A Kapanadze generator replication - Febuary 2013

[tika]

Most of us, in this room are either pursuing/have pursued FE for hobby/ search of the arcane or for commercial reasons.
You claim, on the contrary Tika, you want to solve a real problem as the lack of electricity in your village.

There are also those who claim doing it for the betterment of mankind, I am not the only one pursuing that goal as stated here: http://www.overunity.com/, or am I reading it wrong ?
My other stated goal is to help others in _this_ community.

Is the cost of the diesel fuel for the generator that limits its electricity availability?

If the answer is yes, consider running that generator from other energy source as biofuels as woodchips or even grass.
Woodgas coversion of woodchips (biofuels) is an art in itself, provides sustainability, etc etc. of course other renewable energy sources can be used (better) as photovoltaics or wind generators, but their initial cost is considerable even for developed contries.

Your best bet to deal with energy availability is REAL terms, in REAL life for many KWs, at LOW cost, using a RENeWABLE /easily available resource, at a low to moderate investment cost is to master the woodgaz technique in my humbvle oppinion. Pursuing this FE movement in order to solve your today (or even tomorrow) needs is like chasing ghosts for a living

and bear in mind free energy is nothing but free..

I understand your kind warning. 

My budget is less than 400€.  That's no more than the average price for a prototype at this level of complexity.  I already had all the tools necessary before starting this project, and a small components stock. 

Here's a fairly accurate article from Wired about electricity in Haïti: http://haitirewired.wired.com/profiles/blogs/powering-lights-and-progress-in-haiti

Here's my estimate of the power output needed, in the near future.  Population in les Abricots is about 24.000, there are now about 200 homes with a hookup, and the diesel generator was giving out 20kW when new.  Electricity is now used to charge cell phones and run one or two CFL bulbs in each home.  There is no way that in the near future the average family budget will allow buying fridges and the likes, the minimum wage there being 80 euros/month.  So each kW would bring light to around ten homes, and that figure is unlikely to change for the next two to three years.

For more isolated homes, even 1kW is way too much power at this time.  So I am pursuing other avenues, such as recycling/recharging alkaline batteries, learning to build crystal, earth and concrete cells.  I am also stocking up on SMD LEDs that can be locally assembled in light 'bulbs', which will be adapted to the power source. 

I do understand true wattage in FE is elusive, as I started taking a keen interested in this topic about ten years ago now.   I just did not have the time to experiment then.  I understand also that the only real use I could get from such a generator is brightly lighted lamps fed with cold electricity.  But that is exactly what is needed now, cooking heat is also needed, but that is less urgent, at least in the part of the country I'm interested in. 

A very important fact is that there is no existing equipment that need large amount of 'standardized' power, except for the school's computer room, which is already self-sufficient and funded. 

Right now, I already have something to take with me there, a combination of crystal and/or earth cells with easy to build, cheap joule thieves using small air coils. 

I have been involved professionally in electronic design since 1990, I am also familiar with high frequency circuits and their peculiarities (I was a radar technician in the french navy in the early 80s).  I am now unemployed like many here in France, where the economic situation is getting worse by the day.

So why shouldn't I take the chance of building a 400€ (max) prototype that could enable kids to study after 6pm, when it gets dark?  I figure that since I have the time, technical knowledge, and the means to do it, trying my best to give more is not such a big risk to take.  In fact, not doing anything would be riskier.  And it's fun, too!

The project is not commercial, as my intent is to bring whatever knowledge I have gained from these experiments and help young people to have some sort of economic activity by passing along the information and help them start their own small businesses.  As for my own financial well-being, I don't really need much, and I have skills and experience I can exploit as needed, and also a large network of family and friends I can count on in Haïti. 

m:o)

[tika]

@tika


What do you think about a LM6321 then ? It has a (also a single) supply Voltage from 4.75 to max. 36 Volt. Available, e.g. at eBay (from China or UK) for ~ 7 US $.

@overschuss

It is a nice op amp, but does not have not rail-to-rail output.  Also, it is a single op amp, the OPA4350 is a quad, which will allow me to create a virtual ground output, thus faking AC outputs over the entire range.  Placing a cap in series will not work well over such a frequency range, as the cap will react with stray losses in the circuit and create a filter.

A large output current is not that important, as this device is intended to find resonant frequency and the outputs will be in series with a 4.7k to 10k resistor.  Also, beware of the (smaller) print in the datasheet, if you ever intend on using this opamp on a +-15V dual supply some day, as there is a +-7 volts max limit between input and output voltage, that indicator "Input to Output Voltage" is actually the parameter that indicates non rail-to-rail outputs.

Op amp selection is always a delicate operation and, before Internet, it could sometimes take a couple of  days to find the right component as it would involve reading data sheets from really thick catalogs, from different vendors.

Also when large power is needed, there is always this technique, which is very efficient, but does not protect the op amp from a dead short, unless a base transistor is included, that will not influence the rest of the circuit, though. You also need to select the right transistors for high frequency operation, it is not rail-to rail, but will get quite close to the supply voltages.  The trick is to include transistors in the feedback loop.  Works for simple buffers, and positive gain amplifiers too.

m:o)

[baroutologos]

@ Hello tika,


you seem fully aware in your goals set, and determined to pursue them. Then i can only applaud your effort, plus you would enrich this forum with high grade technical know how.


Cheers,

[a.king21]

@overschuss

It is a nice op amp, but does not have not rail-to-rail output.  Also, it is a single op amp, the OPA4350 is a quad, which will allow me to create a virtual ground output, thus faking AC outputs over the entire range.  Placing a cap in series will not work well over such a frequency range, as the cap will react with stray losses in the circuit and create a filter.

A large output current is not that important, as this device is intended to find resonant frequency and the outputs will be in series with a 4.7k to 10k resistor.  Also, beware of the (smaller) print in the datasheet, if you ever intend on using this opamp on a +-15V dual supply some day, as there is a +-7 volts max limit between input and output voltage, that indicator "Input to Output Voltage" is actually the parameter that indicates non rail-to-rail outputs.

Op amp selection is always a delicate operation and, before Internet, it could sometimes take a couple of  days to find the right component as it would involve reading data sheets from really thick catalogs, from different vendors.

Also when large power is needed, there is always this technique, which is very efficient, but does not protect the op amp from a dead short, unless a base transistor is included, that will not influence the rest of the circuit, though. You also need to select the right transistors for high frequency operation, it is not rail-to rail, but will get quite close to the supply voltages.  The trick is to include transistors in the feedback loop.  Works for simple buffers, and positive gain amplifiers too.

m:o)

Is your choice of npn and pnp transistors in  the output stage to prevent a ground loop?

[zcsaba77]

Hi tika,

I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments. We do need to be free from the fetters of establishment. Politcs aside, I think that the circuit posted below seems to embody all the aspects required for a working machine. What do you think?

Hi Grumage

On top showed transformer (colored coil) which one in the circuit diagram? where is roman number or bottom one?