I tried ion wind experiment
Ithink Lifter is just ION WIND
Question: How quickly does it rotate? Lifters do produce ion wind, and that wind alone would provide a small force on a rotating balance, but the majority of the thrust wont be found in that ion wind. It has been measured to be several magnitudes of force too low to produce the effects seen (http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/arl_fac.htm (http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/arl_fac.htm)).
With a balsa lifter, there is only a slight downwash, yet the lifter jumps into the air and strains at its tethers. And, if the effect were solely ion wind, the tubular lifter (http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/tubular/index.htm (http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/tubular/index.htm)) would have had the 'tubes' pushed downwards, not pulled upwards. [Correct me if I am wrong...]
Again, I do not disprove that ion wind is a factor, but that it is not the SOLE factor.
But I take my hat off to you for actually DOING an experiment and not endlessly theorizing/talking about it!
Just a thought ;D
Quote from: Mica Busch on June 18, 2006, 11:49:47 PMAnd, if the effect were solely ion wind, the tubular lifter (http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/tubular/index.htm (http://jnaudin.free.fr/lifters/tubular/index.htm)) would have had the 'tubes' pushed downwards, not pulled upwards. [Correct me if I am wrong...]
what is overlooked here is, that between the top electrode (wire) and the tube exists a electrical field. Since both electrodes are charged at different polarity, there is a attractive force between them both. This force makes the tube roll up toward the wire, not a dirstorted gravitational field or even antigravitation.
Someone already conducted a lifter test in high vacuum and yielded no lift at all. http://www.blazelabs.com/l-vacuum.asp
Quote from: BlazelabsAir was pumped out to a pressure of 3.75E-5 Torr, indicated by the big red dot on the dielectric strength plot shown above. At this pressure, the 30 kV potential across the lifter element can easily be handled and no arcing or glow discharge occurs. The result of this experiment was zero thrust, or at least no thrust that could change the position of our very weakly spring loaded lifter. This definitely confirms that the main lifters' thrust is of an ElectroHydroDynamic form, due to ion interaction with neutral air particles, and disproves once for all any antigravity theory.
I regard this horse to be dead.