Designing/creating standardized equipment for OU experimentation.

[Reiyuki]

I have been pondering for a while that one of the things that could be holding back progress in our field is that the tools and equipment we use are very one-off, with each experimenter building his/her own boards and equipment to perform experiments with.  This results in wide variance of circuits and results, and makes it much harder to replicate devices due to hidden/unknown variables.

I purpose that we take steps to help 'Arduininize' the industry by creating standardized boards and test equipment.

Things like:

* Standardized inexpensive HVDC power supplies (0-30kv)
* Standardized MOSFET power supplies (0-300v w/ high pulse currents)
* Time-distortion sensor (measuring crystal clock offsets)
* Gravity-distortion sensor (calibrated accelerometer+magnetometer pairs).
* Arduino-powered 2-6phase frequency/pulse generators.
* Substitution 'Load box' with bulbs and/or rectifiers?

And my favorite and first priority:
* Stackable, surge-protected, fast, high-voltage MOSFET driver boards.

All Open-source designs of course so users can make variations+improvements of their own.

Would anybody be interested in buying these types of products if I were to start organizing some small batch runs of prototypes?  I'm really only looking to cover costs, not to make any real profit.  My board design skills are par at best, but I would hope that I could at least help start a framework that others could take and expand+improve upon.


Anybody with suggestions or designs, please share them here.

[Vasik041]

Some time ago I put description of equipment I designed while doing FE research (and also electronics hobby).
I am attaching this document. Hopefully it will be useful for somebody.

Source code archives can be found here https://sites.google.com/site/vasik041/

And here more recent collection https://github.com/vasik041/openlab
(ferd folder probably most interesting)

[Reiyuki]

That's a great start.  Thanks

[ion]

I like the idea of a standardized test set or equipment.

The admin/owner of this site, Peter has generously designed a few boards and offered them to members here.

Other members from time to time have also designed and ordered special purpose boards, and offered the artwork or boards.

I would be happy to pay (Paypal) for boards that I could use.

Maybe this can be the start of a repository for such work. Right now the schematics and artwork etc is scattered about in various topics, very hard to find.

One of the boards Peter offered is a dual FET output driven by two pic processors with a FET high speed driver chip in between.

In the attached picture I added BNC connectors and drive the FET driver chips directly as I did not need the PIC's

I also added a trimpot to the LM317 to precisely adjust the  FET driver voltage.

Great idea setting this up, thanks

Regards

[Peterae]

I can and am willing to cad up what ever is needed and get pcbs made and ship them out foc, it's so cheap these days, I'm so knackered after a long day at work and travelling between,the work bench is virtually impossible to get to, but sitting down with a lap top is way much easier.

[Reiyuki]

I can and am willing to cad up what ever is needed and get pcbs made, it's so cheap these days, I'm so knackered after a long day at work and travelling between,the work bench is virtually impossible to get to, but sitting down with a lap top is way much easier.

Much appreciated sir.

While boards and production are indeed quite cheap nowadays, it seems that everyone reinvents the wheel so we end up with 1000 unique designs, all roughly similar but each with different quirks that make exact replication difficult.

Having some standardized open circuits available relatively cheap online could save newer tinkerers a lot of time on development.  Imagine how many more successful TK experiments we might have if you could buy complete pre-built Kacher boards for $19.99 


I think having a schematic, board, and a complete BOM'ed out parts list with Mouser/Digikey would be everything needed for open-sourced designs.  Then you basically have a DIY Heathkit (extra $ for pre-assembled).

[Peterae]

Hi Reiyuki
Yes i agree and am all for that, it's not easy building a standard circuit that is for everyones use.

This was quiet a good pulser, needed more robust fet stages though, there's a video embeded in the first post of it running.

http://www.overunityresearch.com/index.php?topic=31.0

[Vasik041]

Here driver I use for my spark gap experiments

(PCB designed in KiCAD)

1ohm resistors on schematic can be replaced by zero-ohm links or current transformer to control pulse current (as seen on photo).

[Reiyuki]

Thanks Vasik

Adding more design notes and schematics:

Tips for sharp MOSFET switching (Mark Snoswell):
https://overunity.com/4297/complete-information-on-working-sm-style-device/msg97777/#msg97777

MOSFET and driver selection (Mark Snoswell):
https://overunity.com/3544/materials-parts-and-data/msg56820/#msg56820

Diode Avalanche based 1.1kv nanosecond pulser (sanjev21/Magpwr):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyR4GVM99JI

Kacher circuit (sanjev21/Magpwr):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU2rMlRpCNA

Also adding T1000's latest Kacher driver schematic (attached) as well as a generic Tesla Coil driver schematic.


Edit June 2018: Adding another useful OU thread:
https://overunity.com/14566/reliable-and-flexible-switching-system/

[Vasik041]

Push pull board

Notes:
Install RV1, C1 if you want use PWM, J1 modulation input
J5 short pins 1,2 for push pull mode

Install jumper wires instead R8,R7 if you use U3,U4 TC4420 (no inversion)
short J6,J7 pins 1,2

Install jumper wires instead R3,R4 if you use U3,U4 TC4429 (inversion)
short J6,J7 pins 2,3

[Vasik041]

Half bridge board

[Vasik041]

Tesla coil driver with PLL

Notes:
U3 allow perform experiments with low power (supply voltage starting from aprox. 3v)
Do not install U3 for high power use.
There is error in PCB U3 pins 2 and 3 should be swapped
J7 short 1-2 for TC4420 (no inversion), 2-3 for TC4429 (inversion)
J3 antenna (for PLL)
short J1 for continuous mode
short J5 to switch off or apply interrupt signal (1-on, 0-off)
short J6 to enable PLL
select frequency with C1,C5
200pf  800Khz - 1Mhz
470pf  300 - 500Khz
680pf  200-300Khz

Have fun,
Vasik