Impressive!! Nice soldering job too, my ioniser circuit is a big mess 😀
I think if you added more needles, you would get a LOT more output.
When I first made mine I just had one needle and hardly got any ions. However, what I did was get some of that brass picture wire stuff, and twisted it apart to reveal lots and lots of sharp points! I then got a much more noticable ion wind, and that was without a ground nearby. It was being used as an air cleaner for a while and the area around it was CAKED in dust!
Try this: Connect your HV supply to lots of needles or sharp points like the way I described above, make them face a wire grid such as one of those kitchen utensile things you put on frying pans to stop drops of fat from coming out (don't solder onto it though if you want to use it in the kitchen again!!!
)
Apply the signal to the grid, and see what happens (I will try this myself soon, I'm curious to see how well it'll work)
I think if you added more needles, you would get a LOT more output.
When I first made mine I just had one needle and hardly got any ions. However, what I did was get some of that brass picture wire stuff, and twisted it apart to reveal lots and lots of sharp points! I then got a much more noticable ion wind, and that was without a ground nearby. It was being used as an air cleaner for a while and the area around it was CAKED in dust!
Try this: Connect your HV supply to lots of needles or sharp points like the way I described above, make them face a wire grid such as one of those kitchen utensile things you put on frying pans to stop drops of fat from coming out (don't solder onto it though if you want to use it in the kitchen again!!!
)Apply the signal to the grid, and see what happens (I will try this myself soon, I'm curious to see how well it'll work)
Oh and another thing - do you have a sound clip of it working? 😉 (Don't worry about it if it's a hassle to get one, I'm just so curious as to what it sounds like)
Concept...
Sharp point, needles, there are none of that in a true lifter vehicle 🙄 😀
Instead the anode consist of magnet wire with the enamel intact (written 500 times or so on the blackboard 😉
Sharp point, needles, there are none of that in a true lifter vehicle 🙄 😀
Instead the anode consist of magnet wire with the enamel intact (written 500 times or so on the blackboard 😉
Or the sound could be pwmed on a tv HV transformer, I don't know if it will sound good though.
It would be the the simplest thing to try imho.
It would be the the simplest thing to try imho.
One thing we have to take into account when using pwm is that it might create alot of high frequency noise at a really high level, we won't hear it, but all the dogs in de neighbourhood might start barking, bats will drop from the sky etc.
I guess you could smooth it with a low value cap. I'm still wishing there was just some way to do it with a transformer though - it's just so much more simple 🙁 Maybe a neon sign transformer like Nixie suggested will work?
Yes, a neon transformer in series with a HV supply will also work.
If you use one of those lifter supply's make sure there is a capacitor at the high voltage end.
If you use one of those lifter supply's make sure there is a capacitor at the high voltage end.
Hmm, I found a source of very cheap (around £3 each) 100v line transformers. I'm tempted to buy some. If they don't work I can use them to make ESLs with
Standard toroids are better than 100 volt line transformers.
I don't know the bandwidth of a neon transformer, but I don't think it's very good.
Television HV transformers have very high bandwidth, but probably not enough inductance for full range.
I don't know the bandwidth of a neon transformer, but I don't think it's very good.
Television HV transformers have very high bandwidth, but probably not enough inductance for full range.
Hmmm, a TV hv transformer sounds like a good idea.... I only expect to get down to about 1Khz (but the lower the better) so the fullrange thing isn't an issue... I wonder how well they would work...
built* ;P
Sometimes they have a whole multiplier cascade built in. But you can carefully use a rotary tool to cut through the potting and remove extras. However, the easiest thing is to get an exposed one from an old TV; sometimes I see them around eBay.
Sometimes they have a whole multiplier cascade built in. But you can carefully use a rotary tool to cut through the potting and remove extras. However, the easiest thing is to get an exposed one from an old TV; sometimes I see them around eBay.
If they have a multiplier cascade built in then they are ideal as a HV supply, it saves the trouble of looking for HV diodes and caps.
I might try pwm on a tv transformer, but I'm a bit scared of the high voltage.
Btw the dereference operator goes before the pointer, not after 😉
I might try pwm on a tv transformer, but I'm a bit scared of the high voltage.
Btw the dereference operator goes before the pointer, not after 😉
Speaking of PWM, how hard would it be for a near noob to build something like that? How hard is it to turn a power transistor on and off at 1Mhz? It must be quite difficult 
This is why I'm partial to just a simple step up transformer - more chance of it working
This is why I'm partial to just a simple step up transformer - more chance of it working- Status
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