Jacob's Latter?

Question

Can I build a Jacob's latter without all the eletronics if i mount a ground wire in the middle of the "bunny ears"?

Answer 1

Sure.  All you need is enough voltage to start the arc.  Be careful, that's enough voltage to put you on your butt at least, dead at worst.

Answer 2

There are actually very little "electonics" in a Jacob's Ladder.  You need a high voltage transformer an insulated base, some connecting wires and two conductive rods/wires for the bunny ears.

The arc starts near the bottom where the rods are closest and the travel upwards to the end of the "ears".  

Keep in mind that the arc temperature is in the thousands of degrees and will start burning just about anything it makes contact with.  The high voltage can also be lethal.

Below is a link to a video that shows the details of a 3' Jacob's Ladder.  Pay close attention to the shape of the bunney ears wires near the base.  Notice the loop so the closest points are actually slightly above the base.  This prevents tracking across the base material.