,

If you share the same habitat I think you should be prepared for an encounter with a bear, I can only advise you to buy a big fridge.
Getting the bear in to the fridge is a different matter.

on1aag.

Yes Ron we can get pepper spray up here but you have to register the purchase with photo ID believe it or not. I guess I'll have to get used to packing that around. A five foot long cattle prod would have been so much more fun.

For your entertainment... There have been cases of tourists buying pepper spray and spraying down their clothing with the "bear repellent" thinking it works like "OFF". ... Meanwhile the bear is checking out the pre-spiced tourist.

As for the fridge... some have been raided in weekend cabins when the odor of food due to poor storage practices, is too powerful for the bear to resist. Bears don't make very good house keepers, in fact they leave quite a mess when they are done rummaging for food.

Cheers,
BW

BushWhacker said:

As mentioned I have very little understanding of electronics but some responses have set me straight on the Cap in question has the wrong kind of power (low voltage) to provide the desired effect. I was not aware that Capacitors lose their charge so quickly

Click to expand...

Even without loosing charge it's FAR, FAR too little to hurt a bear - it wouldn't even hurt a human particularly - and if you tried it on me I'd do you some SERIOUS physical damage, so you can imagine the bear would do considerably worse.

Bears... You do realize that they have no nature predators. All other animals are smart enough not to mess with the bears. It's usually best to let them do what they want and stay out of harms way. If the bears are a problem in your area get professional help from the government.

Personally, I've only seen a few wild bears, and at a good distance. They don't seem to show any sense of caution, no fear. I grew up on the side of Mt. Hood, in Oregon. Not a huge wildlife problem, but you learn at an early age to leave them alone, and show the proper respect, and most animals won't bother you.

Canada really expects people to live among dangerous animals, without practical protection (guns)? That can't be real, couldn't imagine living like that. A gun isn't 100% effective, most likely to make a bad situation worse, but it would atleast give you some chance of a lucky kill shot, rather than a guaranteed mauling. Most people get attacked (tourists), because they think they can scare off an offending animal, a challenge most usually regret.

HarveyH42 said:

Canada really expects people to live among dangerous animals, without practical protection (guns)?

Click to expand...

I have lived in Canada all my life. I am not afraid of the squirrels I see every day. So I don't need a gun.
The rabbits, racoons and skunks also aren't dangerous.

The guys who live far in the sticks might see wild bears.

Yeah, the wild animals tend keep to themselves, its the ones that people feed that become the problems. The OP probably lives near a campground or something where the tourist try to interact, like at a petting zoo...

Harvey, the gun laws in Canada as they are written make gun ownership a real hassle. The Government basically wants you to call the authorities if you have a wildlife issue on your property.

I would rather deal with a predator before it makes a meal of my pooches or me. Yelling "BOOGA BOOGA" and waving a stick is about all the government want Joe citizen to be able to do. Do you see the rub here?

I guess I'm going the pepper spray route and probably pack a flare gun as well, they are both light to carry. I figure being blinded with a snout full of fire would be a pretty strong deterrent. I'm not hunting them, I just don't wish to be the prey.

BTW it's far enough in the sticks that a 15 minute drive can put you in the middle of nowhere. It's beautiful but not civil.

Cheers!
BW