Bedini Original machine FEG 1984

[Woody]

Thanks Faraday. I remember you mentioning the depiction of the variable cap being a way of conveying the function, but not the specific hardware. I wonder though, would J.B. depict it this way in a diagram that he released to the public domain to assist people in building these units? I understand how it would be drawn that way in order to protect proprietary information in a patent, but I believe that drawing was not a patent drawing. I'm still trying to figure out what else could provide the same function as a variable cap without literally being a variable cap. Would simply using a variable cap work, or do we lose a necessary contribution provided by the "other method"? You definitely have me thinking, which I appreciate! I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so give me some time.....and a few hints, maybe?

-Woody

[Faraday88]

Hi Woody,

Looks can be diceptive! think over the 'VARIABLE CAP' again, its not the Physical variable cap as the diagram depict
in the drawings.

Rgds,
Faraday88.

[Peter Murray]

Thanks Woody,

I got the plans from this site http://www.metaphoria.us/hamradio/DL5DBM_cap_plans.pdf for a 220pF 5kV variable cap. It took quite some time to construct. I am not 100% certain that it is a must have, but time will tell.
A radial set-up will get around the problem I had with the magnets creating eddy currents in the rotor bearing block

Best regards
Peter

[Woody]

Hi Peter,

Nice work on that. I want to build one of those too. I plan on arranging my coils radially around a drum type rotor, rather than a disk rotor. Thats the only change I intend to make. Where did you get that variable cap? Let us know how it performs!

-Woody

[Peter Murray]

Hi All,

I would like to introduce my new energiser. It is based on JB’s original machine FEG 1984, sometimes erroneously called the ‘Watson Machine’.



Specification:

Motor: MFA 800 12VDC Permanent magnet motor. Efficiency 58%
Shaft: Steel diameter 12mm
Bearings: ID 12mm OD 28mm Thk. 8mm open. Lubricated with baby oil.
Flywheel: Plastic wheel with two aluminium plates for extra mass.
Rotor: Aluminium, diameter140mm with 6 neodymium N42 magnets diameter 20mm x 10mm thick on a 100mm-pitch diameter.
Coils: 6 air coils at 2000 turns of copper magnet wire 0.40mm (AWG #26)
Rotating mass: 1.70kg
Speed: 4725RPM (Non pulsed & without coils)
Current: 2.04A (Non pulsed & without coils)
Rundown: 67s
Variable Cap. 200pF 5kV

I have tried to follow the design of JB’s original machine as I think this gives greater scope for modifications.
For the motor pulsing system I am using an op amp and opto reflective switch which I have tested driving a mosfet and a bipolar transistor.
For the energiser switching system I am planning to use the other half of the op amp and bipolar transistors.
The 6 coils in series produce a nice sine wave with a peak of around 220V. With the limited capacitors in my spares box I am getting voltages off the scopes display.

With this set-up the motor pulls around 19A on start-up. So I have added a two position switch with a resistor so that on start-up the motor pulls 8A non pulsed the second switch position then gives a pulsed full current.
This is the part of the circuit that I am happy about, I need to do further tests with the energiser switch.





If anyone has got a working circuit for the energiser switch please feel free to chip in.

For the future I have started making a widow motor to replace the permanent magnet motor.

Best regards
Peter