Beck Device

Hi all,

It's my 1st post and I'm almost totally green to most electronics.

Right now I'm trying to make a Bob Beck electrolysis device.

It calls for three 9v batteries in series to produce 27v.
He also says to use a 30v Grain of Wheat bulb as an indicator light, also placed in series.

I haven't been able to locate a 30v GOW bulb.
I'd prefer to use a 30v LED, but can't find one of those either.
If anyone knows where to find either of those lamps that'd be great.

In the mean time I have a Q about a work-around.
I've taken a 3v LED and placed it in series with a 12k ohm resister.
so...
1. Is that about the right size resister?
2. Will this setup still give 27v for the electrolysis?

longwolf said:

Hi all,

It's my 1st post and I'm almost totally green to most electronics.

Right now I'm trying to make a Bob Beck electrolysis device.

It calls for three 9v batteries in series to produce 27v.
He also says to use a 30v Grain of Wheat bulb as an indicator light, also placed in series.

I haven't been able to locate a 30v GOW bulb.
I'd prefer to use a 30v LED, but can't find one of those either.
If anyone knows where to find either of those lamps that'd be great.

In the mean time I have a Q about a work-around.
I've taken a 3v LED and placed it in series with a 12k ohm resister.
so...
1. Is that about the right size resister?
2. Will this setup still give 27v for the electrolysis?

Click to expand...

Try this link for your GOW lamp.
You can connect say two in series to give about 28/30V

http://store.dollhousecollectables.com/do8.html

**broken link removed**

http://www.dollhouseminiatures.com/electric/bulb1.htm

**broken link removed**


EDIT:
The 12K resistor is far to high a value, you will only have about 2mA thru the LED.
Using a 1K8 [1800R] will give the LED about 15mA. Use a 0.5Watt rated resistor.

What current does the electrolysis circuit recommend. Do you have a link?

Eric

Thx for the links Eric, but I think the LED/Resistor setup will be better.

I don't have a link, but it's a very simple circuit.
I saw it described in a video by Robert Beck.
It's actually for a Colloidal Silver Generator.

You just supply 27v to two 99.99% pure silver wires immersed (but separate) in distilled water.
The resistance starts very high, but the ionic silver being produced is an electrolyte so the resistance drops as the Parts-Per-Million increases.

I've just been using a wiring harness without an indicator lamp.
It can't be pulling too much current, I have over 60 hours of use on my setup and the batteries are still strong.

But I want to make several of these for friends and they might find the light useful.
The light should grow brighter as the PPM goes up, or you can just short the leads to see if your batteries still have a charge.

If you want the LED to indicate the current (the ppm) then it must be wired in series with the battery and a probe. But without any current-limiting it will burn out if the ppm becomes too high or if the probes are shorted.

audioguru said:

If you want the LED to indicate the current (the ppm) then it must be wired in series with the battery and a probe. But without any current-limiting it will burn out if the ppm becomes too high or if the probes are shorted.

Click to expand...

Thank you,

Won't a resister take care of that?

A resistor in series with the LED and in series with the probes will limit the current in the LED and will also limit the current in the electrolysis. When the current is high then the resistor will also limit the voltage at the probes.

Perhaps incandescent lamps are better due to their positive resistance co-efficient?

longwolf said:

Thank you,

Won't a resister take care of that?

Click to expand...

Bulb Applied Voltage Milliamps
12V GOW 12 volts 60
16V GOW 12 volts 45
12V GOR 12 volts 50
16V GOR 12 volts 35
3V GOW 3 volts 45
3V GOR 3 volts 40
1.5V GOR 1.5 volts 35

If you cannot get a 30V ??mA, you could do this:

This table is from one of the links, if you connected a 12V 45mA lamp in series with another 12V 45mA lamp and a 3V 45mA this would give the equivalent of a 27V lamp at 45mA. [ your supply is 3 * 9Vbty =27V]

The point to remember these lamps are in series with the probes and I expect they are being used as a current limiting device.

You will not get the same result/effect with a LED and resistor.

Eric

Thnx guys,

I went ahead and made a harness with a 3v LED and a 1.8k resister.
The results are a little odd.

Like I mentioned earlier, I've been making the colloidal silver for myself with a strait 27v harness without an indicator light.
Normally it takes several minutes for that setup to start producing colloid.
And when it does it's a golden color.

This new rig with the light starts producing colloid immediately, but it's a milky white.

I have no idea what, if any, difference it makes to the quality of the solution being made.