Changing my SSG from repulsion to attraction mode

[Gary Hammond]

I'm in the process of changing my 5 filar, 18 AWG, bicycle wheel SSG from repulsion to attraction mode and wondered if it would be beneficial to also change from the single diode output configuration to the bridge rectifier output so as to collect the "Tesla Impulse" when the switch closes?

Here's the circuit I'm talking about.

I don't know if the gain would be offset by the additional voltage drop through the extra diodes or not. And would this arrangment allow the secondary battery to be swapped with the primary, or would it still have to go through a cap dump to allow swapping of the batteries?

[John_Koorn]

Gary, you will still have to use a cap dump circuit to convert the energy so you can rotate the batteries.

I have had good success with the FWBR the way your picture shows it.

John K.

[Gary Hammond]

Hi John k,

Gary, you will still have to use a cap dump circuit to convert the energy so you can rotate the batteries.

I have had good success with the FWBR the way your picture shows it.

John K.

Thanks for your response! And a further question about the FWBR ........I understand "having good sucess", but does it actually increase charging over the single diode or not? If it doesn't actually increase output, then I'll stick to the single diode out. But if it charges better, I'll add the extra matched diodes!

Then the next thing for me is to build a cap dump circuit so I can rotate batteries.

[Gary Hammond]

Well, I got my bicycle wheel SSG changed over from repulsion to attraction mode about 3 months ago. And I stayed with the single output diode per transistor as before. It picked up some RPM but it pulls slightly more current in single pulse operation than before. And, unlike in repulsion mode, it requires lowering the base resistance momentarily from best running to force the shift from 2 pulses per magnet to 1 pulse per magnet. The charging rate may be slightly better now, but not greatly so.

I thought my charge battery was slowly losing capacity since it was new 2 years ago. I usually only discharge it to 12.2 volts and ocassionally to 12.0 volts under load with a West Mountain CBA III analyzer. But I recently checked both the run battery and the charge battery using the CBA's default setting of 10.5 volts and discovered the charge battery was still at nearly 13 AH while the run battery had fallen to only 7AH! I've been recharging the run battery with a Reanissance 10A-12 charger, so didn't expect the big drop in capacity from the run battery!

And today I finished up building and installing the cap dump circuit shown in the intermediate handbook. It was giving a nice sawtooth voltage wave (no flat spots) peaking at 30 volts and dumping to 27.4 volts every 6/10ths of a second. Did this on the already charged battery just to check out the cap dump. Am just now discharging it with the CBA III so I can start running tests tomorrow.

Don't know what to expect changing the charge battery from radiant only to cap discharge and whether it will soon be able to be swapped with the run battery or not. May be time to invest in some new batteries?