Lifter relative potentials... (fwd)

[Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 23:13:43 -0600
From: Terrell W. Fritz <terrellf@xxxxxxxxx>
To: hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Lifter relative potentials...

Hi,

I made a lifter once following the instructions at:

http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/lftbld.htm

I note the great successes of those at:

http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/liftbldr.htm

But "mine" did not fly :-(

I see they are lifting mice and stuff...

http://jlnlabs.imars.com/lifters/orville/index.htm

So "I" must have done something wrong...

So my question is...

I was using a Bertran 50kV 3mA "XR" power supply, but the "hot" lead is
"-".  So the aluminum "skirts" were -50kV to the "ground" and the thin wire
was at basically ground potential.

I suspect that I need a power supply with "+" 50kV to ground to get the
thin wire part "fizzing" and thus provide thrust.  I eventually arced the
wire to the aluminum which was "bad" in my case.  I used aluminum coated
poly from a film capacitor for the skirt and it burned up...  Something was
"basically" messed up an I think it was using a "-" HV power supply.

Any thoughts welcome ;-))


Cheers

	Terry