A project of mine requires I build a closing switch (voltage fuse) that functions for both DC and AC currents, using only items we can find around the house (no off the shelf components). Household items include copper wire, coins, pencil lead, etc.
At a high enough voltage, the switch must close the circuit to draw away the high currents from other circuit components. This switch should also be reusable.
At least for the AC part, my first thought was using an inductor to create a magnetic field that could close a magnetized switch (piece of metal), which would close the open circuit and short the circuit to ground. However, I don't know how I could get this to work for DC currents, which wouldn't cause a magnetic field. It seems that the open switch would just reach a high potential but have no force causing it to shut. Any guidance on the physics and theory on getting a switch to shut in both AC and DC conditions like this?
At a high enough voltage, the switch must close the circuit to draw away the high currents from other circuit components. This switch should also be reusable.
At least for the AC part, my first thought was using an inductor to create a magnetic field that could close a magnetized switch (piece of metal), which would close the open circuit and short the circuit to ground. However, I don't know how I could get this to work for DC currents, which wouldn't cause a magnetic field. It seems that the open switch would just reach a high potential but have no force causing it to shut. Any guidance on the physics and theory on getting a switch to shut in both AC and DC conditions like this?