@ Marga dan:

I am using zinc (hot dipped) nails and also spikes.  I am not sure what the base metal is although I suspect it is a low grade steel of some kind.  Probably the same with screws, although I am just guessing based on the cost.


Today's test results:

7 zinc nail array on the tree (-) jumped to a 12" zinc spike in the ground 12' away (-) to the carbon rod (+)

1.17 vdc

1.8 vac

2.6 mA

I think I finally figued out the problem with my series tests.  I will attempt more on that tomorrow.  My 30 leds have not arrived yet but by the time they get here, I want to have the power up enough to light them.  I know, not an easy thing to do.  We will see.

Bill (Reporting from Ice Station Zebra)

G'day Bill,

It'll be really interesting to see what happens to the zinc. By rights is should get consumed in the galvanic action.

What fascinates me more, you report 1.8 V AC!  Where the f*ck are those oscillations coming from?

If it was just the galvanic action you should get pure DC.

Keep in touch

Hans

@ Hans:

The ac had me confused also and it still does.  I have read up to 2.8 vac in some configurations.  But, I read in my electronics text and also spoke to my father, who worked at Bell Labs in Murry Hill N.J. for 16 years (birthplace of the solar cell and transistor) they both said that meters will read ac even if it is not really there.  It is a quirk with the way meters, both analog and digital, are set up.  Stefan said I should use a scope, which I do not have, to see what is really what.  So, as of right now, I don't really know.  I am looking around to see if any of my friends have a scope to use for this.  So far, no luck.

According to the work by the Russians on telluric currents, they said the freq. should be between 1 to 5 Hz.....very low freq.  Localjoe tested with some type of meter and got about 40 to 45 Hz.  If there is an ac component to this we should be able to step it up with the coils but, I have no real idea of what is really going on at this point.  I will investigate further.

Bill

Sorry, I meant to include in my previous post the results of an experiment my father told me to do.  I took a AA battery and checked the voltage:

1.55vdc
2.7vac!!

It showed ac voltage on a dc cell.  This leads me to believe that the meter quirk idea is correct.  But, Localjoe tested the freq. with a different type of meter and showed the frequency so I am not sure.  The readings above are very, very close to what I am getting out in the garden with my electrodes.

Hans:
Try testing a battery for ac and see what you get?  I need to purchase a portable scope...i could use it for the test, and return it... ha ha.

Bill

Well last night I promised an explanation on my steel wire comments and magnets.  Please note none of this is speculation, I'm commenting my findings from exp.

If you haven't seen a video of a homo polar motor it's just a simple screw with disc nefb mag at the bottom hanging from the battery positive and then driven by a wire connected to the negative and brushing on the outside of the magnet. spins upwards of 3000 rpm.  try with copper wire first then try with steel... steel works much better and displays a blueish corona around the magnet. Cool I said... how it applies, wrap say 4 turns of this steel insulated wire around a 40 turn copper coil of whatever you have handy, magnet wire preferable. then touch the two ends as you would have before to - on battery and to the outside of the magnet. connect your meter to the leads of the copper coil and watch the voltage rise proportonally with the speed.  this still worked on one half dead nicad that only was reading .8 v the voltage on my meter after about 30 sec was upwards of 6 to 9 volts and kept going but the magnet spun off...  This didn't work with copper wire  .  If the voltage and current were getting now are enough to make this little thing start spinning it should increase its speed until... infinitum or until another force interacts to slow it down eg friction or others things at play.  Figured id share this idea with you folks.
                                                                     Joe