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Lifter
Lifter 1aLifter 1b
Wind Tests
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David Hamel
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The objective is to experiment with the lifter technology modeled on the work of Transdimensional Technologies (whose former website was http://www.tdimension.com though it no longer exists.)
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The lifter is a typically triangular shaped, lightweight device capable of lifting its own weight. However, it cannot also lift the weight of its high voltage power supply that powers it. The basic components are two conductive electrodes, one having a thin edge (usually a very thin, bare copper wire on the order of 30 to 50 AWG/gauge), and the other having a smooth edge (usually aluminium foil.) The rigid structure is typically make of very thin balsa wood sticks (around 2mm or 1/16" thick) or straws. Glues such as krazy glue (filler type) or cyanoacrylate are very effective for holding it together while not requiring much and also being lightweight. Voltages needed to power it are typically 20kV and higher. Most experimenters use a modified computer monitor as the high voltage power supply as most are capable of supplying around 28kV.
There is much dispute and many theories for what makes it fly. Everything is claimed from antigravity, ether reaction forces to more conventional ion wind and ion cloud theories. The ion wind theory has been disproven with experimentally verified mathematics a few times as giving insufficient thrust. The theory that has the most experimentally verified mathematical support is the ion cloud theory (see Leon Tribe's calculations below though others have also provided mathematical support for this theory.)
Devices, Experiments and Calculations
- Lifter 1a - Quickly thrown together single triangle, 75mm edge length lifter (October 10, 2001)
- Lifter 1b - Single triangle, 130mm edge length lifter (October 14, 2001)
- Wind tests (Last tests October 14, 2001)
- Thrust tests with a wind-shielded triple beam scale (Last tests December 29, 2001)
- Lifter Calculations by Leon Tribe
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A Little Lifter Construction Advice
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- Make your lifter as light as possible. A three-sided triangle lifter typically needs to be on the order of 2 grams to be light enough to fly. This is a rough benchmark as there are many parameters, but is good for most newbies. Both heavy and light aluminium foil is available in the grocery stores. Use the light one. I use balsa wood sticks which are about 1.5mm (1/16") square when looked at from the end. These are available from hobby shops. My wire is 30 AWG (American Wire Gauge) or thinner. The higher the number the thinner the wire. Another source of weight is the glue that you use. Hot glue tends to be used in big globs and adds weight. Cyanoacrylate glue, Krazy Glue or Superglue work well.
- The thinner the wire the better the result. Typically 30 AWG (American Wire Gauge) or thinner is used. The higher the number the thinner the wire. The wire must be bare, no insulation. "Magnet wire" has a thin coat of insulating material which can be stripped off with sandpaper, or the edge of a sharp knife (be careful not to break the wire) or by dipping in paint thinner. Magnet wire is available in rolls but can also be found as coils in various electronic devices. Thin bare wire is also available in roles. You can also get wire by stripping a plastic insulated wire that is made up of many strands. Don't worry about roughing the surface of the wire with sandpaper. A rougher surface is better since it will ionize the surrounding air more.
- The top edge of the foil must be rounded, as in the drawing above. If it's not then you will ionize the air at that top edge. The ions will be attracted to the wire. Meanwhile, ions from the wire will be moving toward the foil. The end result will be a conductive purple/blue corona between the foil and wire. This corona is like electrically connecting the foil to the wire. Your voltage will be very low and you'll get no lift. You want ionization at the wire, not the top of the foil. Again, see the picture above.
- Arcing, or sparks, are a bad thing and are an indication that you should increase the distance between the wire and the foil. Arcs also blow tiny holes in the top of the foil. This causes the top of the foil to be more leaky, as if it had a sharp edge.
