[NewCandle] New stuff for new year?

[Keith Nagel]

Hi Kyle,

How do you intend to extract power from an electret? You can
move it w/ respect to a capacitor, but this is the analog
of an ordinary generator ( pm and coil ) so the result will
be power derived from the mechanical energy.

I did a very little bit of work with electrets; at the time
I was inspired by a nice little column of CL Strongs. I looked
for it in my files this morning, no dice, but fortunately
the 'tubez have luv 4 U.

http://only1egg-productions.org/AltSci/ElectrostaticMotors/Electrets/Electre
t.html

You might try the common plastic polypropylene. Not sure
if the barium titanate will help you, as the stuff does
not melt. Ammonium nitrate is dangerous to work with, it
can be melted but can also explode and in addition produces
nitrous oxide (great fun, but might exacerbate your vertigo).

On a personal note; Buffalo in winter is basically the
American version of Siberia. Have you considered moving
elsewhere? You sound more acclimated to equatorial climates.
Also, do you drink coffee?

K.


-----Original Message-----
From: newcandle-bounces at ipdiscover.com
[mailto:newcandle-bounces at ipdiscover.com]On Behalf Of Kyle R. Mcallister
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 6:10 PM
To: New energy for the new world.
Subject: [NewCandle] New stuff for new year?


Howdy all ye newcandle people.

Been a while since I posted, and I'm sorry. I figure some explanation is
in order, given the enthusiasm I showed for the Schlicher thing a few
months back. Nope, haven't forgotten it, I can even see the antenna from
my chair here.

And plus I just got through cussing them out over on Vortex, and proving
once again my status as a young curmudgeon. He he he. So I owe youse
guise a post.

I've had severe medical problems over the past several years, and
they've gotten a lot worse the last few months. I actually went to the
doctor yesterday, and he and his nurse had a conniption fit. I guess
maybe they were justified. Being 5'6" tall (or lack thereof), and
weighing in at 112 pounds is apparently not good for me. Given that I
eat like a horse, it isn't making sense either. My blood glucose levels
were less than 70, and they think I'm anemic. And these spells of 5 min
to over 3 hours long, every few days, of vertigo, nausea, profuse
salivation and then intractable fatigue and weakness after they end, is
not a good thing either. I'm on an anti-vertigo medication now, to try
and help the major thing, but the rest needs tests...which isn't easy
given a lack of medical insurance. So, there I am.

But I'm still here. And I've got a few new toys to play with, that
perhaps I can put to some use for the group. We need new energy sources,
that is a fact. It's time someone cooked something up, or at least
tried. So, here's my contribution. Ain't much, but it's what I got.

Two multipliers, putting out somewhere around 70kV apiece, which can be
varied by controlling input voltage with a poor man's variac (lamp
dimmer). You can put them together, one being negative, the other
positive, and get nice 5" long sparks between a pair of steel spheres.
What can we use them for?

I've been interested in the reports that Thomas Townsend Brown (yes,
that guy, but this isn't propulsion related) made in effect, electrets,
that produced an integrated power greater than that used to make them.
Probably there's a catch, but why not try? Even the great John
Hutchison, master of camera tricks, has messed around with them. Maybe
there's a kernel of truth to this. It won't make coal-fired power plants
go away, but if you can make something that powers a 10W cluster of LEDs
effectively forever, that's something, right?

If anyone's interested, I have at my disposal, the following things that
might be useful for doing some heavy-electret experiments:

Paraffin wax (dunno what for, it sucks to use for electrets in my
experience)
Carnauba wax (on order, gimme a week or so to have it in hand)
Beeswax. (I'd say, none of yo' beeswax, but I'm doing this open source
and on list, so it is yo' beeswax too.)
White rosin powder, donated by the good people at Monaco Violin.
Ammonium nitrate (Ferroelectric according to CRC)
Litharge (PbO...lead monoxide), Townsend LOVED this stuff. It's pretty
and red, and /IT KILLS YOU!/ It must be good, then, yeah?
Barium titanate powder. Not a ton of it, but maybe six or eight
measuring cups' worth.

Got some glycerin too, as this can bind litharge into a cement-like
concoction. Brown apparently used litharge-glycerin in petrovoltaic
research. One wonders if the heavy dielectric (litharge in this case)
can be 'fielded' while the stuff hardens. He also mentions using PZT and
tungsten carbide, but I don't have either of these, and don't know where
I could get them.

Any interest? Suggestions?
--Kyle

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