Project help, electrovegetoma

Hello all! I am new to this site and looking for help. This is what I've done so far. I made two 4.5" x 4.5" screens from 1/2 chicken wire. I have hooked up a 9v battery to the screens. One lead to each screen. Then the screens where placed in a planter one across from the other. I guess creating a field?? Anyway the plant with the device doubled in growth rate from the control. My problem is that it eats up 9v batteries. Any ideas? Would it be ok to use a 9v wall wart? I would like to keep it battery operated. Thanks for the help.

To keep this going for long enough for a plant to grow, you are going to have either a very big budget for 9V batteries, and be there 24/7 to change them, or use a 9V plug-in wall-wart.

Any Idea how much current flows between the electrodes? How long do the electrodes last before electrolysis eats them up?

How could i see how much current flow? Also the battery is at 1.8v after 5 days.

Vender said:

How could i see how much current flow? Also the battery is at 1.8v after 5 days.

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If you can measure the battery voltage, you probably have a multimeter?

Does it have current measurement ranges? If so, just set the meter to read ~20mA full-scale, and put the meter leads in-series with either wire going from your battery to the electrode.

If the screens are inserted into the plant's damp soil and if the soil has salts in it then it will conduct current from the battery.
Use a 9VDC wall-wart instead of wasting 9V batteries.

EDIT:
If the plant grows better with only 9V then it might grow much better with a higher voltage.
Try 30V then 100V and let us know what happens.

I gotta ac-12vdc with 5 amp surge protection, at the local auto shop,for 30$, or use car batteries if you want to stay wireless

watch current, but if 9v is lasting for 5 days you should be ok!

the water in your soil may cause increase current flow, electrolysis does break up compound molecules so it is possible that it helps the plants, since plants use PH to break up compounds to unlock nutrients, but it would be interesting to see more tests, with more controls .ect,,,

WATCH CURRENT!!! maybe put a fuse in there!

I going to measure the current when I get a new battery. Im not sure about any of this, not sure if more is better. Trying to find some info on the web but not a lot. It is pretty amazing how the 9v has improved the plants growth. I have 4 plants 2 control and 2 with the 9v. These are all clones from the same plant and they had 5 weeks of growth to make sure they all grew at the same rate. Then I put the juice on one and watched it grow. How many "setups" do you think I could run off one 9v transformer?
Thanks all.

Vender said:

How many "setups" do you think I could run off one 9v transformer.

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Dumb question.
You don't want to use an AC transformer. You want a DC power supply.
Wall-wart DC power supplies are cheap little low current ones or more expensive higher current ones. Which one??

1) How much is the current for one setup??
2) How much is the rated current from your DC power supply??
3) Can you divide the maximum allowed current from the power supply with the current for one setup??

Vender said:

I going to measure the current when I get a new battery. Im not sure about any of this, not sure if more is better. Trying to find some info on the web but not a lot. It is pretty amazing how the 9v has improved the plants growth. I have 4 plants 2 control and 2 with the 9v. These are all clones from the same plant and they had 5 weeks of growth to make sure they all grew at the same rate. Then I put the juice on one and watched it grow. How many "setups" do you think I could run off one 9v transformer?
Thanks all.

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No question is a "Dumb question" if it is a qualitative and/or quantitative quest for knowledge. I'm intrigued by your results to this point, but you will have to have statistical results proving your hypothesis, if you have developed one at this point, which I believe is true from your posts. This will mean you will have to repeat your experiment many more times with a number of variables before any conclusion can be made regarding its efficacy in the real world.

I must assume you are a student, at this point, given the object of your research (perhaps I am in error). If that is true, talk to your instructors, profs, TA's, et al, for any information regarding avenues of approach, data collection, previous research and papers on the subject, statistical analysis of the data, presentation, peer review, among other items. Peer review being the most grueling test of knowledge, patience and conviction.

AC or DC are but two of the variables along with the range of voltages. Maybe you can see now how the road before you lies. This says nothing about moisture content of the growth medium, the growth medium itself, degree of sunlight over 24 hours, UV content of that illumination, CO2 levels, repeatability, container size of the plants, etc, etc, etc.

Best of Luck on your experiments.

Cheers,
Merv

May be the DC fields reacted with the soil and electrolyzed it to form growth booster fertilizer

Thanks for all the replies. Just some more information.
The plants are grown Hydroponically. They are grown in 2 gallon buckets with hydroton (small clay rocks). The water pumps every two hours for one hour. The water has a high salt content. So I am assuming that the electrolysis only works when the watering is happening. I am not a student, just a tinker. I know very little about electronics. I do get my experiments to work, I just never know what I did right.

Not to get off topic but any idea were I can get a 60w 12v dc 3.3a desk top transformer? I have a neon sign that died and the transformer is shot. Will any transformer with that rating work? You all are the best forum (most helpful) site I've been to.

Thanks again!

your local electronic warehouse may have one!

Hi Vendor,
Not sure where you are located but you should be able to get a DC supply (12v @ 3a) from Power Supplies | AllElectronics.com for about $20. Might find a smaller one at radio shack.
If I remember correctly 32 is the number needed for the statistics. If you want to elaborate on you project I might be able to get the wife to do some.
Edit. sorry I thought the transformer was for the project. Still might find an ac one there.

OK I measured the current. It measures 31.5 on 200m from a 9v battery?? What does this mean? Let me know what information I can provide for you all? I have a 12v trans i am hooking up. Should I try to match the current. Also I know I am asking a lot of questions. Is my thinking right. The more grids / plates I hook up will decrease the current but the volts will read the same? Man I am jealous of your knowledge. I could read and study electronics for the rest of my life and never get it.

Also I somehow fried my MM. Cont beeps always and the readout just goes up and down with nothing hooked up. Is it done?

If your multimeter is set to the 200mA range and is connected in series with the battery and load then it shows the current. 31.5mA is fairly low and a 9V alkaline name-brand battery voltage will slowly drop to 6V in about 30 hours. The current drops as the battery voltage runs down.

You have a 12V transformer. Its output is AC but you need DC like from a battery. An AC to DC adapter can have a transformer, rectifier and filter capacitor in it to have a DC output.

If each bucket with grids is the same then with your 9V battery, one draws 31.5mA, two draw 63mA and four draw 94.5mA. but a little 9V battery voltage will quickly run down at such a high current.

31.5 is 31.5 milliamps. Not a lot for a power supply but quite a bit for a 9 volt battery.
You need to make sure your "transformer" is DC not AC. If it is really just a transformer it's output will be AC.
The more plates you add the more current you will draw. The voltage put out by your power supply should stay the same. So If you had 10 pots your current at 9 volts would be 315 ma. This current will go up if your voltage goes up. So at 12 volts you can expect the current to be about 42 ma. I(ma)=E(voltage) / R (resistance). The whole thing will vary depending on the spacing of the plates as well. Closer = more current.
You might have put the meter across the battery while it was in the 200 ma range? If so the fuse (most have fuses) is probably blown. It will probably be a small glass fuse.