Gray Tube Replication

[ahoesch]

Dear ahoesch,

Safety is always an issue when working with High Voltage. Concerning the risk from X-rays. Consider that in order to produce a significant flux of X-rays the electrons must be accelerated in a hard vacuum to develop the 5K ev of kinetic energy. In this research we are working in open air at STP. Even though the potential between the electrodes is on the order of 5KV there is almost zero chance that any of them will even come close to that energy level before hitting an air particle or other plasma particle. The mean free path of electrons in air is pretty dismal, it is even less in a plasma.

I would venture that the risk from UV radiation is more of a concern than X-ray production. Now, if this research moves towards hard vacuum enclosures then your concerns will need to be re-visited.

Spokane1

Thanks for the explanation that I should have come up with by myself. Of course the air makes the whole thing rather harmless, as long as we don't burn our fingers at a not completely discharged capacitor. :-) UV radiation is not so much an issue for me since I most often have a copper pipe over the spark gap and that shields UV very well.

Thanks a lot!

ahoesch

[Spokane1]

X-Ray Concerns

Hi all,

I am rather new to this thread and not yet through with the 56 pages. However, there is something I am wondering about with regard to gray tube experiements that has not been covered yet as far as I am aware of. We are experimenting with electrons accelerated in a spark gap to 5keV. When these electrons hit the LV copper rod, not so mild x-rays are generated and probably emitted in all directions around the tube. What exactly do we do about that to not get hurt (-> cancer) by our experiments? I always have a copper tube aroundthe spark gap, but I am not so sure that 1mm of copper is sufficient to shield away the x-rays generated by 5keV electrons!? I don't want to follow the curies to the grave earlier than necessary. Anyone?

Dear ahoesch,

Safety is always an issue when working with High Voltage. Concerning the risk from X-rays. Consider that in order to produce a significant flux of X-rays the electrons must be accelerated in a hard vacuum to develop the 5K ev of kinetic energy. In this research we are working in open air at STP. Even though the potential between the electrodes is on the order of 5KV there is almost zero chance that any of them will even come close to that energy level before hitting an air particle or other plasma particle. The mean free path of electrons in air is pretty dismal, it is even less in a plasma.

I would venture that the risk from UV radiation is more of a concern than X-ray production. Now, if this research moves towards hard vacuum enclosures then your concerns will need to be re-visited.

Spokane1

[ahoesch]

X-Ray shielding for gray tube

Hi all,

I am rather new to this thread and not yet through with the 56 pages. However, there is something I am wondering about with regard to gray tube experiements that has not been covered yet as far as I am aware of. We are experimenting with electrons accelerated in a spark gap to 5keV. When these electrons hit the LV copper rod, not so mild x-rays are generated and probably emitted in all directions around the tube. What exactly do we do about that to not get hurt (-> cancer) by our experiments? I always have a copper tube aroundthe spark gap, but I am not so sure that 1mm of copper is sufficient to shield away the x-rays generated by 5keV electrons!? I don't want to follow the curies to the grave earlier than necessary. Anyone?

[pranav2010]

about the commutator

can any one tell me
how can i connect the commutator wiring

[Aaron]

@Brian

Brian, that was exciting to see! I can REEEEALLY appreciate that video.

The first time I saw the plasma burst, I know what it felt like.

But knowing the principle - the "key" almost makes the diagrams and schematics obsolete if it is known. Because it can then be applied in a multitude of different ways. I felt by sharing that diagram showing the mixing effect that people can be empowered so they don't have to rely on diagrams anymore and do their own thing.

The biggest hurdle I had about 5 years ago is convincing people first that the voltage from another source can even go backwards through a diode. Anyway, Gotoluc made it easy for everyone when he found a simplified way to do it with the ignition coils.

That is why 100% of every circuit I made worked because I simply applied the principle of the mixing.

Good luck and be safe and hope to see more. You'll have fun with adding a coil to the circuit.

If you have 1 joule of potential energy in one side and 1 in the other that is 2 joules you put in. That 2 joules of energy is supposed to be able to lift an object of X weight to X height over X time. But if you put in 2 joules in this mixing method, do we get the object to get higher faster? And on top of that almost all of it can be recovered when the coil collapses.

Just a concept to play with if you get the opportunity.

Even without the mixing, it is over 1.0 COP because the object will launch and there is still recovery. Any recovery means that work was done and we have some left to launch again - won't go as high but still more work is done for the same input - Everyone is doing this already at different levels but don't know it. Anyway, just make up the loss and you get work for less input than the math says is required.

[n84dafun]

Senthetic/Synergistic discharge

Hi Brian,

I REALLY look forward to it!

Hi Aaron,

Here's my youtube video of the test proving what you mentioned a few threads ago with your diagrams showing the current paths and voltage potentials. One thing that sucks about the video is that the discharges, normal and mixed, seem to look the same. But you can tell if you look and listen carefully that they are different.

YouTube - Murakami-Gray Effect Low Current / High Voltage Synergism

It really does make a difference when you combine the two elements of LV current and HV potiential. The HV potential seems to catepult the LV current across that gap in a big way. Pretty cool to see, hear, and compare the difference between normal cap discharge and mixed LV/HV cap discharge.

Brian

[Aaron]

Brian's video

Hi Brian,

I REALLY look forward to it!

[n84dafun]

Semiconductor diodes on reverse operation are rated for an "unrepetitive" mode, witch generally is not the the case for vacuum tubes. This is the weakness of the "material" vs. "vacuum" (what can you breakdown in a vacuum? Melt down the vacuum and drill a conductive "hole" in it?).

Vacuum tubes would be ideal. I would definitely like to try that in the future. For now the solid state diodes are working adequate now that I got my 20kv diodes from China. By the way, Aaron's theory of the low current/high potential synergistic mixing works according to my tests. All I have to say is WOW!!! It really works they way he describes it. I will post a video soon.

Brian

[barbosi]

I did a diode check with my multimeter and it looks like I was working with bad diodes.

Semiconductor diodes on reverse operation are rated for an "unrepetitive" mode, witch generally is not the the case for vacuum tubes. This is the weakness of the "material" vs. "vacuum" (what can you breakdown in a vacuum? Melt down the vacuum and drill a conductive "hole" in it?).

[n84dafun]

Brian,

Ok.

My transformer is adjustable with a variac so I don't let it go above 1000v on the output thru the 2kv bridge.

The hv ignition coil side is on a different supply.

Charging the cap over a gap with your supply is ok but it will be slower I think. I have done it but doesn't seem optimum.

It doesn't have to be too slow if your transformer can operate at higher frequency to charge the cap fast.

Aaron,

Now I'm starting to get a whole picture of your setup much better. A variac is a nice convenience to have for this project. Since I don't have one, a car ignition coil with an adjustable 555 timer might be a good alternative for a variable power supply. I also have to watch the gap width to not get it too wide, otherwise I'll keep blowing my components.

Brian

[Aaron]

bridge

Brian,

Ok.

My transformer is adjustable with a variac so I don't let it go above 1000v on the output thru the 2kv bridge.

The hv ignition coil side is on a different supply.

Charging the cap over a gap with your supply is ok but it will be slower I think. I have done it but doesn't seem optimum.

It doesn't have to be too slow if your transformer can operate at higher frequency to charge the cap fast.

[n84dafun]

Brian,

If you want to use a transformer to output 1000v to your caps, use a bridge with double the voltage rating of what you need.

I had problems with 1000v bridge (with the 6a100 diodes 1000v 6a) and went thru quite a few and the transfomer worked harder...problems from 600 volts +. As soon as I made a bridge with 2 in series for 2kv so 8 diodes total on the bridge, no problems ever since.

Aaron,

Thanks for the suggestion. I can try that because I only have 8 more of the 6a100 diodes. However, I don't have any more to make the LV diode bank. (I need to buy more at Mouser or somewhere else.)

Should I also change my 10kv transformer because this might be too powerful for those diodes, since 2kv is way under the 10kv that the transformer puts out?

Maybe I should make a hv powersupply out of the camero ignition coil I have. Looks like you also use an auto ignition coil for your powersupply. My question is: isn't a 2kv bridge rectifier too small also for an ignition coil since ignition coils usually put out 10kv? I know it depend on the input you put in the coil that determines output, so is 120v charged pulsed cap to the input of the ignition coil appropriate for a 2kv bridge?

-brian

[Aaron]

bridge

Brian,

If you want to use a transformer to output 1000v to your caps, use a bridge with double the voltage rating of what you need.

I had problems with 1000v bridge (with the 6a100 diodes 1000v 6a) and went thru quite a few and the transfomer worked harder...problems from 600 volts +. As soon as I made a bridge with 2 in series for 2kv so 8 diodes total on the bridge, no problems ever since.

[n84dafun]

destroyed diodes

I did a diode check with my multimeter and it looks like I was working with bad diodes. Maybe that's why my voltage on my LV caps were all over the place. The diodes were not properly rectifying the HV AC output from the transformer.

Even the string of fifteen 1000V 6A diodes were destroyed. The MWO diode was probably fried by the 10kv transformer, and the string of diodes destroyed from soldering the diodes with my 100W soldering gun or from the transformer also.

Waiting form my 20kV diodes from China to get started again.

-Brian

[Aaron]

mild steel

If mild steel is magnetic in any way, I would not use it for the rotor body.

If there is a heavy plastic, that is probably best so that it is not magnetic or non-ferrous.