Building a bug zapper

[WG1337]

Hi!
I wanted to make a good solution to the mosquito problem and thought about killing them in a fun way (lol) - using electricity.
I do have some components, that I think I would need, but I want to know if I will ran into problems.
So as far as I understand the bug zapper design, then it works in a very simple way:
There are 2 metal nets with a few millimeter gap from each other, those nets have current going trough. Those bastards are bit strong and need more volts then 220V@50Hz. As I read they all work in 2000V, there is a bulb inside and some other parts, but not so important.
So I need a transformer, I have a flyback transformer from an old CRT monitor (10 years old maybe), but will it work?
If not, why?

 

[tcmtech]

I think I may actually work if the old fly back is any good and you have an appropriate driver circuit for it.
You are correct on the 2000 volt rough estimate but you need to make sure the current at that voltage is only a few milliamp at most during a short circuit.

Given that flyback transformers only need to provide a few milliamps of current at a fairly high voltage to power a CRT it may be satisfactory as a power supply source for a bug zapper.

Mosquito's are attracted to warmth of around 90 -100F, salty moisture typical of perspiration and trace amounts of CO2 that we breath out. Light is a lesser attractant to them but movement is and the other things are.

Its just some things to consider in your design so good luck an hopefully a good design can come out of this that we all can use!

 

[WG1337]

What kind of driver circuit? Sadly the monitor was damaged and the motherboard was useless, so I simply removed only the transformer.
If you are thinking about a current limiting circuit then is there a better way then using the "transistor method"?
Because I don't know if I could get such transistors, that would take up to 2000V (maybe even more).
Maybe there is some kind of a fuse, that would work in such small currents?
Don't worry about attraction, I will figure a way to get them inside

 

[ermine]

I got two of these when they were cheap from Maplin. One is a interleaved spiral of two wires fed with AC mains which is round the lamp. Be very afraid... The other has the spiral fed from an inveter using what looks to me like an audio transformer backwards and a small Cockroft-Walton multiplier to charge a capacitor. That gives a more satisfying crack and the capacitor may help deliver the surge

It's not the electronics or the lamp that makes these attract bugs. You need the lump of rotting meat in the base, cat food is good

Aldi had a special offer on something that looks like a tennis bat with batteries and the audio trasformer backwards trick to a grid of wires between a earthed grille. Was only £5 and much more fun until I hit something hard with it and shorted the grilles.

 

[audioguru]

I can't have fun zapping mosquitoes anymore because my city government got rid of them. Then the bats that ate them also disappeared.
Every street drain and pond has a larvacide tablet put in it by a government worker who marks every drain that was done. It kills the baby mosquitoes in the water.
They say the larvacide is safe for humans (and birds) which is good news for the weirdos who drink from street drains. (smilie)