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My first 'lytic powered launcher video (video updated at bottom)

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LAN_403

Quantum Singularity

Fri Jul 14 2006, 04:23AM

Registered Member #158 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 09:53PM
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 282

Well, I took my mostly completed prototype launcher with me on my 1 week vacation to visit my folks. Since they have some property I wanted to finish the launcher quick and do some testing. Using a standard outlet (120V), variac, 120V/240V step down transformer, and diode doubler I was able to charge just under 800V on my bank pretty quick. Cant go over 800V with the clamping diodes I have (so thats about 1/2 the max energy capability).

The coils I through together quick and had 2 sizes. Unfortunately neither lasted long. The larger coil broke the form it was in and deformed. The small one was epoxied to polycarbonate, but the shot featured in the video was its last. The very small 2.5" disk I had was to light to launch very high (wind resistance would litteraly limit it to 15 feet high or so). So I decided to give it some weight with a small block of wood and crank the voltage to max (I had already worked up to just about max anyhow). Fearing the worst, I decided to capture it on video since I didnt get any other launches that day on video yet. Upon launch the coil shorted through the disk and blew away about 1/3 of the windings and scorched the disk. There was still plenty of vertical power though, as it split the block of wood in half on the way up and went fairly high.

So now I need to build a good coil and projectile for future testing. I was also unable to get the chrono to work in the vertical position, but will try it more later. Its been several years since I have done any HV/EMP projects, this is the first one since, and its fun to be back at it again! If only I had more time....

Here is the movie
Its mpeg4, 640x480 15MB (will be trying some better programs for .wmv format later).

Update:
Ignore that link above. Here are some newer video clips in wmv format:

Self-destructive shot with hard drive disk

Thicker disk chrono'd 210fps

Launching vertically over trees

FastMHz

Sat Jul 15 2006, 05:22PM

Registered Member #179 Joined: Thu Feb 16 2006, 02:08AM
Location: Hagerstown, Maryland - Close to Prime Outlets
Posts: 287

Now that's cool....it sounded just like mine do too! (YGPM)

Quantum Singularity

Sun Jul 16 2006, 06:18PM

Registered Member #158 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 09:53PM
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 282

Thanks Fast, but I dont think that big bang sound was suppose to happen.

My earlier shots made a bit of a thud along with a metalic ring. Of course at over 3kJ I am sure there is some more noise

In order for me to get much more that 1.5kJ I need to get some higher V rated diodes (mine are rated at 800V) and a bit higher V supply. But I think I have a lot fo experimenting to do at the current energy level so what I got is good for now. I could even re-arrange my caps into to banks with more capacitance rated at 500V. Plenty of options.

If anyone is interested here is a somewhat simplified schematic of the launcher:
http://tristan.homelinux.net/ringlauncher/launcher1.gif
You could probably consider this a KISS design, its very minimal on parts.

FastMHz

Mon Jul 17 2006, 05:16PM

Registered Member #179 Joined: Thu Feb 16 2006, 02:08AM
Location: Hagerstown, Maryland - Close to Prime Outlets
Posts: 287

Even ones where the coil survives make a loud bang during launch...all of mine certainly do..I think they make a bang sound because of the sound pressure wave coming off the projectile. 1.5kj is close to where I started before doubling my bank and certainly is enough energy to do some serious launching. The first short, fat ringrocket I launched was a 1.7kj launch and it really went.

I look forward to your future launches! Matter of fact, it's about time I start making some more rockets of my own, you've got me re-inspired...now to find the spare time

Quantum Singularity

Tue Jul 18 2006, 12:11AM

Registered Member #158 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 09:53PM
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 282

BTW, if anyone has had any problems viewing my video or it looks just plain poor let me know. For some reason when I just viewed it at work with XP it looked terrible. Not sure why it would look so different on a different pc unless there was a codec problem... which there might be seing how realplayer is saying its divx encoded yet I do not select the divx option while making the clip. For the price I payed for the plextor external video converter you think it would have better software.

I also appologize that it will taka minute to download since I am currently capped at 650kbps upload, although I plan on upping that to 1Mbps upload, its only $2 more a month but I just havent remembered to call lately. Still not blazing fast but 1Mbps upload is pretty fast for a residential broadband IMO.

Update: got the 1M upload finally

...

Tue Jul 18 2006, 12:29AM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

The video looks pretty crappy here in nero or windows media player... It is mostly the effects that did it in, the compression works a lot better with only a little bit of movement, so adding in the effects just kills quality.

But more importantly, how in the world are you getting 1Mb/s up speed on a home line? I get like .2Mb/s

If I try hard enough it is just enough to get a half decent video stream going (256kb/s wmv looks decent), man what I would do for a full megabit

Tom540

Tue Jul 18 2006, 02:53AM

Banned on 3/17/2009.
Registered Member #487 Joined: Sun Jul 09 2006, 01:22AM
Location:
Posts: 617

1Mb upload is pretty fast. I think im getting maybe half that here. Verizon has a service called FIOS. It's fiber optic cheap and very fast but they only offer it in certain areas. here is not one of them.

Quantum Singularity

Tue Jul 18 2006, 05:49AM

Registered Member #158 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 09:53PM
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 282

That really sucks you guys are seing the same crappy playback I am seing here at work (I might have to pull the video because it really looks terrible). Its actually a quite good 640x480 30fps movie clip. Must be an issue with the codecs, like perhaps other machines are trying to use the wrong one to decode it? I need to find a good wmv encoder... is there any out there other than downloading from microsoft.com that dont require an authenticy check?

For internet I use WOW Internet and Cable

and I get the ultra package, 6Mbps down / 1Mbps up (well like I said its 650k right now but I will be upping to the 1M soon). Its the fastes home broadband I have personally come across and its solid... last problem I had was over a year ago where I had to powercycle it twice in one week. I did all the wiring myself and using the good stuff really can make a difference too.

Avalanche

Tue Jul 18 2006, 08:17AM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

It's fine on my machine, the actual video quality is very good

My machione is using the Divx5 codec. Maybe it doesn't play well in xvid?

Dr. Shark

Wed Jul 19 2006, 10:16AM

Registered Member #75 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 09:30AM
Location: Montana, USA
Posts: 711

Any chance you could post some stills from the video, Quantum Singularity? My work computer does not like me watching videos...

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