@dllabarre: You have a scope? I'll show you mine if you show me yours. 

I don't have a real scope.

I have a scope probe that connects to the sound card in my computer but I haven't researched and found a good free sound card scope program yet.

DonL

@capthook

The extremely low output is a direct result of the very low moisture.

This is just wrong.  They actually work much better as they dry out.  Unlike the air battery design which produces more current in direct proportion to how wet the battery is.

To add to your other points:

50mV x 50mA = 0.0025 watts

I do not know where you got the idea of 50mA from?  For the coil in my live video stream, it's probably well less than 5mA - more like 1mA.  So there really is no power to speak of. 

The numbers for your current project are even more impractical.

You must be referring to my mini coils which produce much less voltage and mA. They also use much less wire.  But what is cool, is that they run the motor much faster!  They are super impractical if you intend to just hook them up and use them as a battery.

When my coil is dry and the reading is 0-1mV the coil still drives the compass crazy when I pass it by the coil.

Where is this magnetic energy coming from then?

I would suspect there is remanence in the core and steel wire. With higher iron and low carbon in the core the effects should be smaller. You could take a fine needle or a tiny steel washer and see if the core or iron wire attracts it. If it doesnt then maybe the earths magnetic field is involved.
 I need to acquire a compass and do a plain totally non magnetic steel core to see if the compass is disturbed by the core..

I'm sure it will be.

 I think so too. The earths magnetic field should at least run on top of the iron cores skin even though its weak. I would think if the core were aligned with the earths magnetic north and south,the field lines would run the length of the core making it easier to pick up a magnetic field.

FYI my core is a ferrite rod that I had laying around.

If its a hard ferrite then you probably have remanence in it as well as the wire.

...However, your latest approach is basically replacing your galvanic ‘air battery’ for a galvanic NS coil.
And you are now utilizing the magnetism of the coil rather than the electrical output of the air battery.

Golly. Isn't Laser's coil a variation of the Nathan Stubblefield coil?  I rather think it is.  They have very little in common other than the mix of metals.  Not even the wires are joined according to the NS patent.

As you state in your “48 days” video:
"I'm sure there's obviously some level of moisture there, but it's nothing to speak of"

It's good that you remind us of the 'run days' but you've rather understated this.  It's now in excess of 82 days and climbing.      

Obviously, there is a massive difference between *no* moisture and *low* moisture.

Yes.  Obviously.

The extremely low output is a direct result of the very low moisture.
The materials are being consumed at a very low rate as a result of the low humidity.
So yes, you should expect to generate a very small output for a very long time until the materials are consumed.

We've rather exhausted the subject of moisture being responsible and intend establishing this on an empirical basis.  You've possibly missed this point?  In any event 'a very long time' as you put it, is vague.  If this machine continues to operate for a decade?  Would that cut it?  Or would you recommend that we only declare it OU if it first runs for infinity?  Frankly if it runs for another day I'd be impressed and it seems set to last rather longer.  But time will tell.  Indeed. 

It is very difficult to determine the output as you provide little data.  In fact, you even say you’ve quit using a multi-meter and are concentrating on just getting your ‘motor’ to spin. ?

Not sure how you infer this?  What Laser pointed to was the fact that the measured voltage bears little if any relationship to the tendancy of the rotor to spin.  This is strange indeed.  We all know of voltage as a measure of charge imbalance and we also know that when it's induced in a coil then it corresponds to a magnetic property.  This because it's the base reference used in standard multimeters.  The assumption then is that the higher the measured voltage the more inclination there would be to generate that spin.  But this is imply not the case.  On the contrary.  It appears that the exact opposite is the case and therein lies the puzzle.

Magnetism and electricity are just opposite sides of the same coin, so electrical (watts) output is relative to the magnetic field created in a coil.

As mentioned this is only VALID if it conformed to the experimental evidence.  I'm sure we'd all prefer to see what the machine is telling us rather than assume what it should be telling us.  As it is it would be reckless to assume anything at all on this rig.

Concrete output data is much more useful.

Indeed.  That's exactly what we're looking to.  The evidence of a spin over a period of time without the evident input of moisture that is usually applied in a nathan subblefield build.

The output required to turn your rotor is very tiny.  You did in passing say “less than ¼ volt” then updated that with:
50mV x 50mA = 0.0025 watts
So you need 400 of your large coils to produce 1 watt.
24,000 coils to light (1) 60 watt light bulb.
That equals a lot of $, space, weight and materials to light 1 bulb!

It’s a matter of practicality:
1)   $/kWh
2)   Wh/kg

You said it, not me.....but your enthusiasm is notable.

Golly.  Damning with faint praise.    It seems we've lost Omnibus' belligerence to this paraded contempt.  The only reference to any measurement on that entire rig under discussion is the quick and possibly inaccurate measure of voltage presented with the caveat that it may very well be wrong.  To determine current flow here one would need to measure some kind of resistive value.  And I'm entirely satisfied that we DO NOT know the resistive value of the coil.  Nor is there a shunt anywhere in series with the coil.  But frankly if the entire rig is as big as a house if it does, indeed, deliver light over an average life time I think that you'd find some real interest - even if it's not entirely economical.  And then again.  It's early days.  I don't think our early computers ever pretended to be economically viable.  Just really, really, interesting.

If I were inclined to being overly protective and overly imaginative I'd advise Laser to 'take cover' as this subject seems to be pulling in the 'big guns'.  Fortunately I'm neither.   

Rosemary

EDITED

Hi guys.  So nice to see so many new builds.  Iota, Ted and Slapper.  That's got to be a good thing.  I'm off to campus to start stripping my copper wire.  And I've also found some nichrome - hopefully that'll cut it. 

And hopefully we'll get a running commentary from CaptHook that relates to his own experiments here.  That way they'll be more digestible.   

Such adventures.      And really nice to get some input from Laser.  Thanks for this.  I think we'll all be in need of guidance when it comes to positioning that rotor.  Certainly I will.  I guess it's just trial and error and an awful lot of patience.  I'm over qualified at the 'error' and underqualified at the patience.  But will attend to both - God willing and time permitting.  LOL.

Kindest as ever
Rosemary

btw.  It's not often that I'm accused of being well eductated.  LOL.  I rather cherish that comment CaptHook albeit not strictly a reflection of the truth.  But like everyone here I share that obsessive interest in electrical and, indeed, all kinds of energy.