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Unconventional model aircraft drive systems?

Hi group,

Has anyone build a "motor-less" model yet? That is, one without the conventional turbines or motors, using some kind of solid-state drive system?

I'm still trying to get my system to work, its based on the JLN Lifter design but using some novel driver circuitry to get the required 50+ watts (28KV+ at 2mA)

Have come up with a few ideas but the main problem I am having is with the multiplier stage which keeps burning out. Its not overload, I've put a 1M resistor on the output and it worked for a while then failed again. It doesen't make sense, almost looks like the diodes are randomly failing.

I'm using a cold cathode fluorescent tube (CCFL) driver which I have modified to get the required 1600V p-p to drive the multiplier.

Any ideas? I was thinking along the lines of a "MARX Generator" using high voltage thyristors as the switching elements.

-A

Reply to
Andre
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Gee, I thought that this was what the :glider guiders" were doing now.

Reply to
Bob Cowell

The Amberson Warp Drive is not available in model format?

Reply to
John R. Agnew

True, but carbon pile phase detractors work just as well to pump the ion stream and they are pretty light being made of unobtanium.

Reply to
Joko

I've been trying to source some of this unobtanium but am finding all my usual suppliers are out of stock. Any ideas?

Reply to
Thomas Houseman

| Has anyone build a "motor-less" model yet? That is, one without the | conventional turbines or motors, using some kind of solid-state drive | system? | | I'm still trying to get my system to work, its based on the JLN Lifter | design but using some novel driver circuitry to get the required 50+ | watts (28KV+ at 2mA)

It's never a good sign when they can't explain how it works :) Electrostatics are very well understood (and not really that complicated), and so if they can't explain how something works, that suggests that there's something funny going on.

Judging from the JFN lifter page

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it looks like this stuff requires having electrodes below and probably above the thing you're trying to lift. Some of the pictures show this stuff, but many do not

-- but I suspect it's still there, just outside what is displayed in the picture.

... which may be fine when you're trying to impress people by making something float, but isn't practical for a real, useful craft.

That, and the equipment needed to generate the needed voltage seems to weigh hundreds of times as much as the device they're making hover.

In short, I don't think this is going to work for you. Even if you can fix your power problem, I'll bet it's not going to make a useful form of propulsion. Something small like Newton's 3rd law is likely to cause problems ...

Or maybe I'm just being too skeptical. But I doubt it.

(Disclaimer: I do have a BS in Physics. So I know enough about this stuff to be dangerous, but there's people out there who know a whole lot more.)

Reply to
Doug McLaren

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