Fusor V: First Neutrons

Log 1: 16,500V -- 25mA -- ~15 Microns -- 150 CPM on 22" RS He3 tube 3' from Poissor.

Log 2: 20,350V -- 22mA -- ~14 Microns -- 300 CPM on 22" RS He3 tube 3' from Poissor.

Log 3: 22,000V -- 20mA -- ~12 Microns -- 400 CPM on 22" RS He3 tube 3' from Poissor.

Log 4: 28,600V -- 18mA --~10 Microns -- 500 CPM on 22" RS He3 tube 3' from Poissor.

Log 5: 33,550V -- 5mA -- ~10 Microns -- 1000 CPM on 22" RS He3 tube 3' from Poissor.

Moderator was removed from proportional counter while operating to test for noise. These here be neutrons. I've been blessed with a relatively noise free fusor with little to no x-ray radiation beyond 1 foot. I believe it's time to stick a webcam on this bad boy and give it some more power!

Highest flux for the evening was ~50,000 neutrons/second.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• fusor
• neutrons
• first
• light
• plasma
• nuclear
• reactor
• thermonuclear
• farnsworth
• x-rays
• deuterium
• high
• voltage
• helium-3
• he3

[swirlingabyss]

Use a mirror to look into your view port. The X-rays will penetrate the view port much easier than the steel vacuum chamber. Soft X-rays are worse then hard X-rays too.

[U235hexafluoridedude]

@swirlingabyss this video is a year old, you'll notice in the more recent uploads that a digital camera is used to see inside. In any event you're preaching to the choir, thanks though.

[davethehunter2]

you should do a video just on your power supply, because its very interesting that you able to use MOTs to get fuson, and are you using 120v ac in the input? Im very interested in your design, the power supply must of cost you nothing compared to a xray tranformer and im looking to build one for the cheapest i can. could you send me your schematic, you dont have to but it would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks,

David Rutherford

[U235hexafluoridedude]

@davethehunter2 I may yet do a little vid on the power supply. Yes, back then I was using 4-7 MOT's with their secondaries in series off 110 with an inductive ballast on the 110 side. I've since replaced the MOT's with a 14.4kV Pole Pig. The circuit, to start you off with, is simply a voltage quadroupler, 1 transformer, 4 capacitors, 4 diodes, each capacitor is made up of SEVEN 2.2kV 1µF caps in series. Each diode is currently a 60kv string. I hope this helps until then. Warm regards, RT.

[algae1000]

Hello-Nice and simple! Good work! A few questions please. Did you find your chamber with all of the extra ports already attached? Is U. Nuclear your source for the D2O? How much D2O do you initially load into the Hoffman, and what is the solution make-up of it and NaOH? Is that a big slab of wax you are using for your moderator? Thank you for your videos.

[U235hexafluoridedude]

@algae1000 Hey, thanks. Yes, I purchased the chamber as-is via university surplus. I also got 1/4 liter of heavy water from a friend working in a MRI lab. The hoffman probably only took about 100ml, if you were to fill it with ceramic pellets that'd increase it's volume and allow you to use and spend less on D2O if buying unitednuclear's $1/gram stuff. Sodium hydroxide is best for the electrolyte. And yes, that's wax, later use involved a water moderator.

[legomaniac150]

@U235hexafluoridedude One thing that is baffling me is how do you wire up the transformers outputs to the fusor? Do you rectify the output and connect the negative side to the inner-grid? Plus if you connect the negative side to the inner-grid then where does the positive side connect to? From what I've read it should be grounded but it seems dangerous to me to connect a 35,000 volt output to mains ground.

Thanks,

Taylor

[swirlingabyss]

@U235hexafluoridedude Good to know.

[kenquestions]

whats the minimum voltage you can use ?

[michalchik]

good job