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Re: Ice Cream Capacitor



From: 	Michael Smith[SMTP:md.smith-at-usa-dot-net]
Reply To: 	md.smith-at-usa-dot-net
Sent: 	Tuesday, July 15, 1997 4:31 PM
To: 	tesla list
Subject: 	Fw: Ice Cream Capacitor

Hello all, 

I noted Father Tom's ideas on bucket capacitors the other day
mentioned my ice cream capacitor. I had posted this idea to the
tesla-2 list, but not to here, so many of you may not know to
what he referred. Below is most of the post I sent tesla-2. I
have edited it because I have changed my mind about how I will
construct it. As far as i am aware, this is an original idea.
Maybe someone else will like to try this.

----------
> From: Michael Smith <md.smith-at-usa-dot-net>
> To: tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> Cc: Michael (work) Smith <msmith-at-env.licor-dot-com>
> Subject: Ice Cream Capacitor
> Date: Thursday, July 03, 1997 4:30 PM
> 
> Greetings coilers, 
> 
> Well, I have been thinking (and yes, I am aware of the trouble
> that usually leads me to). I look around me and see that I
have
> over 10 feet of 8 inch sdr35 pvc sewer pipe left over from my
> chunk I bought for my secondary form. I think it would be nice
> to try something with that. 
> 
> In my seemingly unending search for LDPE, I noticed that 5
quart
> ice cream pail lids are LDPE. I see that the useable flat
> surface area of the lid is close to 8 inches....So I conjured
up
> a plate capacitor using these and roof flashing. It just
ocurrs
> to me that perhaps this has been covered here before my
arrival 
> 4 months ago. If so, maybe some of my questions at the bottom
of
> this will be answered. 
> 
> There are different packaging companies making these pails and
> there are some differences. There also is a lid of choice, it
> seems. Around here in Nebraska we have all the big brands and
> some I know are rather local and some I am not sure of. But I
> have seen that Wells Blue Bunny ice cream pails have a lid
that
> is flat all the way across the top, with a flange almost 3/4"
> high on the edge. These will yield a 8 5/16" diameter disk,
AND
> they are .048" thick. All the other brands I have encountered
> are of .033" material and (to make up for thickness) have a
> strength ridge near the outer edge of the lid. The useable
> diameter of flat .033 material here is 7 7/16".
> 
> I have put up a plea in the lunchroom at work for folks to
bring
> them in and have had zero success so far. The daycare parents
> are bringing in a few. But my major source is recycling
> dumpsters, of which there are about a dozen sites around the
> city of Lincoln. I visit a few each day and have managed to
> average around 6 Wells Blue Bunny lids per day, and a few of
the
> thinner ones as well. Buckets? Oh, yes I have about a hundred
of
> those so far, but I am not sure how to utilize them yet...more
> on that later.

>snippus gigantus<

Ok, the next part detailed how I planned to build this under oil
in an 8" pvc sewer pipe, but I have changed my mind. The oil and
pipe idea would have worked nicely and would have been pretty
easy, but I kept coming up against this and that, and each thing
I addressed had the effect of reducing my plate and/or
dielectric layer diameter to the point that I decided to do it
dry.

I have enough material now. I am beginning to process (i.e.
clean, remove printing, etc) the poly discs now.  

I have decided to construct this capacitor a few layers at a
time, using polyurethane between all layers. How far I go at a
sitting will depend on how fast I work and the cure rate of the
polyurethane. I will construct a bottom plate that is
nonconducting and will use the idea of decreasing diameter
plastic discs on the end compression plates to exert more
pressure on the center of the assembly. Using 1/4 - 20 ready
bolt between the upper and lower compression plates will allow
me to go a bit at a time, then start over later when al is dry.
I will brush on polyurethane between all sections. 

It will be a while yet before I can report how this works, as
progress continues somewhat slowly on several fronts at once.
The secondary is done, working on the caps, gaps, and neon
protection circuit presently. I have parts for the primary and
the toroid(s), and am trying to settle in on what I want the
cart to look like.

I want to do several varieties of capacitors, including the
multisection rolled, 2 plate rolled, and large plate designs.
More later...

Anticipating those fried retinas...

Michael Smith