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Darkfire
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Power Source
If i use a cord cut from an old lamp as my power source will this work, or just get me killed?
CTR
\"I love being alive and will be the best man I possibly can. I will take love wherever I find it and offer it to everyone who will take it. I
will seek knowledge from those wiser and teach those who wish to learn from me.\" Duane Allman
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vulture
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WTF?
Are you serious?? I hope not.
It's no use for electrolysis because you'll be using AC at a way too high voltage.
Apart from that, it's dangerous.
One shouldn't accept or resort to the mutilation of science to appease the mentally impaired.
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Darkfire
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Yeah thats what i figured, im just checking, i have a battery charger at my old house which is what i planed on using that seems like what you all
use. It will just be a while before i could go home and get it; so i had an idea that didnt seem good but i figured in a long shot it might be safe
enoght but thats why we have these forums. And ive never done any electrochemistry before so im new.
CTR
\"I love being alive and will be the best man I possibly can. I will take love wherever I find it and offer it to everyone who will take it. I
will seek knowledge from those wiser and teach those who wish to learn from me.\" Duane Allman
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Cappy
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Electricity is caused by the movement of electrons. Electrons want to move from regions of high concetration to low concentration, because they repell
each other, and are attracted to relatively positive regions. Direct Current is produced by causing a difference in electron concentrations. The
electrons move in one direction from high to low concentrations as said before, making electricity.
If the electrons are moved back and forth short distances quickly, they will also cause electricity. This type of electricity is called Alternating
Current. Obviously this isn't done with a constant difference in electron concentration.
Electrolysis uses a difference in electron concentration in order to cause ions to be pulled towards either electrode. One electrode has a higher
electron concetration (negative), and the other has a lower electron concetration (positive). The positive ions are attracted to the negative
electrode and the negative ions are attracted to the positive electrode. While AC will allow electricity to pass through the solution, the positive
and negative electrodes will switch back and forth so quickly that no accumulation of ions can occur at the electrodes.
[Edited on 4/3/2003 by Cappy]
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madscientist
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Several years ago, I electrolyzed a sodium chloride solution with wall current (as in, what Darkfire was proposing). The electrolysis proceeded very
rapidly - until its insatiable appetite for electrons blew the power out!
I weep at the sight of flaming acetic anhydride.
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Darkfire
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Thanks Cappy, that really explained it well, after making a kew post i leave enlightend.
CTR
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Cappy
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You're very welcome. I seem to be dishing out far more questions than answers around here, so I'm glad to help when I can.
You can make use of wall outlets if you have something to convert AC to DC (like electric train set transformers/controllers).
Batteries create DC of course, so you can just take some 1.5 volt batteries and tape them together in one long series. I don't know if the
batteries will overheat if you run too many in series. I'll have to experiment.
I've used a model rocket launch controller (4 1.5 volt batteries for 6 volts) for an hour at a time with no overheating problems. The batteries
weren't drained completely either.
[Edited on 4/3/2003 by Cappy]
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Ramiel
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I'm just making my own rectifier... it'll look like this…
<html><img src="http://www.sciencemadness.org/scipics/ps.gif"></html>
Now I can’t recommend you go out and make it just like this, it needs to be made just right or you’ll kill yourself right away or short the
house… If you do it right, it’s just hellishly dangerous – which is acceptable to me. Now don’t laugh, but I know of a guy who killed himself
with 8V and a few milliamps, it went straight through his bloodstream and defibrillated his heart… dead as a dingo [crikey, danger danger... mate ;
) ].
If you really like you could adjust the Current Limiting resistor to allow more or less amperage/voltage in (I suppose you could even put in a
variable resistor right at the start). This sort of setup is perfect for me. How about you guys out there?
[Edited on 8-4-2003 by Ramiel]
[Edited on 14-4-2003 by Ramiel]
Caveat Orator
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Organikum
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For the linguistic depraved like me:
Whats MOT ?
I guess the T is for transformer.
The 25 bridge rectifiers will go up in smoke one after the other (fast, very fast). Because of the minimal differences in the diodes. The diode with
the lowest breakthrough voltage will go first and on.....
Why don´t take a single rectifier from a old PSU (computer?) or from a batterie charger for cars? I cannot see the advantage of the concept and I
cannot see the current limiting resistor and not why there is 1A at 240V?
But I have something for the brave the dead not fearing scientist:
from the book "Improvised Laboratory Devices" (on the FTP now), an arc furnace with exquiste load/power regulation! I don´t recommened
this, realy not, but I admire the authors of the book.
(there is saltwater in the pot with the electrodes of the rheostat. my god!)
Attachment: Carbon_arc_rheostat1.tif (47kB)
This file has been downloaded 1410 times
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PHILOU Zrealone
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Metal Oxyde Transformer?
??????
PH Z (PHILOU Zrealone)
"Physic is all what never works; Chemistry is all what stinks and explodes!"-"Life that deadly disease, sexually transmitted."(W.Allen)
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rikkitikkitavi
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MicrowaveOvenTransformer
Typically 230V in, 2300 V out.
One of the secondaries is usually connected to the core.
check out 4hv.org for more info about what you can do with MOTs.
May I suggest old PC-AT powersupplies?
usually 5V @ 20 A, as long as you pull atleast 1-2 A from 5V it can supply 12V aswell. Can be series connected too since they are galvanically
isolated from the 120/230 grid.
/rickard
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Organikum
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The variable resistor is now present I see.
But I still don´t get the logic behind the 25x rectifier units with 25x variable resistors (which as now inserted indeed should save the rectifier
circuits from burning out).
And the microwave oven transformer? Do you want to interchange inpit/output sides?
ORG
transformer calculation and more electrical information:
transformer calculator ad more
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Ramiel
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The rectifier circuitry in paralell is designed such that an equal current (25 rectifiers /25A = 1A per rectifier) flows through the diode system.
Note:
1) the 1A diodes will not encounter breakdown if they are forward biased, and only at a reverse bias voltage of 10V or more will breakdown occur.
2) The actual circuit should be made such that the resistance from the Microwave Oven Transformer (which I might add has had the direction of
transformance swapped) and the rectifier diodes is equal.
Okay, so I'm not an electrical engineer (yet!) and this is a work in progress, but i have been assured that this design will work. Shortly
I'll get some exact values for the shunt capacitance and so forth based on a normal rectifier diodes sold at radioshack (it'll be just like
in the good ole' Anarchist's Cookbook! ; P ).
In earnest
-Ramiel
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Organikum
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A usual MOT transforms 240V to about 2200V what is a relation of 1 / 9,17. Reversed this would produce 26V AC output on the now secondary side of the
transformer.
If I push 5 ampere through a 1 ampere rated diode it will burn out. Forward biased. Any load or also the diode which suddenly materialized in the
drawing (V-diode) will hinder this. As I wrote it will burn out nothing was present to protect the rectifier circuits.
(this way of yours how to edit your post makes things not easier)
But what is the sense of using 25 rectifiers? Where is the advantage? Why? Rectifiers rated high enough are for free or cheapo as can be. Makes design
and building far easier and effort could be made in stabilizing the power output so you get a more universal laboratory power supply. (filters,
stabilization, power factor control and and and...possibilities without end.)
btw. the fact that MOTs are often grounded (N on core) to the ironcore on the original secondary side should be considered for circumventing surprises
of the special kind.
My opinion:
AT PSU. Sense line manipulation used for voltage adjustion.
Ramiel, I am not here posting for to take you down in any way. If you want me not to comment on posts of yours in future PM me and I will do so. No
problem.
ORG
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Ramiel
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<html><u><b> IGNORE THIS POST IF YOU GET BORED EASILY</b></u></html>
How could I not enjoy your response to my posts? Your responses have been instrumental in clearing up design faults that I would not have seen; by all
means, keep it up!
I also apologize for changing the picture over, it does make things harder, sorry!
I do agree that a power supply unit could provide all the right voltages, but if I am not mistaken (which is quite possible!), it is still an
alternating current. For electrolysis, you would still need a Direct current; which would involve some sort of rectification.
If one were to re-wire the Microwave Oven Transformer with high amperage wire (which is necessary because the smaller wires would easily burn out) one
could at the same time change the coil ratio such that the conversion ratio is somewhere more in the order of 1/27 in the now secondary side of the
transformer.
Yes, I am aware of the grounding configuration of the Microwave Transformer! That is why I strongly recommend you not to attempt making this from the
diagram yet!
The reason I recommend repeating the rectifier is to split up the large current so that the poor little diodes can handle it. Note that the tiny
resistance in the wire will ensure that the current through each rectifier circuit in parallel is roughly equal. So if you had 500 amperes, and 5 A
diodes, you might want 100 or more rectifier circuits (as an example). For my circuit, I use the example of 1A diodes.
The negative V<sub>DIODE</sub> is the voltage drop associated with silicon diodes, I just included that for completeness.
Now someone made a comment on filtering. Just for fun, let’s consider a shunt capacitor at the end of the rectifier circuit that could filter our
rectified voltage…
Considering that;
<.>The electrolytic cell can be approximated by a resistance (call it the Load Resistance R<sub>LOAD</sub>
<.>Time from the end of capacitor charge to the end of capacitor discharge = t<sub>1</sub> =~ Rectified current Period, which equals
in my case (on Australian mains), the frequency = 50Hz, then rectified effective frequency it is 50Hz x 2 = 100Hz, hence the
<html><b>period is 1/100 s</b></html>
<.>V<sub>PEAK</sub> is about 8V for this example.
<.> C is the capacitance value we need.
SO, after all that, we use the equation:
| Code: |
V<sub>RIPPLE</sub> = V<sub>PEAK</sub> - V<sub>PEAK</sub> . (e^(-T/(R<sub>LOAD</sub> . C)))
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Now, we want the ripple voltage to be somewhere within say %25 percent of the peak voltage (which is rather a large ripple voltage!). Then
V<sub>RIPPLE</sub> = 2V
R<sub>LOAD</sub> can be approximated to 120mOhms
Solving gives a value of 1/3 Farrads or more. This is an awesome Capacitor, I’d love 25 of these, but I’m afraid that would set me back $10,000
plus the cost to hire the crane, so I’ve just given up on filtering and other fancy stuff for this model.
Caveat Orator
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Organikum
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Sorry , had some bad days lately - this got through to my posting style I fear.....
Ok, the rewiring of the MOT changes the situation - understood. This adds to the effort which is in my humble opinion in no relation to the outcome.
As told with equal costs - perhaps even less and the same effort on time and soldering you can build something superior.
my 2 cents.
For the staging of rectifiers has no advantage at all and diodes or readybuilt bridge rectifiers capable to handle the current are asscheap to free
(electronics scrap) I would skip this part. Many possible points of failure added for nothing - this is against all logic and safety basics.
If you like to have something special for this I would suggest to build a motor - dynamo device where a AC motor drives an DC motor which works as
dynamo and produces the wanted current. Works fine, no joke, was in ancient times a usual constellation. A heavy flywheel makes it perfect for such an
application.
Old motors are everywhere....
not bad, isn´t it?
ORG
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I am a fish
undersea enforcer
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Another potential power supply is a lighting transformer (i.e. one used to power those minature halogen lamps that are sometimes used in shop
displays). They are cheap and readily available. They generally give a 12VAC output, which is ideal for feeding into a homemade power-supply
circuit.
1f `/0u (4|\\| |234d 7|-|15, `/0u |234||`/ |\\|33d 70 937 0u7 /\\/\\0|23.
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Theoretic
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Power source
You can use a phone recharger. 6V of DC
with a few hundred milliamps - good enough for any electrolysis.
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Organikum
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not really
or theoretic only. Telephone chargers (not chargers for lead accumulators) are selfrestricting for protection of the mobile and the LI/Io cells. If
you don´t have a perfect electrolytic cell with extreme low inner resistance the charger will deliver almost no current as high inner resistance
tells him "battery full".
True for all chargers of GSM phones I have seen and should be general true for all chargers of "not lead" cells.
Interesting are chargers which deliver DC with overlayed AC for some applications. For the suggested milliamp/6V I would advise to use a pack of
rechargeable batteries directly - works better and you won´t ruin a phonecharger.
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Theoretic
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Charger!
I don't mean the small ones that you put the mobile right in. My one looked like a battery charger, but with an output cord.
An old one, I presume.
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GZAust
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Hi new here. hehe and as your about to see, I'm lame-indescriminati-occasionalli!
I would love to make a variable power supply with rectifier.
But these are the things I would need for my sanity before setting out on this great project to be proud of:
- A good solid schematic before anything.
- Since it is high voltage, I think an analog or even better, a digital indicator of the voltage, amperage and wattage at the outputs.
- A 2-position switch to change from AC-DC and DC-AC.
- A beep and flashing ALERT of some sort when working at higher power.
- EDIT: An appropriatly placed fuse for this baby.
- A good-looking box, a used mini HiFi box perhaps, with a custom face piece.
------------
What?? You want to make it worth keeping don't ya?
Ramiel! I love you enginuaty and initiative, but don't you think there would be some appropriate schematics around that are tried and true? you
wouldnt like to make any mistakes in your calculations.
Is digital display a dream?
Organikum! What kind of power to PC power supplies put out in DC and at what amperage?
What kind of places would old electronics junk be traded? What to look for? Transformers are expensive, as are all High power stuff I think, isnt
it?
[Edited on 11-7-2003 by GZAust]
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kryss
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If its cheap transformer kit your after I'd look on ebay , theres plenty of old stuff for sale - amps etc with rectifying circuitry in - just
make sure you dont end up electrocuting yourself!
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Organikum
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PC powersupply:
- old AT style: 12V, 5V, -5V, -12V rated at about 200Watt most I knew (tower, not desktop)
5V ~ 15Amp
12V ~ 7Amp
-5V forget it
-12V ~ 2Amp
Data is written on the PSU itself. Old AT computers are everywhere for free (386/486/PI). Just ask around. Scrapyard with electronics scrap of
course.
Tricky detail: It is not good to try to run full power output on 5V and nuthing on 12V and other way round. Connect a load to the not used voltage, a
light, something pulling at least one third of the maximal output on this voltage.
Voltage regulation in certain limits by the "sense" line - do a websearch for your special model connectors layout this differs sometimes.
And the so called "power good" line must get grounded.
By attaching an resistor to the senseline the 5V power can get cranked up to about 7V and by attaching the sense line to 12v instead 5V and an
appropriate resistor you can go down to 2,5V mostly.
Yes! a varistor and on the 12V line makes it adjustable over the whole possible range. For the answer on what resistor/varistor to use please consult
Mr. Ohms law.
All output is DC and in the safe range. (with serious effort it might be possible to kill oneself this way but I see no way this can be done by
accident). Don´t open the PSU. Thats all. Get two or three and throw away defect ones - repair is not feasible.
I had a PSU from an old INTEL server (286 based, multiprocessor network server ~ 40kg - outch) this was rated at 80Amp on 5V. Electroplating easy.
Here actually is true: The older the better built are the PSUs regarding the new use.
[Edited on 16-7-2003 by Organikum]
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Ramiel
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If you pull some 2A from the 12V as you say organikum, won't the resistor get really warm? I'd reccomend a heat sink. 25 V.A is quite a bit
for one little resistor. Or what about a few 30 ohm resistors in parallel, that ought to solve the problem.
I only mention this because 30 Watt resistors are notoriously difficult to locate
Caveat Orator
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Organikum
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misunderstanding
There is no resistor for 30 Watt in my layout. There is a load, a light (icandescient lightbulb) to attach to the not used power output. Lightbulbs
are perfect.
The resistor on the sense line can be any by hand as there is is nearly no current going through - it´s a sense line.
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