Gray Tube Replication

[Spokane1]

[Spokane1]

[Spokane1]

Lecture #3 NST Direct Arcs

Most all Free Energy researchers have at one time or another messed around with the arcs that are produced by a NST. But just what is going on in those noisy streamers of hot plasma? Well that depends upon how hefty of a transformer you have and what kind of spark gap you are driving. A 15 kV NST is a lot more impressive than a 9kV NST when it comes to fascinating guests.

For E.V. Gray Technology the voltage level of 3 kV to 5kV are far less spectacular in their performance. Even at a full 5.5 kV oven circuit output it is difficult to consistently get arcs to strike at distances greater than 0.150". The metal used for the electrodes has an important effect, but so does room temperature and humidity.

For these experiments only two kinds of electrodes were explored. The first was pointed tool steel opposing a 1/4" blunt tool steel surface (the micrometer). The second was a short section of #12 AWG solid copper wire. Not a whole lot of difference was observed with either gap in this test.

The purpose of this experiment was to just observe the basic voltage and current wave forms. A Pearson Model 150 wide band current transformer was use to make the current measurements. A 1000:1 voltage divider was used for the voltage measurements.

Once the arc strikes it stays burning until the end of the power supply cycle. The average secondary loop current operates at its maximum listed value of 18 mA. The voltage across the transformer drops down to a steady state value that is flat during the burn time. In this case it was observed to be around 500 Volts. This value changes with the width of the gap. Longer gaps cause a higher steady state voltage.

Scope Trace D012 shows the current with a 0.100" gap. This trace shows that at time something happens and the linear current becomes very turbulent. It is unclear just what is going on during these events.

Scope Trace D011 is the voltage across the gap/transformer with the same turbulence showing. Notice the voltage spikes that manifest during switching transitions.

Scope Trace D017 is the impact of a loop diode on the current flow. The Pearson transformer automatically adjusts its zero base line so that the waveform has equal energy above and below its own reference line. So one must adjust how they look at this data. As you would expect; the diode causes arcs during a 50% duty cycle.

The nature of direct arcs for this device:

The streamers seem thin and weak when compared to a 30 mA 15 kV transformer. The color is a purple/magenta with small orange intermittent flames mixed in at the ends. The sound is sort of a low frequency soft buzz (at 118 Hz). The arc is composed of a cluster of individual streamers that keep finding a different place to land. Then tend to arch out away from the gap equally in all directions. The electrodes tend to get warm with just 10 seconds of operation.

[Wicaksono]

test with silver coated electrode

Scope Trace D012 shows the current with a 0.100" gap. This trace shows that at time something happens and the linear current becomes very turbulent. It is unclear just what is going on during these events.

Scope Trace D011 is the voltage across the gap/transformer with the same turbulence showing. Notice the voltage spikes that manifest during switching transitions.

Mr. McKay, try again with silver coated copper electrode and see what will happen !

Wicaksono

[Spokane1]

Silver Electrodes

Mr. McKay, try again with silver coated copper electrode and see what will happen !

Wicaksono

Dear Wicaksono,

I'm working in that direction. I have the silver and the silver solder but I want to get a greater baseline understanding of regular arcs so that I can appreciate changes when I can see and measure them.

Right now I'm attempting to figure out a way to observe the direct voltage drop across my gap. The spikes that are created in this process could easily damage my scope. I'm considering a standalone buffer amplifier that will output analog information via fiber to the scope. This will take me some time to fabricate.

I have recently experimented with a Zinc-Zinc electrode combination against a Delrin dielectric surface. No big noticeable changes, but the methods I'm using to protect my NST and Scope could easily wipe out the suspected energy pulses from observation.

Have you done any work with Silver-Silver electrodes? Any fabrication ideas to pass along?

Keep in mind just where this information about Silver-Silver electrodes comes from. This came from the Bedini Field Notes taken in 1973 by his mentor Ron Cole while they were visiting the Gray facility on Calvert Street in Van Nuys. Do you really think that Hackenberger or Gray would actually disclose to a stranger the construction details of the CEST if Silver indeed had a major impact on the performance of this technology?

I think not. Mr. Ron Cole probably observed a layer of light colored metal attached to the ends of the copper rods and assumed it was silver since it is a common flashing material used in relays and power contactors. (This means that the end of at least one electrode could be observed in the device being used)

But there are a number of light colored metals. Zinc has an important history in early Spark Radio. Meanwhile Dr. Tesla used pure aluminum for the electrodes in his radiant energy transmission tubes. Eric Dollard used Tungsten.

Silver is certainly a material to be tested, but it is not the end all and be all for the solution of this technical mystery.


Mark McKay

[Spokane1]

[Wicaksono]

Copper coated Silver electrode

Have you done any work with Silver-Silver electrodes? Any fabrication ideas to pass along?

In my experiment (not yet done, still preparing the parts) the copper wire is electroplated with silver, which is done in jewellery electroplating shop. They use to electroplating ring, bracelet, with gold & silver coating, so electroplating copper wire should not be difficult for them. My own reason to stress on silver coated copper as electrode is, as I found from studying "the other way" (from physics letters, papers, etc), that it is the most probable metals to generate the electrostatic effect of Gray motor. But of course it needs to be proved in the experiment, so let us do it !

Wicaksono

[Wicaksono]

What happens when some shunt capacitance is added to the NST and a gap? Well, in my case it blew out one of the switching transistors and took the fuse with it. Fortunately the windings seem to have survived. I didn’t even have time to copy a scope trace. It just so happens that I had a replacement transistor on hand or else I would be building a new switching circuit.

Mr. McKay, is the destruction of NST transistor still happen if the NST is only connected to variable capacitor without spark gap ?

Wicaksono

[Spokane1]

Silver-Silver Electrodes

Mr. McKay, try again with silver coated copper electrode and see what will happen !

Wicaksono

Dear Wicaksono,

I did better than that. I used two (2) each 1964 Silver U.S. Half dollar coins mounted on a strip of Delrin with a 0.050" gap.

Using two different spark gaps I charged a 5 uF capacitor to 2700 volts (using the FFF and a diode). Then I discharged the capacitor through my popping coil apparatus. This was done with the copper - tool steel electrode and then with the Silver-Silver electrode.

The results were exactly the same +/- 5% between the two approaches.

This tells me that the electrode material may have some kind of performace improvement but it is not the central "kernel" to this technology.

I suspect that there is some novel circuit topology that we haven't figured out yet that manipulates the arc to do its magic. I'm sure we have all the components used but just don't know how to connect them.

Mark McKay

[Spokane1]

Capacitor Only?

Mr. McKay, is the destruction of NST transistor still happen if the NST is only connected to variable capacitor without spark gap ?

Wicaksono

Dear Wicaksono,

I'm certainly not going to try that with that goal in mind.

However, I would speculate that the spark gap is required to generate the destructive spikes.

In reading books on Neon Sign technology I notice vague references to the problems associated with two much stray capacitance associated with supply wires that are to long and to close to metal construction. The result is escessive loading on the NST. Since the NST is suppose to run at 80% of its full load rating it doesn't take much to push into 100% of full load rating.

However these books don't go into detail as to the actual electrical impacts on the circuit.

Mark McKay

[Spokane1]

[Spokane1]

How Tesla Coils Work

[Wicaksono]

Operation:

At least the circuit doesn’t impair the operation of the NST and the formation of disruptive arcs, however despite all the added components the spikes are still not eliminated, however they are mitigated somewhat. They do seem to be greatly reduced in the positive polarity but seem just as stron in the negative swing.

Mr. McKay, how about using materials other than copper as electrode (iron, steel) and see if the spikes disappear ? Thanks.

Wicaksono

[Wicaksono]

electrostatic effect of spikes

Operation:

At least the circuit doesn’t impair the operation of the NST and the formation of disruptive arcs, however despite all the added components the spikes are still not eliminated, however they are mitigated somewhat. They do seem to be greatly reduced in the positive polarity but seem just as stron in the negative swing.

I just found in metal work function table that platinum has the highest photoelectric energy threshold. If the spikes are the results of photoelectric effect, the by using metals with higher photoelectric energy threshold will result in less of spikes energy. Please check it with platinum electrode, thanks.

Wicaksono

[Spokane1]

Silver-Silver Electrodes Photos

In my experiment (not yet done, still preparing the parts) the copper wire is electroplated with silver, which is done in jewellery electroplating shop. They use to electroplating ring, bracelet, with gold & silver coating, so electroplating copper wire should not be difficult for them. My own reason to stress on silver coated copper as electrode is, as I found from studying "the other way" (from physics letters, papers, etc), that it is the most probable metals to generate the electrostatic effect of Gray motor. But of course it needs to be proved in the experiment, so let us do it !

Wicaksono

Dear Wicaksono,

Here are some photos of the experimental setup used to evaluate various kinds of metal electrodes.

The thought is to charge the capacitor with the current that flows through the arc. Then discharge this stored energy through a small "popping coil" appratus. The conversion efficency is less than 1%, but I'm looking for relative improvement. So far I haven't found any.

Mark McKay