Finalizing Ed Gray's System Build

[Zarko]

Geotron,

With the full wave rectifier the output polarity of your cascade circuit won't matter.  The bridge rectifier will still channel the charges as you've shown, either way.  But the input polarity to the cascade can matter.  If you build it and find it doesn't work you'll have to reverse the input wires on the transformer.

And I'm thinking the 75V zener will blow if you put a thousand volts to it.

[geotron]

It seems I'm going to have to perform some additional research
on positive VS negative voltage ... does it have to do with how the
waveform looks?

The reason I've shown the Zener diode appearing after the capacitor
is due to something brought up in a discussion elsewhere on Bedini's
N-Pole Motor design, and how it might be changed to allow collection
of b-EMF.

nievesoliveras first suggested it [link], using the Zener diode to
prevent the capacitor from discharging until it is filled up.

[geotron]

There's a growing list of parts I'm considering to obtain for this
project - although now the question faces me of how to properly
adjust the output of an ignition coil to a certain value, in this
case 1000v, as it will of course have to match 1kv diodes and
capacitors.

I'm aware now that the output of such a coil depends on the
rate at which it is pulsed... a longer duration providing a higher
inductance and therefore higher voltage.

Would using a spare 1000v diode as a test subject allow me to
increment the voltage until it was found to cause it to malfunction,
setting a visual dial position on the potentiometer?  I'm not
familiar with how a diode breaks under load, whether it fuses open
or closed.

The multimeter I've got is analog and limited to 500VDC, so perhaps
a better digital one is in order.

[Zarko]

The output of an ignition coil also depends on the input voltage.  You can control this with a rheostat.  On a scope the positive voltage is above the base line, with the negative below it.

My experience with diodes is that when they blow they become conductive in both directions.  You can use two or more in series for a higher voltage.

You can read higher voltages with your meter if you have a few resisters in series and take the reading across only one of them

[geotron]

In light of simplicity, I've opted to do away with the low-voltage
capacitor and build it in the original way it was shown by Bedini
and others.  Aaron Murakami posted the following blurb on how it
works, which influenced my decision.

Working of the Gray Tube

This will put what I'm saying into context with something that many people have
studied but I am not sure anyone gets it. Many are convinced in all the free electron
concepts in the Gray Tube, etc... McGratten mailed me a package about 7 years ago
with that explanation but I always saw it happening in a different way.

The Gray Tube has a low voltage rod and high voltage rod. Low voltage rod has a diode
on it that has the cathode/emitter pointed towards the gap. Low voltage source can be
any low voltage source and Gray showed he used a 12v battery...the neg of that battery
is connected to the neg of the HV capacitor at 3000-4000 volts and a few uf's. The + of
the hv source goes to the hv rod.

(-)12vdc(+)diode->(gap)(+)3000vdc(-)

I have made the Gray tube analogy to the spark method and most have automatically thought
that they look at 2 gaps and think they serve the same purpose. I'll show you why the 2
gaps have nothing to do with each other but why they are making the same effect. It is
necessary to actually understand how the Gray tube works in order to see what the real
analogies to the spark plug circuit are.

When the low voltage side is connected by commutator, whatever...the hv source immediately
sees path to ground...it sees that the diode is open and has conductivity to the low
voltage source which has conductivity to ground which is its own ground...it jumps and as
soon as it moves through the diode for a small unit of time, the diode slams shut....only
a small fraction of the hv potential made it through.

That hv potential from the cap slams against the diode and compresses against it very
strongly forcing it to explode 90 degrees from the wire outwards... the only other path
to ground it by going to the grids...through the electromagnet that pulses a magnet or
other electromagnet to provide motive force on a motor to a + on another low voltage
source and that lv source has a - that winds up being connected back to the hv -'s.

Take a balloon and push it flat against a wall. It compresses and the contents of the
balloon wind up exploding 90 degrees perpendicular to the direction of original propagation.