# Electrical Dopers - Could this homemade "stun glove" really hurt someone or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-dopers-could-this-homemade-stun-glove-really-hurt-someone-or-not/245421 "2004-05-16T13:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-dopers-could-this-homemade-stun-glove-really-hurt-someone-or-not/245421/1 "2004-05-16T13:39:25Z")
I waS kind of surprised to see this as an illustrated project on the TechTV site. Is this devIce capable of really hurting someone if you hit them in the neck with it as suggested? (see video) [Dark Tip: Reach Out and Zap Someone](http://www.techtv.com/unscrewed/ihateyou/story/0,24682,3653392,00.html) > [@](#): > > Turn your crappy camera into a zestful zapper. By Joey the Intern > > When you live in fear-driven times such as these, having grown up with MacGyver as a role model has its advantages. Kevin and I thought it would be cool to MacGyver our own shocking device in glove form, using simply what we had lying around the house. What was lying around the house was a simple one-time-use camera. > > That crappy camera is perfect for this > > These disposable cameras (about $5 dollars a pop) have a capacitor that can store up to 600 volts of stopping power. When the capacitor discharges those volts, it delivers an amperage comparable to stun guns. Perfect for our shocking device. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-dopers-could-this-homemade-stun-glove-really-hurt-someone-or-not/245421/2 "2004-05-16T15:05:50Z")
I did not go to your link, just read your snip. It’s a little misleading. While it may deliver comparable amps to a stun gun, it does so in an instant. Bear in mind that the capacitor in the camera is designed to power the flash. And how quick is a flash? Almost instant. With that said, the device WILL shock the piss out of someone. Just not in a debilitating way like a stun gun. I’d compare it more to the static shock one receives after rubbing his sock-covered feet on the shag carpet… but multiplied by 5 or something. We used to make traps in the barracks with this idea. We’d rig the camera on our side of the door knob with just a little unnoticeable wire sticking out the other side. Then we’d call a buddy and tell him to come over. Or just wait for some unexpecting Joe to come along. When they go to open the door, the touch the door knob and the little wire which completes the circuit. And even inside the room you can HEAR the zap! It’s pretty loud. But, again, it’s instantaneous and you have to recharge it every time. So, YES, a person could make a shocking device into a glove. But it’s by no means a form of self defense. Just a better designed hand buzzer gag. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-dopers-could-this-homemade-stun-glove-really-hurt-someone-or-not/245421/3 "2004-05-16T15:15:08Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > So, YES, a person could make a shocking device into a glove. But it’s by no means a form of self defense. Just a better designed hand buzzer gag. Yeah , we spent 4 months pulling crap like this in Grade 7. It’s a good shock that is VERY hard to ignore, but not debilitating. Later that year, we got our hands on a much bigger capacitor, and although we never used it on any human subjects, we did spot-weld all the jock’s lockers shut with it. I suppose if someone had a pre-existing condition, or a pacemaker, it might do damage, though. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-dopers-could-this-homemade-stun-glove-really-hurt-someone-or-not/245421/4 "2004-05-16T21:04:24Z")
The picure alongside the title of the article is very misleading, it shows great streamers of electric arcs spreading out from someones hands. This will not happen, 600V will not arc like this unless there is an absolutely massive current, and the arc is very steadily drawn away, or maybe a thin wire carrying the 600V supply blows just like a fuse would through overcurrent. Having used insulation testers for many years, I can confrim there would be a small zap, but truth is that when you actually zap yourself you can stand it easily enough. This little device is just a small step up from those piezo quartz cigarette lighters, nothing special. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-dopers-could-this-homemade-stun-glove-really-hurt-someone-or-not/245421/5 "2004-05-17T02:14:31Z")
If you watched that episode of Unscrewed, Rose showed the glove in action. Joey also got shocked from it. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-dopers-could-this-homemade-stun-glove-really-hurt-someone-or-not/245421/6 "2004-05-17T16:26:59Z")
- - - The camera flash units I remember playing with ran the flash tube at either 300 or 330 volts. It _is_ a pretty nasty shock, quite frankly–considerably worse than a typical stun-gun can do but the shocking effect is very localized, between the two contacts with the body (as is the effect of stun-guns). - A camera flash unit does deliver more _current_ than a stun-gun will, which has the effect of causing more pain when used on people. The practical problem with using such a thing as this as a self-defense device is that unlike a purpose-built stun-gun circuit, a camera flash needs time between discharges to build up a charge. A stun-gun is basically “instant-on”, a stun-gun does not “build up” or “store” any charge at all. A camera flash circuit stores up a charge in a moderately-large capacitor. ~