Electromagnetic can crusher can crush cans

Sure, we know you and your toga-wearing fraternity brothers are plenty good at smashing "beverage" cans against your forehead, but haven't you ever wanted to crush those cans using something with a little more... power? Enter the electromagnetic can crusher, a device which stores energy in a bank of capacitors, and then releases it in a quick -- yet powerful -- burst of pressure. Some folks out there on the internets have lovingly posted their experiments (perhaps so that other can-crushing aficionados can follow in their footsteps) complete with warnings like "This device involves extreme voltages, possibility of fire, explosion, violent ruptures of components and other risks." Sounds like fun, right? Hit the links and read all about it.

[Via Hack a Day, thanks chainofcommand02]

[karts41 @ Oct 17th 2007 2:43AM]

id be interested to see what else can be severly damaged (or fried) by this setup

[deloreanz @ Oct 17th 2007 2:43AM]

How is this news? I understand possibly writing stories about new tricks (like the whole soda&mentos fad) but this has been around for a while.

[Reader @ Oct 17th 2007 3:09AM]

Well congratulations on reading the entire interweb, some of us don't. For instance, me, who this is news to.

[michas_pi @ Oct 17th 2007 3:19AM]

I beat the Internet.

The end guy is hard.

[B @ Oct 17th 2007 7:32AM]

Just because some people have never heard of it doesn't mean it qualifies as tech news. This stuff is easily half a decade old.

[Bigsby @ Oct 17th 2007 2:45AM]

I remember checking that site out a long time ago, like 4 years ago. This stuff is all olde balls.

On the other hand, now that lots more people will know about it, maybe then more people will build them, and then there will be youtube vids galore on this stuff.

I also want someone to build the 20 watt laser on Altair, that would be freaking cool.

[RickyR @ Oct 17th 2007 3:14AM]

"Electromagnetic can crusher can crush cans"

-Thank you Captain Obvious

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Oct 17th 2007 6:17AM]

http://media.urbandictionary.com/image/large/captainobvious-30189.jpg

[Froggy @ Oct 17th 2007 9:32AM]

Still best title EVER!

[bombastinator @ Oct 17th 2007 3:35AM]

for those on a lower budget theres always the electric stove method. It's kind of cool too actually

http://www.dailymotion.com/cluster/tech/featured/video/x3749s_can-crushing_tech

[Yours Smugly @ Oct 17th 2007 3:49AM]

Heh. Best headline ever @ Engadget.

[L. Cyphre @ Oct 17th 2007 3:56AM]

Crush the cans... WITH YOUR MIND!

[ED @ Oct 17th 2007 5:07AM]

Great, now in future posts people can ask "Will it crush?" in addition to the other all-important questions.

[Mike10010100 @ Oct 17th 2007 6:10AM]

Okay, maybe I'm just an ignorant idiot, but i thought cans were aluminum, which isn't magnetic. I can understand if these were tin cans, but.....

Could anyone explain this to me?

[Mike10010100 @ Oct 17th 2007 6:15AM]

Ok. Never mind. I looked up an article on "induced current" and understand this concept now. I was just slightly confused. Everyone carry on with your day.

[Chris @ Oct 17th 2007 10:25AM]

someone tell these guys that 1996 called and they want their web page design back.

blue text on black is one of the worst things you can do your eyes.

[Greg Baz @ Oct 17th 2007 11:10AM]

Wow that site is form 2002. I forgot how ugly the web was. (it does look like most myspace pages)
Shrunken coins unse the same principul.
http://205.243.100.155/frames/interesting1.html

[Idyot @ Oct 17th 2007 5:45PM]

For those on a really really low budget, you can crush cans by picking them up and squeezing them.