Sm0ky2's modified Voss Machine

[sm0ky2]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.