Bedini Earth Light

[NickZ]

Brad, and All:
Great info that you've mentioned about the aluminum alloys, and Chemalloy. Worth trying! I'll see if I can at least find the current welding rods that are used here.

I've mentioned previously that I have been using aluminum and activated carbon for my cells for a while now, months. All my cells are aluminum/C, But, as Slider also has shown, they only put out about a volt or less, and not the 1.6 volts as is stated in Chemalloy tests. This higher output needs to be confirmed, maybe it's true.
Although my cells reach 75mA, and most start at around 50-70mAs, then drop somewhat in time. The current levels are totally dependent of the surface area of the carbon electrolyte, and size of the Al tubes.
My aluminum tubes are made from some kind of alloy also, and are additionally anodized with a clear coating to protect them from oxidation.
I use them because they are free and available to me, and they do work well. But an additional cell needs to be used like 4 cells instead of 3, to make up for their lower voltage output. My oscillators work fine even with one of these cells at about 0.65 volts, loaded, as these cells do have some fairly good current to them, and that is what the oscillators need, and not much voltage.
Just one of my cells has more current than the solar cells that come in the garden lights, and work even better than a single solar cells on an oscillator.
The solar garden light cells that I use output are 4.2 volts and 30mAs.
And of course the homemade cells will work day and night 24/7, and are already months old of daily or nightly use running night lights, and oscillators.
As all of these kinds of cells are of low output, they also need to be low cost, or they will not be cost effective to use. Compare to the 12 cents for 7 weeks running that Brad is kindly telling us about.
Aluminum and carbon are both almost free, and available most anywhere in the world. I also use beach sand which is nearby and is as free as it gets.
The borax treatment of the aluminum may help, but it is something that I have not tried. Maybe someone can let me know how borax or other semiconductor layer treatments has worked on the aluminum for you.

Brad: I've now made an new oscillator core using the #28 wire, 18 winds, (two separate winds), L1 and L2 , on a small 1/2" ferrite toroid that comes in the CFL bulbs. So, this is similar to what you've shown, and this is to try to replicate the results that you've gotten on the LS low draw oscillator. I'm now just waiting for new 2n2222 transistors to be delivered today, and will let you know how it all goes with the new set up, which I am very hopeful about.

[b_rads]

Is this the right stuff?

Aluminum Welding Rods - Pack of 8 Alumiweld Rods

This sound like a cell we should all try.

Lidmotor

@all:
Concerning the Chemalloy or Aluminum Welding Rods, refer to this page for the Filler Metal InformationAluminum Filler Metal Information:
I am looking at 4043 and 5356 alloys. Notice that Silicon, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, Zinc, Titanium, and Chromium (5356 only) are the elements used in these alloys. Look and see how many of these elements have semiconductor properties. Another site refers to the 4043 alloy as one of the oldest Aluminum alloys used in welding.

Nick; while this might be partially galvanic, it could also be the semiconductor battery you have been looking for.

Brad S

[ibpointless2]

Is this the right stuff?

Aluminum Welding Rods - Pack of 8 Alumiweld Rods

This sound like a cell we should all try.

Lidmotor

Hi Lidmotor,

I found this to some good reading material about chemalloy batteries. Nu EnergyTM Sodium Chloride Ion-valve Technology

This was pulled from the text. "We don't know how long a chemalloy battery will last. One cell was disassembled after powering a light emitting diode for 2,000 hours (over 84 days). It showed no sign of decay and could have continued to power the light emitting diode. The same light emitting diode powered with two store bought AAA cells remained lit for only 60 hours (2.5 days)."

So they seem like they will run for a long time.


Also I don't think modern day aluminum welding rods are the same as the original chemalloy rods due to that chemalloy originally had lead in it. Lead is being removed from modern solder.


@all

I can't believe this made the news. OS:Stephen Dickens Magnesium-Water-Copper Battery - PESWiki

Its a simple water battery that they're claiming will run for almost forever. The statement is that since they only use water the magnesium won't corrode but in fact its the water that corrodes the magnesium. They also are claiming that Stephen Dickens is the inventor when clearly Luigi Galvani is the inventor, Galvani had the effect named after him. I really don't know what to think or do now.

[Slider2732]

With the belief that aluminium immediately oxidizes in the air and becomes practically useless, i've avoided any trials in cells. So, the presumtion is there must be something else in the rods (if they are correct).
Very interesting indeed

I've just found an aluminium heatsink that can be snipped up and tried out, so will verify output without the special whatever it is.

(a few minutes later)
In a simple tap water cell:
Galv steel and copper electrodes produced 0.945V, 0.7mA
Aluminium and copper 0.745V, 135uA
Aluminium and galv steel 0.280V, 9uA (polarity reversed)

Aluminium from a heatsink produces far less than galvanized steel, but, if the electrode never deteriorates then maybe it's a readily usable metal that's been overlooked.
Such a configuration will run what I already normally use such water cells for, long term LED oscillator running !

Just kinda interesting to see what regular aluminium will do.
Here's it is, now on test on a 'Penny' type oscillator, with regular copper (non burnt). Flash rate approx 5Hz and a little brighter than the instant caught in the pic

[Lidmotor]

Aluminum welding rod

There use to be a guy online that sold it but his website store is no longer working. Not sure where you might get it now.
There is a "version" of at Harbor Freight here in the U.S. of A. Haven't tried it but it's cheap enough that when I run out of the Chemalloy I might try it.

Is this the right stuff?

Aluminum Welding Rods - Pack of 8 Alumiweld Rods

This sound like a cell we should all try.

Lidmotor

[Allwest]

Where did you get the chemalloy?

Ib,

You can get it at a welding shop, it is an aluminum welding rod

I used other rods for welding aluminum and it works the same as Chemalloy


Best....

[Sawt2]

Where did you get the chemalloy?

There use to be a guy online that sold it but his website store is no longer working. Not sure where you might get it now.
There is a "version" of at Harbor Freight here in the U.S. of A. Haven't tried it but it's cheap enough that when I run out of the Chemalloy I might try it.

[ibpointless2]

thought I would chime in here on the chemalloy battery:
My son and I had made these about 2 and 1/2 years ago, we made 6 individual cells with the chemalloy and carbon welding rods, used the electrolyte that was originally on there website. We had all 6 in series and lit a red led for 109 days, it was starting to crystalize the electrolyte and we wanted to see if there was any deteriation, when we opened them up we found no deteriation at all, only a tiny bit of tarnish on the chemalloy.
I realized the reason for the crystallization was instead of replaced the evaporated electrolyte with plain water I was adding the electrolyte and the salt content got very strong and crystalized.
We recently rebuilt the six cells with chemalloy and copper tubing and same electrolyte, only this time as it evaporates we only put distilled water in them and it seems to be doing very well for 81 days. It will lite the led with all six in series but we decided to try it 3 and 3 in series then put those 2 groups in paralel and it lights ultra bright white led very nicely.(real bright)
there dosen't appear to be any deteriation. About every 10 to 15 days just another squirt of water keeps the light on. We are attempting to make a bunch of these with hopes of running a small bedini energizer off of them.
Brian

Where did you get the chemalloy?

[Sawt2]

thought I would chime in here on the chemalloy battery:
My son and I had made these about 2 and 1/2 years ago, we made 6 individual cells with the chemalloy and carbon welding rods, used the electrolyte that was originally on there website. We had all 6 in series and lit a red led for 109 days, it was starting to crystalize the electrolyte and we wanted to see if there was any deteriation, when we opened them up we found no deteriation at all, only a tiny bit of tarnish on the chemalloy.
I realized the reason for the crystallization was instead of replaced the evaporated electrolyte with plain water I was adding the electrolyte and the salt content got very strong and crystalized.
We recently rebuilt the six cells with chemalloy and copper tubing and same electrolyte, only this time as it evaporates we only put distilled water in them and it seems to be doing very well for 81 days. It will lite the led with all six in series but we decided to try it 3 and 3 in series then put those 2 groups in paralel and it lights ultra bright white led very nicely.(real bright)
there dosen't appear to be any deteriation. About every 10 to 15 days just another squirt of water keeps the light on. We are attempting to make a bunch of these with hopes of running a small bedini energizer off of them.
Brian

[ibpointless2]

Enjoyed that read Brad, thanks for posting
Clicking on the link to Page 208 at the bottom of the first page, shows discussion of a home made version of a bacteria cell.
I'd like to run some trials with such a thing....but have no real idea how to build the cell on the workbench. I would imagine the same sort of thing as the pills bottle water cells, with copper and steel electrodes, but, fill the bottle with household waste.
However, any water present in the waste would form a galvanic source of any derived output ?!

Really, I think we want one of these :

Lets build it!

[vintasalo]

Another site

Make Conductive Glue, Conductive Paint, and Conductive Ink
Make Conductive Glue, Conductive Paint, and Conductive Ink

How about oil and graphite powder mix.. No water in oil to decay the negative cathode

[Slider2732]

Enjoyed that read Brad, thanks for posting
Clicking on the link to Page 208 at the bottom of the first page, shows discussion of a home made version of a bacteria cell.
I'd like to run some trials with such a thing....but have no real idea how to build the cell on the workbench. I would imagine the same sort of thing as the pills bottle water cells, with copper and steel electrodes, but, fill the bottle with household waste.
However, any water present in the waste would form a galvanic source of any derived output ?!

Really, I think we want one of these :

[b_rads]

Nick:
I have made many Joule Thief's the last couple of years and this is the best for me so far. I can only attribute the success of this one to the toroid since I have made others using the same components.

1963 issue of Popular Mechanics.


Fuel Cells: Electricity in a Promising New Package

These are some ideas I have been exploring for a while.

Brad S

Slider
Got to love the Flux Capacitor!!!!

[NickZ]

Brad:
Thanks for the update, I was wondering how that was going. That circuit reminds me of the one that Kooler did a couple of years ago. He built two different Jtc, that used the Hartley Oscillator circuits in them, which he believe to be feeding back to the battery. It must be so, otherwise how could a simple non-recharable battery, last so long, his three leds were very, very bright, not just barely shinning. Those two Jtc died when the batteries leaked, but after 5 and a half months time. He made two different circuits like this, so there is no coincidence, or mistake about it.

Slider has just made an Exciter circuit that is also feeding back to the battery. He is testing that idea now by placing a separate capacitor on the negative side leading back to the battery rail, and reading the voltage increasing on that, to prove the point.
I've also felt that some circuits are doing this, many in fact, and is the reason the battery and the devices are running as long as they have at times.

I have made and still use the low draw circuit that you suggested, it works good, but has not given me more that a few days light. This may have to do with the toroid that I'm using, and or the windings, so I've tried different ones to see if there is any change.
After what you've just mentioned, I'll pay even more attention to all this, in the future. As that is no small point.
You may want to change the batteries to rechargeable ones in the future, but not until the other ones fail, of course, as they are what is working so well, so far, and 12 cent for 7 weeks running is already a record, I think. At least cost wise.

One more thing, I'm now using that low draw circuit connected to my homemade cells, which is really working out well also, as that circuit does not tap and drain the cells as much as some other circuits. I'll also try the 100 k resistor on the base, as that may also be one of the key factors involved in the very long run time.
NickZ

[b_rads]

b_rads

You should check out this power storage device
Paper BATTERY invented at Stanford University. Paper+ink+nanotubes=INSTANT BATTERY. - YouTube

@Allwest:
I saw this a while back, it looks very promising. Nanotechnology is probably where this technology is going. This tech appears to still be in its infancy, I hope this will be something people like us can replicate in our kitchen or on our workbench.

Anyone still looking for a good Joule Thief Circuit for testing might want to try this one. Lasersaber released his Mini Joule Ringer Circuit and specified this toroid.

Small Toroid Filter





Enjoy, Brad S