At 11:54 PM 9/26/2012, Jeff Berkowitz wrote:
I'm looking at the Godes/Brillouin patent application:
<http://www.google.com/patents/US20110122984?hl=en>http://www.google.com/patents/US20110122984?hl=en
In figure 3C, the circuit diagram of the drive circuitry, there are
effectively three "outputs" at right: the two connection points
labeled J1-1 and J1-2, and the bulb-shaped object that is
dual-labeled "Cathode" and "F04" at right center. Then in paragraph
0045 of the text, we read: "The center tap on the secondary of
transformer T8 attached to the cathode [...] of the loading current source."
But in Figure 9, we see three connections from the controller to the
beaker on the left (the fourth line to the left beaker is a sensor).
Two of the controller connections run to the object labeled
"Cathode" in the beaker, one to the "Anode". It's tempting to assume
the paired connections to the "Cathode" correspond to J1-1 and J1-2
in figure 3C, so the other connection to "Anode" in Figure 9 must be
the bulb shaped object which is unfortunately labeled "Cathode" in 3C.
Thinking about this, I think that Figure 9 is correct. Figure 3C and
paragraph 0045 are in error; the bulb-shaped object in 3C should be
labeled "Anode". Here's why:
1) Looking back at the circuit diagram 3C, it makes sense for the
"reactant loading pulse" to run to the anode. In other words,
instead of an ordinary continuous DC electrolytic cell, Godes is
pulsing the current to the anode. By controlling pulse width and
frequency, he can control the rate of the electrolysis reaction.
2) J1-1 and J1-2, on the other hand, run to the ends of the taps on
the transformer. I believe the drive circuitry at lower left,
combined with the caps C2 and C5, form a differentiator: the circuit
generates short, powerful spikes across the primary of T8 as the big
power FETs at lower left switch on and off. These spikes (the "Q
pulses") couple across the isolation transformer T8 and look like
AC to the core since the are referenced to the sort of "virtual
ground" formed by the center tap of T8.
Thoughts?
Okay, the patent schematics are not designed for ease of interpretation.
Figure 3C does not show the loading current source as such. The
loading current will be through the cathode and anode. However, all
loading current passes through a series resistor, R3, nd is monitored
by P7 and P8, which are labelled "Monitor Reactor Loading Current."
It looks like loading current is supplied by J1-1 and J1-2. The
"Quantum Compression Current," as a drop across R2, and is monitored
through P9 and P10.
Yes, the QCC is AC, injected through transformer T8.
No, it is highly likely that the "cathode" is the electrochemical
cathode, the "core" (15) in figure 3A, the "cathode" in Fig. 9.
The loading current power supply is shown schematically in Fig. 3A as
"20," "Current Source." The cathode has two leads, one to each end of
it. The Current Source is controlled to provide the loading current.
Per convention, the arrow shows the direction of "current flow," the
current flows into the electrochemical anode, per the current
direction convention. The current source provides a controllable DC
current, this is the loading current.
Jeff, I think, has misinterpreted the diagram. I don't blame him.
It's confusing. The loading current is provided by a constant current
power supply, the "current source." Transformer(s) are used to inject
an AC signal on top of that current.
This *is*, very likely, an "ordinary continuous DC electroytic cell,"
as to loading, with the continuous current controlled, as is normal,
through a constant current power supply. That is the circle with the
arrow in Fig. 3A. However, it is indicated in Fig. 3A that loading is
also pulsed. I.e., the constant current power supply is controlled to
create pulses of current.