Gray Tube Replication

[Electrotek]

I've got a neighbor who's really into computers, so I took the disc over there. He loaded it and got far enough to see that it has a UDF format, or something like that, with a ton of pdf files he couldn't extract. So he went online and downloaded a UDF reader almost instantly. It won't work with Vista, which he has, so he burnt it onto a CD-R for me to use with XP. I installed it, but couldn't find the program anywhere on my computer, except add/delete files. It also took out my DVD player, which no longer was listed as a periffery. So I had to uninstall the program and I'm back to where I was. I also downloaded one of the programs someone recomended last week, and it ruined all my video files - while it was installed - and crashed my computer when I closed it. But I'll get it, eventually.

I like swirling sparks a lot more than whirring computers.

[martin]

Well, at least there are files on there.

You've really got my interest going on that tubular thing. It's very possible it is a mini tube and those rings may be windings and if it is, that would also confirm that when this thing works, it should work on a very small scale.

[martin]

Ok, Im spillin my guts. Here's what Im thinkin.

First, if you look at the "air" tube that sits on the table with his demo's, the outer most windings look like different types of wire than the windings in between.

Second, we know that the FFF windings are right outside of the inner windings of the motor.

I think that the windings on the tube are some sort of pancake windings (placed between the FFF windings) to take the place of the actual motor.

Today, I hooked up the FFF in opposition, connected a cfl to it and felt pretty good pressure comming from the bulb, pushing on my hand, everytime the spark gap fired. I think that this is the longitudinal wave that passes over the inner windings.

[Electrotek]

Martin: This is very interesting. Anytime you can feel a pressure wave like that without dealing with a VDG, I think you've got something important.

Are your coils end to end or wrapped concentrically. By opposition, do you mean ground in the middle? How many wires to the CFL?

A spiral CFL has a bifilar pattern. Can you feel the pressure waves with a straight tube?

[martin]

Martin: This is very interesting. Anytime you can feel a pressure wave like that without dealing with a VDG, I think you've got something important.

Are your coils end to end or wrapped concentrically. By opposition, do you mean ground in the middle? How many wires to the CFL?

A spiral CFL has a bifilar pattern. Can you feel the pressure waves with a straight tube?

The FFF was bifilar wrapped with scrap wire that came from the primary of the modified ignition coil I sometimes use. I had a small 3" x 3" x 3/8" (rough estimate) sample piece of granite countertop just laying around so I grabbed it to wind the coil onto. I was guessing that since the FFF was wrapped around alum. as long as the core didnt magnetize you could use anything.

I applied voltage going in both directions at the same time. Basically had 2 identical coils I had salvaged out of a UPS. Turns ratio, unknown, but was seeing around 1200v out of each coil. I think the main thing is both coils have to be switched in phase and one power coil has to go through one FFF in one direction and the other power coil has to go through the FFF in the other direction.

The spiral cfl I was using was not modified, it was still in the 110v base as it comes in the package. It did pulse some however didnt light very much, but you could DEFINATELY feel like a static push on the bulb. I noticed the FFF windings were arcing so I quit for a while and came back later.

I tried using 20 gauge insulated red/black spool of hook-up wire from Radio Shack but have not had the same results. I may have stupidly wired something up wrong. Oh well, If I got it once, I'll eventually get it again.

I tried some other things and my driver ckt gave up the ghost again. Ive been using this unit since the early 90's. That may be why when I came back I didnt get the same results. Anyway, time to build another driver ckt.

The circuit I was using is just a square wave generator with a 4013 D FF chip indirectly driving 3055 transistors.

Edit: I think the FFF had about 35-40 turns. Freq into the UPS power coils was roughly 40KHz. Spark gap was firing roughly 3-5 times /sec.

[Electrotek]

I'm surprised you didn't fry the electronics in the CFL. Have you heard of the Morton Effect? You can probably do a lot with your circuit, if you can replicate it.

[martin]

I'm surprised you didn't fry the electronics in the CFL. Have you heard of the Morton Effect? You can probably do a lot with your circuit, if you can replicate it.

What is the Morton Effect? Im sure I can replicate, just have to fix my driver ckt. Im sure the CFL electronics are gone, but that would be interesting if it still actually worked. I'll have to try it out. I figure if Gray's circuit powered tv's and radios, it possibly should power one of these CFL's?

[Ghst]

I've been wondering If anyone has had their ignition coils behave this way. I mean its sorta like a capacitor, in that if I dont let the coil discharge into something, the coil seems to build up and build up then, I've had 3 to 4 inch arks blast out of the high voltage into anything close. These stored up charges are comming from the ignition coil and sound like a loud grumbling Pop. I have added extinsions to the ignition coils high voltage shroud (center post). Anyway I'm beginning to realize that this may be the cause of my burnt capacitors, fried diodes and exploding relays.

[Electrotek]

What is the Morton Effect? Im sure I can replicate, just have to fix my driver ckt. Im sure the CFL electronics are gone, but that would be interesting if it still actually worked. I'll have to try it out. I figure if Gray's circuit powered tv's and radios, it possibly should power one of these CFL's?

Morton had a glass tube sticking out perpendicular to the VDG, with the end glued in a hole in a square piece of aluminum. The longitudinal spark went out through the tube and curved back to the aluminum ground plane. The curve threw off a kinemassic beam at the antinodal point. Should work with a longitudinal pressure wave in a waveguide with a curve at the end.

I think Gray's Static Generator was putting out 120V, pulsed static.

[Electrotek]

I've been wondering If anyone has had their ignition coils behave this way. I mean its sorta like a capacitor, in that if I dont let the coil discharge into something, the coil seems to build up and build up then, I've had 3 to 4 inch arks blast out of the high voltage into anything close. These stored up charges are comming from the ignition coil and sound like a loud grumbling Pop. I have added extinsions to the ignition coils high voltage shroud (center post). Anyway I'm beginning to realize that this may be the cause of my burnt capacitors, fried diodes and exploding relays.

That's amazing. I wish my coil would do that. Is this with a stand alone coil, or do you have it connected to something, such as a CSET?

[martin]

Morton had a glass tube sticking out perpendicular to the VDG, with the end glued in a hole in a square piece of aluminum. The longitudinal spark went out through the tube and curved back to the aluminum ground plane. The curve threw off a kinemassic beam at the antinodal point. Should work with a longitudinal pressure wave in a waveguide with a curve at the end.

I think Gray's Static Generator was putting out 120V, pulsed static.

I was thinking that in the interview he said it was something in the range of 1200 - 1400 volts, I've been known to be wrong before . Where did you hear of the 120v?

[Electrotek]

I was thinking that in the interview he said it was something in the range of 1200 - 1400 volts, I've been known to be wrong before . Where did you hear of the 120v?

I didn't hear of it; I just said that's what I think. This was based on the fact that some appliances, such as TV's, require a specific supply voltage for the circuits and components to operate correctly. Or at all.

[Ghst]

That's amazing. I wish my coil would do that. Is this with a stand alone coil, or do you have it connected to something, such as a CSET?

It will do it as a stand alone coil. But It will also do it attached to the CSET as long as there are no ground, or no low voltage attached to the CSET. I can also get very fine hair like streamers to ungrounded steel objects. I also get this large discharge effect with two ignition coils wired in parallel. with the large discharge coming from the last ignition coil. Electrotek was that a CSET in that picture I sent you? Also there is a strange 4" PVC pipe sitting on top of the Battery Box in some of the other photos. it is standing on its end with wires going thru the PVC walls. This Is also mysteriously always covered with a cloth.

[Electrotek]

Ghst: That pipe on the battery box looks like the same thing in your picture. It could be a CSET. But in your picture, it has six wires. Something to think about.

[Ghst]

PVC on Battery Box

Upon further investigation I have concluded that the PVC on the Battery Box is the motors shaft cap what has EMA on it. But the other thing is probably a CSET. The vertical PVC pipe thing on the battery box, is only seen in the pictures with the motor shaft removed.