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Author Topic: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine  (Read 44826 times)

sm0ky2

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Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« on: January 23, 2017, 09:08:32 PM »
it has been requested that I provide plans to build your own
Electrostatic Generator
This particular machine Is known as a Voss machine
Named after its' inventor.
This also resembles a combo machine know as
A Toepler-Holtz machine.


These machines operate with only 1 spinning disk with collectors
The inductors are located on a stationary disk.
My machine has been modified several times from the original
After several experiments with different plate sizes
And arrangements I have come up with this machine
Which I call my Ion Generator
Featured on my YouTube channel
https://m.youtube.com/user/Sm0ky2
And presented here in the following hand-drawn plans
The disks can be arranged vertically or horizontally
I chose horizontal to make it easier for me to see everything
that's going on when I change brush locations
But that's just a personal preference it works either way


sm0ky2

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2017, 09:11:54 PM »
These are the plans for the modified Voss Machine
If anything in my drawing is not clear or needs further
explaination just ask and I'll do my best.

sm0ky2

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2017, 09:22:42 PM »
Not sure why it loaded them sideways
But you can d/l the pics and have them for your projects
if you need help figuring out how the brushes go just ask
I can walk you through any problems you encounter

TinselKoala

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2017, 05:42:47 AM »
As you can see, uploading huge images wastes bandwidth and also screws up the forum page so that it is way too wide. You have to scroll all the way to the right to see the "reply" button, etc.

Except in the most unusual cases, an image width of 800 pixels is sufficient. If you need to show greater detail in higher resolution, you can crop the section you need to emphasize and show it enlarged to 800 pixels wide.

For your present images, I have rotated them, cropped out unnecessary white space and sized them, in this case, to 1200 pixels wide. There are _many_ different image editing programs that you can use to make images easier to up/download and display on the forum page. I prefer using gimp, which is almost "photoshop" in its capability, is available for all popular operating systems and is free. It takes about 6 mouseclicks to rotate, edit, crop and resize images for easy display.


TinselKoala

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2017, 05:57:47 AM »
As far as the design of the machine itself is concerned, the Voss machine was basically redesigned by A.D. Moore into the "Dirod" configuration which avoids some of the deficiencies of the original Voss design. Instead of a disc with sharp-edged sectors which limit charge buildup because of the field concentrations at the edges (also a problem with traditional Wimshurst designs), the Dirod uses a drum with "sectors" made of smooth round rods with polished smooth hemispherical ends. This allows higher voltages (more charge) to build up on the rods before it sprays away uselessly. Also the fixed inductors and output plates are made very smooth with rounded and polished edges. Otherwise the Dirod works by the same principle as the Voss machine. 

In my own Dirod version I use carbon fiber rovings (available from local model-airplane hobby shops) to make the contact brushes for output and neutral structures. These are flexible, durable and do not cause wear against the rotating parts of the machine. And for connection to external loads, capacitors, experiments, etc. I have found that ball chain (aka bead chain) makes excellent "wires" that will not leak as badly as ordinary small-diameter flexible wire.

Anyone experimenting with electrostatic machines should be aware of two excellent books on the construction and use of the machines: "Electrostatics: The Dirod Manual" by AD Moore, and "Homemade Lightning" by RA Ford. For more advanced reading, Oleg Jefimenko's book "Electrostatic Motors" is full of theory and experiments and designs.

(Why is this post so wide? It is because of the superwide photos posted up above. This width problem will continue until a new page begins, or until the superwide photos are edited to make them 1200 pixels wide or less.)

sm0ky2

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2017, 07:16:14 AM »
Thanks Tk for the invaluable info


What led me to this machine was mostly convenience
In the ease of construction, and only 1 moving part.


Also the open view of my setup allows me to use the machine
in several configurations and perform all kinds of experiments


For instance: I recently removed all of the collector plates
Making a Voss-Bonetti machine.  It was finicky and I had to
reverse the direction of the disk to make it work but it worked
and as far as I have found it was the only one of its' kind.
Interesting little thing but susceptible to humidity


So I have now changed to 16-plates on the collector disk
And I sealed the edges of all the plates with an acrylic
Fingernail polish.


Sorry about the inconveniently large photos
I'm doing this off my IPhone until I get internet in the new
Location



sm0ky2

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2017, 08:16:09 AM »
Here's the new video using 14-plates
https://youtu.be/gDQgvEKJNgo


The size of the plates decreased thereby decreasing the
Machines internal capacitance
For this reason I had to separate the 6-plate concentric
capacitor into two 3-plate capacitors.
The external capacitance is too high with the 6-stack
And the machine reverts back to the 1st mode of operation
Which is undesirable for my experiments
With the smaller external capacitance the machine operates
in the 2nd mode, with consistent high frequency electrical output.

gotoluc

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2017, 04:26:36 PM »
Hi Sm0ky2


Thanks for your new topic.


In your new video you reach down and click a switch. Does that switch power off your motor that turns the Voss disk?


Luc

sm0ky2

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2017, 08:04:37 PM »
Yes. At that point in the clip no power is going to the
motor that powers the machine.
Flywheel momentum will continue to produce electricity
Until the wheel slows down from friction.
The wheel is not balanced in that video, and the brushes
as they were configured caused a lot of friction, so it
came to a stop rather quickly. When everything is running
smoothly I can flip the switch and it will cruise along for
over 1 minute, producing sparks the whole time.


Shorting the motor while this is going on (using as a generator)
Slows the wheel quickly.




sm0ky2

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2017, 08:23:59 PM »
This machine looks counter intuitive when you first
Get it set up


And most diagrams show the brush locations sort of
in the wrong places.
Which is why I modified mine


So what I will describe it how my machine works
In relation to the above build.


These machines work opposite from a whimshurst
Or the Bonetti machine. Those machines go like:
Neutralize -> induct -> pick-up


The Voss (and my Ion Generator) works like:
Pick-up -> neutralize -> induct


This is because you pick up the direct charge
From the inductor plate. This is transferred to the
Collectors from the brushes (A&B in my diagram).


Where-as the formor machines induce and pick-up
On the same plates.


The advantage of this is to ensure maximum charge
On every plate as it passes the pick-up brushes.
The inductor plate carries way more charge than
Each single collector plate can hold.


The collector, being next in line, readily receives the
charge because it is repelled away from the collector plate
By the like-charge of the larger inductor plate.


It is immediately after the pick-up that you want to
Neutralize the charges.
So that you maximize the surface area of the inductor
plate over which you are inducing.


The other advantage of this system is that it does not
"arc-over" the surface of the disk like Whimshurst machines
are quite fond of.




shylo

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2017, 10:13:42 AM »
Hi Smokey, I don't know much about these machines,
It looks like there is a large space between the 2 plates
I mean the rotor and stator, would closer mean more output?
Also what type of metal foil do you use?
Last ,will this type of machine work at lower rpm's,
because I noticed in the video that as it slowed the arcing also slowed.
I have a whole role of 1/2 inch stainless steel tubing,
maybe I could cut it into 3 or 4 inch lengths, put them in a stator
around a rotor of plates.
Interesting thanks artv

Grumage

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2017, 01:16:04 PM »
Dear Sm0ky2.

Many thanks for opening this thread, it was I that spoke to Chet.

I have a couple of possible tips to improve your device.

When I built the T-1000 motor I had the rotor placed horizontally, like yours, with the drive motor underneath. On one occasion I turned it through 90 deg and to my amazement the the current dropped by over 20 mA! The bearings were working in their proper manner. Less friction.

The second idea, pure conjecture, what about placing a laminated sector, i.e. another foil with insulator on top of the first foil. Providing a small contact to the lower plate? In other words a parallel plate capacitor.

I hope to copy your design when the weather gets better, I have a massive selection of plastic sheet off cuts, what material would be best suited?

I have.... Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, PVC etc....

Kind regards, Graham.

Grumage

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2017, 02:53:25 PM »
Going to keep posting until page 2.

Grumage

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #13 on: January 26, 2017, 02:53:59 PM »
Another?

Grumage

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Re: Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2017, 02:54:45 PM »
Bigger separation.



















Cheers Graham.