How to light an LED with no battery (or AV plug)

[seth]

Hi guys!

Here is the experiment I did to light the LED just from a ground connection and my own body:


How to light an LED with no battery or AV plug - YouTube

I decided to start a new thread cos this is a little different to what the guys are doing with the crystal batteries. Also, I wanted your opinions because I know there are some clever guys here who may be able to explain exactly how this works. So whats going on here?

Just attach your LED to 2 big pieces of metal - one upstairs, one in the ground. Then touch the piece of metal upstairs, and watch the LED glow. How can we refine this system and get a brighter output? All ideas welcome.

The LED works both ways round, so I suppose it must be some kind of AC power source. Stray RF, as lidmotor suggested for the av plug that powers his oscillator with no battery?

Thanks everyone for all your ideas and inspiration

[stringguy]

here is some info i found somewhere online, the guy was experimenting with energy from an antena. don't know where you would put an earth, but i'm sure you can guess or experiment.

[NickZ]

Seth:
Maybe try to connect a capacitor to the led to see if that helps to make the light brighter. Can you show a picture of how bright (or dim) the led is?
I have mentioned that when using my older cement beach-sand cells as well as some other cells, that I'm able to light an led about 1/4 brightness on just one wire. This usually happens late at night mostly, so it does not have anything to do with sunlight, but the effect can also happen anytime. Since the led's light is unusably dim, I have not pursued it further, although maybe I should. If I touch the second pole (negative) of the led to ground, (through my body and bare feet on my ceramic tile floor), the light gets twice as bright. I don't think that this has anything to do with galvanics, and may be the real cause of why the cells work.
As I've mentioned before many times, the two different metals in the cells work as antennas, and may also be what is giving the cells their non galvanic, unconventional output. As that energy is not contained in the cells.
In the picture below I show the cement cells in series, that cause the effect to happen, but, I've also seen it when working with other cells as well.
I notice it mostly when I disconnect the negative side of the led, and the light still stays on.
I'll take a picture of the led lighting on just one wire when it happens next time.
Nick

[seth]

Thanks for your input lads.

I'll definitely give that circuit with the diodes and cap a try. Please leave the picture Nick - it sounds like the same thing as is going on here

[Iotayodi]

The electrostatic field of the atmosphere is about 100 volts per vertical meter.

"The measurements of atmospheric electricity can be seen as measurements of difference of potential between a point of the Earth's surface, and a point somewhere in the air above it. The atmosphere in different regions is often found to be at different local potentials, which differ from that of the earth sometimes even by as much as 3000 Volts within 100 feet (30 m). The electrostatic field and the difference of potential of the earth field according to investigations, is in summer about 60 to 100 volts and in winter 300 to 500 volts per meter of difference in height, a simple calculation gives the result that when such a collector is arranged for example on the ground, and a second one is mounted vertically over it at a distance of 2000 meters and both are connected by a conducting cable, there is a difference in potential in summer of about 2,000,000 volts and in winter even of 6,000,000 volts and more."

Atmospheric electricity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[seth]

The electrostatic field of the atmosphere is about 100 volts per vertical meter.

"The measurements of atmospheric electricity can be seen as measurements of difference of potential between a point of the Earth's surface, and a point somewhere in the air above it. The atmosphere in different regions is often found to be at different local potentials, which differ from that of the earth sometimes even by as much as 3000 Volts within 100 feet (30 m). The electrostatic field and the difference of potential of the earth field according to investigations, is in summer about 60 to 100 volts and in winter 300 to 500 volts per meter of difference in height, a simple calculation gives the result that when such a collector is arranged for example on the ground, and a second one is mounted vertically over it at a distance of 2000 meters and both are connected by a conducting cable, there is a difference in potential in summer of about 2,000,000 volts and in winter even of 6,000,000 volts and more."

Atmospheric electricity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I thought the same!

But then I noticed that the LED worked both ways round. Doesnt this hint at AC, or am I misunderstanding the basic principles (again).

[Farmhand]

Hi Seth, I think there would be a Scalar potential between high and low as well as some AC noise, I think there would be some natural Extremely high frequency AC noise as well as the unnatural lower frequency (60 Hz) and possibly even lower frequency natural AC noise as well, the AC noise is likely more prevalent than the Potential. But they all add up.

You could test this by filling a small capacitor (electrolytic) using a FWBR and not using a FWBR. If there is not much DC potential the capacitor should charge much less without the FWBR.

Cheers

P.S. If a there is big enough difference between high and low the AC noise would have virtually no effect as the cap would be quickly charged to a voltage the noise won't exceed. I think. Or at least the ballance of power would shift is what I mean.

[Iotayodi]

The LED works both ways round

I assume you mean polarity. With the electrostatic field having both neg and pos ions I would think it would work both ways. The earth itself seems to be both also. Take a meter probe to a tree root and the other probe in the ground and notice the polarity.
Someone mentioned since we now wear shoes we are not grounded naturally to earth. Wonder if you took your shoes off if it would make a difference.

[Slider2732]

Try this too Seth, hold a leg of an LED in your hand and touch a switched on soldering iron to the other leg - on a white LED you will see it dimly glow

I had one of the Ground LED's running for ages til a short time ago. It works great for a completely cool reminder of what and why we're such avid tinkerers.
The white LED had neg leg going to an outside steel post in the ground, the other leg went to a disconnected old PC power supplies casing. If I touched the metal of the power supply the LED would glow twice as bright - to about 1/4 a normal LED brightness.

Opinion at the time was that the mains strip above the power supply was creating the stray RF...I tested that by switching off all household power - the LED went out. Interestingly, my PC speaker (only got one lol) sits on that power supply and the LED would flicker if I switched the power control on the front of it on and off.

[Farmhand]

Hey Guys, Here is what I think was happening in my experiment. When the two plates are placed one on top of the other the effect drops off, even though one plate is insulated and there is no electrical connection.

The first sketch is just showing two plates with an AC cap as load, The Tesla coil is the source of disturbance (vibrations)

The second sketch is how I setup my experiment.

And the third sketch shows how I think the potentials alternate between the plates because of the disturbance and causes current to flow. The arcs show the positive peaks of the disturbance. Midway between cycles the potentials would be equal and so no current at reversal.

This is just what I think. Theoretically with this method for wave energy alone the plates could be at the same altitude depending on the "sources'" location or the direction of the waves.

When a wave hits the plate the plate potential rises and current flows to the other plate then because the second plate is now higher potential and the original plate lower it flows back again on each half cycle the potentials should be topped up or increased by the action of the next wave.

This will still have an effect even if there is a constant potential difference between the two plates as long as the disturbance causes a greater potential difference than the constant one. I think. So both are utilized if the plates are positioned for it maybe. And one plate can be the Earth of course.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Feel free to laugh at my funky drawings

EDIT: Sorry here is my experiment video.

Remote source experiment.wmv - YouTube



P.S. And I think if the elevated plate is clean and conductive (not insulated) when charged particles pass through it or hit it they would also deposit charge I imagine.

So it could be called an "Resonant wave energy receiver with atmospheric potential sink and cosmic charged particle charge collection apparatus". I've got dibbs on the name.

Just kidding, I think.

.

[Farmhand]

Hi Seth, You're result is impressive you must be getting over 1 volt to light the LED at all mustn't you ? Can you tell us the type of LED it is, or the specs ? What size ? Required voltage ? There must be some noise from the ground or you're body is acting as an antenna with capacitance or you are just an AC source you're self. I noticed also that the LED got much brighter for me when I touched an AC leg of the FWBR or even just grabbing the cap by the insulated outer without me making an electrical connection was enough to make the LED brighter.

So I'm thinking if you have one end connected to the ground then changing the capacitance might help or adding a small series air core coil so the inductance can be changed by inserting a piece of steel.

I would try it myself but I am unable to get anything much as yet without the Tesla coil running nearby. Which is frustrating me, a lot, I'll keep trying. With a smaller red LED.

Cheers

[seth]

Try this too Seth, hold a leg of an LED in your hand and touch a switched on soldering iron to the other leg - on a white LED you will see it dimly glow

I had one of the Ground LED's running for ages til a short time ago. It works great for a completely cool reminder of what and why we're such avid tinkerers.
The white LED had neg leg going to an outside steel post in the ground, the other leg went to a disconnected old PC power supplies casing. If I touched the metal of the power supply the LED would glow twice as bright - to about 1/4 a normal LED brightness.

Opinion at the time was that the mains strip above the power supply was creating the stray RF...I tested that by switching off all household power - the LED went out. Interestingly, my PC speaker (only got one lol) sits on that power supply and the LED would flicker if I switched the power control on the front of it on and off.

Yeah - ive noticed I get the same output just touching 1 leg of the LED to the radiator (connected to grounded water pipe) and the other leg in my fingers. I didnt realise just how much stray RF there was about the place! Still, it would be great to find a simple way to pick up a fair bit of that waste - very useful recycling.

I still cant find any way to increase the output.

@stringguy

I tried the circuit but couldnt get anything im afraid

[stringguy]

@stringguy

I tried the circuit but couldnt get anything im afraid

no probs, just a suggestion. ive seen a few people trying that sort of circuit, but havn't tried it myself. thanks for trying.

[realmikel]

Gentlemen for those that have this work do you have fluorescent bulbs working in the house? For those that it does not work for do you have fluorescent bulbs in the house? Those bulbs and welding plus the occasional tesla coil are the leakiest thangs I know of and your body catches quite a bit of that juice.

[Farmhand]

Gentlemen for those that have this work do you have fluorescent bulbs working in the house? For those that it does not work for do you have fluorescent bulbs in the house? Those bulbs and welding plus the occasional tesla coil are the leakiest thangs I know of and your body catches quite a bit of that juice.

Hi realmikel, Welcome, now that you mention it I tried it during the day so when the Tesla coil was off so were the fluorescent lights. Maybe that's why I couldn't do it.

Do you think the emissions from a low voltage Tesla coil would be harmful to be around ? I wouldn't think so. But I don't really know. I get the feeling it's fairly harmless.

Cheers