Hendershot Replications

[mlurye]

Hi

I used the schematic from "The Hendershot Motor Mystery". I would like to perform the tests, however the units are disassembled and in storage at this time. Here is an old pix of the coils and vertical output transformers shown after disassembly. Inner capacitors were discarded. I built the coils on separate bases with connectors so I could play with separation distance. What is the nature of the test?, I have all kinds of generators to several hundred megahertz.

Ionic,
In the book you mentioned there is different schemas. The one I was talking about is in this book: From the Archives of Lester J Hendershot by Mark Hendershot
The test is to find out the resonant frequency for the left and the right coils. In my build it's different But in order to do test you need to put schema together, no need for inner caps so.

[mlurye]

I was doing some thinking and here is my understanding of coils:
L1 - Rotor
L2 - Electromagnet
L3 - Stator
L4 - Radio antenna
morpher it's more in your area to validate, you are good with theory.

[morpher44]

more theories - speculation...

I was doing some thinking and here is my understanding of coils:
L1 - Rotor
L2 - Electromagnet
L3 - Stator
L4 - Radio antenna
morpher it's more in your area to validate, you are good with theory.

L4 coupled with hand made cap is the so called "resonator".
Ping it with a spike of voltage ... and it will ring for a while until
it dampens down.

To me, L4 & L3 are a transformer. They will be a more perfect
transformer if the cylinder is a magnetic core. Turn ratio 1:4.57,
providing a voltage increase by that amount relative to the voltage
that appears on the L4 tank circuit. So if that goes say 5 volts,
22.9v would appear on L3.
These two coils use magnetic wire.

L2 & L1 -- I speculate -- are a feedback path -- or tickler coils like
found in the Armstrong oscillator (or Joule Thief coil).
There are probably two of them so that you can get a 90 phase
shift -- twice. With close to 180 phase shift, you have an
ingredient for regenerative oscillations.
In a Joule Thief, the transistor does one of the 90 phase shifts.
In the Hendershot FG, we have no transistor.
Amplification of the voltage is done using the transformer, I suspect.
If the resistance is low (and it would be with only 12 turns on L2 & L1),
the phase shift will be near 180 when it goes through both of them.
Further, since they reside above L3 & L4 ... the feedback
may also occur magnetically via mutual induction.

Lastly, since the circuit has the current flow through all these
inductors -- including the 5:1 transformers & solenoids --
in series, all inductances
add, creating essentially a LARGE inductance relative to the hand-made
cap. This, I bet, make it possible to respond to energy from low frequencies up to the higher ones -- in a wide band manner.
The bandwidth, in other words is large probably ... influenced by
all the resistances in this series path for the current.

I'm hoping there is a bit more too it regarding the coil-capacitor
geometry.

IONIC's comment about "photon drag effect" and essentially
subverting "Lenz's law" is also a hope of mine.
I see from the patents filed for what amounts to the Hubbard coil,
that when the Hubbard coil is placed in an area of "ionized" electrons,
the situation of electrons with less-mass -- or something occurs --
for photonic inductive coupling. Less mass on the electron, less
drag ... or so the patent seems to imply.
So a similar thing might occur with the Hendershot FG in that
as the capacitor creates an oscillating field, with molecular bombardment
and collisions occurring in that cylinder, the coils might find
themselves in an ionic field ... and hence work a bit differently
than one would expect.

I am absolutely captured by the idea of placing a capacitor inside
a coil ... or vice a versa.

Another observation has to do with the solenoid and its orientation
to the cylinder coils.
I've found that if you place the two cylinders say one cylinder diameter
distance from each other ... and place the solenoid directly
between them, the mutual induction from each side of the solenoid
will effect each respective cylinder ... and there is energy transference.
You can improve it by pulling the solenoid slightly up (or down).
There is a sweet spot where the maximum energy transference
can be made to occur -- ala mutual induction from solenoid
to cylinder coils. Depending upon the magnetic footprint of your
horseshoe magnet, the cylinders may need to be brought closer
together, or move away from each other.
So in terms of finding those sweet spots, I would make the cylinder
coils so that they can be made to move close together or away,
and to make the solenoid so that it can be brought directly between
the cylinders or back away from them. The horseshoe magnet, too,
might need to be placed in an appropriate place for the best
effect -- of BENDING the fields to the side.

From one cylinder's point of view, when the solenoid receives
a pulse, the cylinder too will pick up that pulse via mutual induction.
If that pulse produces a SOUTH pole, for example, the cylinder sees
a SOUTH, and current flows one way in the coils.
When the pulse is removed from the solenoid, the field disolves
and the NORTH pole from the horseshoe magnet is seen strongly
by the cylinder. That might make the current flow the other
direction in the coil ...
.... BUT ....
there is a certain geometric location whereby these polarity
changes as seen by the cylinder do NOT producing an alternating
current, but rather, the flux can be made to SPIN ...like
a spinning magnet around the coil.
The coil has no choice but to generate power from the spinning
field.

So I suspect that what Hendershot may have figured out is
how to produce a spinning flux in two locations relative to the
solenoid/bar/magnet ... and by placing coils in those
two locations, he can generate power.

It might be possible to separate the solenoid/bar/magnet
out as one circuit, driven by a signal generator, and then
to move the cylinders around until you get the BEST pickup
from them. This would be a crude way to find the location
where they are suppose to live ... You probably have
to map it out carefully with various frequencies and voltages
and duty cycles, etc.
Hendershot's circuit likely self resonates at some frequency --
say 60 to 120 Hz -- and these would be frequencies to try
when searching for where the cylinders are to live.

I think we should not be afraid to move the geometry of these
objects around ... since mutual induction clearly plays a role here.

PS> Nice to meet you IONIC. Your input is very much appreciated.

[morpher44]

reply to IONIC

Recently I've had a few insights I'd like to share. Consider that Hendershot filled the space between the coils and cylindrical capacitors with beeswax. This was a clue I had missed. Consider also that the "basketweave coils" were not optimized for RF energy i.e. minimum capacitance between windings. Quite possibly Hendershot had a different idea in mind. Take a look at what real basketweaves of that era looked like. The turns angle is much less.

Consider the interplay of an acoustic resonance between the cylindrical capacitors which may have acted as ultrasonic transducers coupling to the strangely wound coils via the beeswax.

Imagine electrons in the wires (which have mass) being vibrated radially by the transducers, forced into the peaks and valleys of the windings. Ordinarily this will not result in electron flow. Add one more lower frequency component and you can visualize an acoustic pumping of electrons around the loops.

Since most FE devices are constrained by Lenz's law, a different method of propelling electrons in a wire should be sought after. I offer an acoustic resonance model as it is not subject to Lenz's law.

There has been the discovery of anomolous electron flow in conductors due to "phonon drag effect".

Just my WAG as to what may be happening in the Hendershot machine after much meditation on the device. I may dig out the first build and try it some time.

@IONIC

I never read about Hendershot using beeswax.
Paraffin yes, but not beeswax.
Although the latter would be intriguing relative to an Electret effect
and I was wondering about that too in one of my videos.

Hendershot appears to have used honeycomb coils in his toy motor
thing ... and basketweave coils in his fuelless generator. Both
types of coils are a bit different relative to the Wheeler forumla
for inductance. I think he was after the easiest way to wind
for large inductance and high Q.

Your idea about acoustic resonance is interesting.
I do think the frequencies we want to make this thing
go at are audio frequencies (and perhaps VLF to get it going at first).
The solenoid device cannot go much faster than say 150Hz ...
which would push it mechanically to its limit.
Since Hendershot seemed to have been able to run household
appliences with his FG, you would think the frequency produced
would need to be NEAR 60hz ... although transformers
in appliances -- in his day -- were pretty forgiving frequency-wise.
For real power, though, you need to go low frequency.

I noticed, and made a video about the fact that Hendershot
may have used PHI in his calculation for how many dowels to use.
Each dowel appears to be spaced such that the dowel diameter
multiplied by PHI squared can be divided into the circumference of the
coil to produce the number of dowels you need.
This spacing for his basketweave may provide nice eddy currents
at each dowel w/o having them impinge on the neighboring dowels.
Too close, and the eddy currents are damped. Too far,
and they are not supportive of each other -- ALA Stan Deyo's
wedding cake device.

So if you created a rotating flux -- think vortex -- that landed
directly onto or into the cylinder where the coils reside -- the
coils would generate power.
Each dowel too might have a flux spinning around the dowel --
since electromagnetism likes to operate in a fractal way.
These harmonic frequencies ... the full diameter flux spin,
the dowel spin, etc. might support each other coherence-wise.

Also, if the coil surrounds a ferromagnetic core, the inductance
would move up and down the B-H curve depending upon frequencies.
In this way, it may find an ideal point on that curve to self resonate.
The molecules in the ferro material SPIN longer essentially raising
the inductance ... creating a larger reactance.
So the inductances are non-linear in this situation.
As the inductance increases, lower and lower frequencies are
achievable for resonance. So as it spins up, the frequency settles
lower and lower (I'm guessing).

It is still very much an open debate as to whether the
cylinders should contain non-ferro stainless steel
or near-IRON ferro material.
This decision in the design is an important one relative
to the frequencies involved.

[NOMDI]

Neon or 2 LEDs in opposite direction, no need for current amplification.

Thanks for the advice , Mike ! I'll do the test asap...

[mlurye]

L4 coupled with hand made cap is the so called "resonator".
Ping it with a spike of voltage ... and it will ring for a while until
it dampens down.

To me, L4 & L3 are a transformer. They will be a more perfect
transformer if the cylinder is a magnetic core. Turn ratio 1:4.57,
providing a voltage increase by that amount relative to the voltage
that appears on the L4 tank circuit. So if that goes say 5 volts,
22.9v would appear on L3.
These two coils use magnetic wire.

L2 & L1 -- I speculate -- are a feedback path -- or tickler coils like
found in the Armstrong oscillator (or Joule Thief coil).
There are probably two of them so that you can get a 90 phase
shift -- twice. With close to 180 phase shift, you have an
ingredient for regenerative oscillations.
In a Joule Thief, the transistor does one of the 90 phase shifts.
In the Hendershot FG, we have no transistor.
Amplification of the voltage is done using the transformer, I suspect.
If the resistance is low (and it would be with only 12 turns on L2 & L1),
the phase shift will be near 180 when it goes through both of them.
Further, since they reside above L3 & L4 ... the feedback
may also occur magnetically via mutual induction.

Lastly, since the circuit has the current flow through all these
inductors -- including the 5:1 transformers & solenoids --
in series, all inductances
add, creating essentially a LARGE inductance relative to the hand-made
cap. This, I bet, make it possible to respond to energy from low frequencies up to the higher ones -- in a wide band manner.
The bandwidth, in other words is large probably ... influenced by
all the resistances in this series path for the current.

I'm hoping there is a bit more too it regarding the coil-capacitor
geometry.

IONIC's comment about "photon drag effect" and essentially
subverting "Lenz's law" is also a hope of mine.
I see from the patents filed for what amounts to the Hubbard coil,
that when the Hubbard coil is placed in an area of "ionized" electrons,
the situation of electrons with less-mass -- or something occurs --
for photonic inductive coupling. Less mass on the electron, less
drag ... or so the patent seems to imply.
So a similar thing might occur with the Hendershot FG in that
as the capacitor creates an oscillating field, with molecular bombardment
and collisions occurring in that cylinder, the coils might find
themselves in an ionic field ... and hence work a bit differently
than one would expect.

I am absolutely captured by the idea of placing a capacitor inside
a coil ... or vice a versa.

Another observation has to do with the solenoid and its orientation
to the cylinder coils.
I've found that if you place the two cylinders say one cylinder diameter
distance from each other ... and place the solenoid directly
between them, the mutual induction from each side of the solenoid
will effect each respective cylinder ... and there is energy transference.
You can improve it by pulling the solenoid slightly up (or down).
There is a sweet spot where the maximum energy transference
can be made to occur -- ala mutual induction from solenoid
to cylinder coils. Depending upon the magnetic footprint of your
horseshoe magnet, the cylinders may need to be brought closer
together, or move away from each other.
So in terms of finding those sweet spots, I would make the cylinder
coils so that they can be made to move close together or away,
and to make the solenoid so that it can be brought directly between
the cylinders or back away from them. The horseshoe magnet, too,
might need to be placed in an appropriate place for the best
effect -- of BENDING the fields to the side.

From one cylinder's point of view, when the solenoid receives
a pulse, the cylinder too will pick up that pulse via mutual induction.
If that pulse produces a SOUTH pole, for example, the cylinder sees
a SOUTH, and current flows one way in the coils.
When the pulse is removed from the solenoid, the field disolves
and the NORTH pole from the horseshoe magnet is seen strongly
by the cylinder. That might make the current flow the other
direction in the coil ...
.... BUT ....
there is a certain geometric location whereby these polarity
changes as seen by the cylinder do NOT producing an alternating
current, but rather, the flux can be made to SPIN ...like
a spinning magnet around the coil.
The coil has no choice but to generate power from the spinning
field.

So I suspect that what Hendershot may have figured out is
how to produce a spinning flux in two locations relative to the
solenoid/bar/magnet ... and by placing coils in those
two locations, he can generate power.

It might be possible to separate the solenoid/bar/magnet
out as one circuit, driven by a signal generator, and then
to move the cylinders around until you get the BEST pickup
from them. This would be a crude way to find the location
where they are suppose to live ... You probably have
to map it out carefully with various frequencies and voltages
and duty cycles, etc.
Hendershot's circuit likely self resonates at some frequency --
say 60 to 120 Hz -- and these would be frequencies to try
when searching for where the cylinders are to live.

I think we should not be afraid to move the geometry of these
objects around ... since mutual induction clearly plays a role here.

PS> Nice to meet you IONIC. Your input is very much appreciated.

morpher,
L4 is resonator, and it's tuned to a specific radio frequency, in my case the best result I'm getting with 3.4MHz. But with low frequencies it's possible to use it as transformer. As I see the main purpose of this coil is to initially charge caps.
Based on my understanding electromagnetic compasses using electromagnets in oposite direction and its L2's and stainless steel cylinder
L1 and L3 are parts of motionless generator.
It's my latest assumptions.

[mlurye]

Another interesting thought. Aho mentioned that he has seen bulb flash when Lester Hendershot was tuning it in. My assumption is that caps were charged from radio waves and Hendershot was forcing cap discharge through the load to make generator to operate.
P.S. Also it was mentioned by Mark Hendershot that Lester Hendershot was shocked during one of his demonstretions, so there is defenetly caps discharges involved in making generator to operate. And left and right side should be charged to the same voltage, that is how Hendershot knew if one of sides is not tuned in.

[mlurye]

NOMDI, how far are you in building your system?
If you didn't get caps yet, I would recomend to get electrolytic ones not motor run caps.

[NOMDI]

NOMDI, how far are you in building your system?
If you didn't get caps yet, I would recomend to get electrolytic ones not motor run caps.

Hi ! Still winding the coils... waiting for soft iron threaded rods for the final buzzer...I have a big quantity of polypropylene motor caps... Why do you recommend to use electrolytics ? Do you think there's a special "chemical" reaction of these caps which is useful ?

[mlurye]

Hi ! Still winding the coils... waiting for soft iron threaded rods for the final buzzer...I have a big quantity of polypropylene motor caps... Why do you recommend to use electrolytics ? Do you think there's a special "chemical" reaction of these caps which is useful ?

NOMDI I don't think a special "chemical" reaction matter But polarity is, you will see different behavior with different caps.

[NOMDI]

NOMDI I don't think a special "chemical" reaction matter But polarity is, you will see different behavior with different caps.

mlurye, what are the results of your experiments concerning different caps ?
I'm sure there could be different behaviours but after watching all the data about the Hendershot device (specially some pictures), i guess neither Hendershot or Aho used polarized caps... I mean, if they had dual, polarized caps, they used the two elements in serie to get a non polarized cap...

I also remember that some replication builders mentioned burned caps... i guess that's because they used polarised caps. So, electrolytics, why not, but only non polarized ones...that's my idea...

[NOMDI]

Another interesting thought. Aho mentioned that he has seen bulb flash when Lester Hendershot was tuning it in. My assumption is that caps were charged from radio waves and Hendershot was forcing cap discharge through the load to make generator to operate.
P.S. Also it was mentioned by Mark Hendershot that Lester Hendershot was shocked during one of his demonstretions, so there is defenetly caps discharges involved in making generator to operate. And left and right side should be charged to the same voltage, that is how Hendershot knew if one of sides is not tuned in.

Good point

I also think that Hendershot started his device by discharging caps... but i've never had this idea that the caps were befored charges by RF signals. I thought he charged some of them before...but your idea is obviously better.
That could help for coils tuning (and also coils and buzzer placement). Maybe watching the voltage on each cap during placement and tuning could help to find the good position... I also guess that we could try to apply (for a few seconds) a high voltage in parallel to the load with something like a telephone magneto to help running...

[mlurye]

mlurye, what are the results of your experiments concerning different caps ?
I'm sure there could be different behaviours but after watching all the data about the Hendershot device (specially some pictures), i guess neither Hendershot or Aho used polarized caps... I mean, if they had dual, polarized caps, they used the two elements in serie to get a non polarized cap...

I also remember that some replication builders mentioned burned caps... i guess that's because they used polarised caps. So, electrolytics, why not, but only non polarized ones...that's my idea...

NOMDI,
Currently I don't have electrolytic caps, I ordered them and soon will get them. But I was trying to emulate polarized caps by placing diodes on each cap. Also I'm using LEDs as my load and buzzer and I noticed that LEDs were brighter with diodes and caps were holding charge even when I wasn't feeding RF in.
Caps are not exactly in series they are center taped on both sides. Hendershot specifically showing polarity of caps on his schema. As I understood 40uF on both sides are driving caps, 80uF I'm not sure. And it was mentioned that cap connected to the load was getting hot and eventually was burning out. It is the problem that Hendershot had with schema we are playing with, it's mean that he was using polarized cap with AC.

[mlurye]

Just a little test I did. I was using 12V electromagnet in place of buzzer and 12V lamp(load). Connected FG(function generator) parallel to the load. At low frequencies electromagnet was buzzing but lamp barely glowed, at HF it was other way around. In general it proofed that load and buzzer should be in balance in order for both to operate normal.

[mlurye]

Another thing I noticed Generator behaves itself like multi vibrator.