Crystal Power CeLL by John Hutchison

[Feynman]

@sutra
Thank you for the pictures.  No I had not seen these yet...

@Koen

I know the basic [rochelle salt] preparation formula you posted. It's from Wiki, isn't it?

Indeed it is

The problem I have with that is that although sodium carbonate is readily available, I cannot find an easy source of potassium bitatrate.
Maybe some antique chemist across the border can make me some rochelle salt...

Perhaps one can make potassium bitartrate from tartaric acid?


tartaric acid


potassium bitartrate


C4H6O6 + KOH  <-->  KC4H5O6 + H2O

tartaric acid + potassium hydroxide <--> potassium bitartrate + water




As for your other comments regarding melting point and use of water as a solvent, thank you very much.  They were enlightening. 

[AbbaRue]

If you look at the Hutchison videos you will learn a lot about how to make these cells.
First I don't think water has anything to do with the mixture.
You mix the dry ingredients together and heat the mixture on a hot plate
once it's hot you apply the HV DC keeping it charged while it cools down.
The concept is similar to making on electret.
I believe the Rochelle salt is the main active ingredient because it is a piezoelectric material. 
He says the quartz or sand isn't a main ingredient because it is the insulator,
so any insulator should work even glass. 
I believe he gave us a list of ingredients that work together, any combo of these should give resaults.
It sounds like the pyrite is very important because he put more emphases on it,
stating that Japan had the best source he found. 

[Koen1]

@Sutra: yes, I know those pictures.
That is one of Hutchisons Barium Titanate cells, if I recall correctly.
That one had to be slammed onto the workbench to start working again,
and if I'm not mistaken was made with thin metal plates that were
coated with a thin layer of barium titanate. This is the type of cell
he sold to that Japanese businessman.
It is one of the earlier versions, before H came up with the "dirt cheap"
method. It was a much more complicated and probably also expensive
process to make such a cell.

@Abbarue: I've studied all the videos that show H working on or
talking about his cells. I've also briefly been in contact with him,
and got some descriptions from H on paper. He is very secretive
about the entire thing, claims a number of people have tried to
steal the idea to develop and market it themselves, just like
has happened with some of his other inventions. That is why
he refuses to give more detailed information and will not give
any info on the ratios used. Or so he says.
He is not telling the entire story, I think.
He certainly does not show all in his videos.
As for the water thing, like I told Feynman, I don't see how
you can make a solid out of the dry materials at "kitchen
temperatures" without adding water (or some other solvant).
Plus in the text info I have from Hutchison he clearly says he
adds water... but then again that could be just a bit of disinformation
on his part, to keep the secret...

[Feynman]

Glad to hear those pictures were of older cells... I think the most viable path forward will be with both 'wet-mixed' and 'dry-mixed' cells based on the corrected materials list:

fine sand (SiO2)
iron pyrite
germanium powder
rochelle salt
... and possibly lead(II) sulfide (galena) and/or barium titanate

Experiment with both wet and dry, and activate with 12-20kV. 

Personally, I think the finer the powders are ground, the better things will be.  Most ideal would be nanopowders. 

[Nihilanth]

Did anyone else notice that all of the materials he mentioned were on the first page of this topic, and is on wikipedia.