1 Overview
Bedini Monopole 3 group members can meet the group’s learning goals by building and testing a John Bedini Monopole Mechanical Oscillator according to the circuit shown here. A new plastic or aluminum bicycle wheel mounted in a study non-metallic support structure is recommended; you may use your own design.
! What happens to the charging battery?
! What does the meter indicate going into the battery?
! What do we get out of the battery on a repeated basis?
Do as many presentations as you wish to help in this project.
2
Step by Step Instructions
2.1 Safety First
Flying magnets are dangerous. Wrap fiberglass filament tape around the circumference of your wheel to restrain the magnets. This safety measure is in addition to regular gluing of the magnets.
Lead-acid batteries contain a diluted sulfuric acid electrolyte, which is a highly corrosive and poisonous.
When working with batteries, wear safety goggles, protective clothing and have plenty of ventilation, remove your jewelry, and exercise caution.
Wash you hands after contact with batteries. Neutralize spilled acid with baking soda.
2.2 Assemble and Test Basic Unit
After you have obtained your parts from either the kit or sources indicated in the parts list, construct the basic unit.
Connect the batteries and verify the unit runs.
2.3 Tuning
Tune for the highest wheel speed for supply battery current. This is reported in Magnets per Minute per milliamp of supply battery current (mpmA).
2.4 Measure Output Current to Battery
The best way is to use an analog current meter in series with the charge battery. If you use a digital current meter, average the readings.
Do not leave the current meter permanently connected as it reduces charge rate.
2.5 COP Testing
The Battery’s Coefficient Of Performance (COP) is calculated from these load tests. Tabulate data for each charging/discharge test as shown in the example below.
Table 1 : Discharge Results
Intial Final Charge Charge Time Battery Load Battery Input to System Run Voltage Voltage Amps Joules Start End Hours Watts Mins Joules COP VoltsAmps Joules
1 12.25 12.92 0.036 18,865 19 50 07 24 11.57 15.63 20 18,756 0.994 13.22 0.160 88,077
Run The number of the charge/discharge cycle
Initial Voltage The voltage of battery at beginning of charging
Final Voltage The voltage of the battery at end of charging
Charge Amps The measured charge rate in amperes from section 2.4
Charge Joules The energy put into the battery in joules
Start Time Time battery charging started
End Time Time battery charging ended
Hours Duration of charge (End Time – Start Time)
Battery Load Watts Value in watts of discharge rate
Battery Load Minutes Duration of battery discharge in minutes
Battery Load Joules Energy obtained from battery discharge in joules
Battery COP Ratio of Battery Load Joules and Charge joules
Input to System Volts Average voltage of input to SSG
Input to System Amps Average input current to SSG in amperes
Input to System Joules Energy input to system in joules
Three of the above values are calculated from the collected data.
! Charge Joules is the result of average Initial Voltage and Final Voltage x Charge Amps x Hours x 3600.
! Hours is End Time - Start Time in hours.
2.6 Selecting a Lead-Acid Battery for Testing
The size and condition of the battery you use will affect the times required for charging and discharging cycles.
For the SSG to be most effective, the battery must be conditioned by about 20 to 30
charge/discharge cycles. Old batteries go through a desulfating process at first which is slow, thus a brand new battery is recommended.
For quicker results, select a 3 to 7 amp hour (Ah) battery.
For a battery rated in cranking amperes divide by 20 to get the approximate amp hour rating. Lead-Acid batteries come in Sealed (SLA), Valve Regulated (VR), deep cycle, flooded and many other constructions. We recommend flooded construction as it gives better results.
2.7 The Charging Process
The charging process is usually stopped after a predetermined voltage is reached or a fixed amount of time. See section 2.9 for determining terminal voltage and/or time duration to use.
2.8 The Discharge Process
Rest the battery a minimum of one hour before discharging. The charging process can continue up to 24 hours after removing it from the SSG.
Starting batteries are rated for a 20-hour discharge. The amperage that will discharge the battery from full (about 12.8 volts) to empty (about 12.2 volts) in 20 hours is called the C20 rate.
Discharge rates higher than C20 reduce the life of a starter battery. Not so for true deep cycle batteries.
Discharging is done with a resistor of adequate power rating. It is stopped after a predetermined low voltage limit is reached. Use 12.2 volts or a value determined by criteria in section 2.9.
Discharge times are tabulated in a spreadsheet similar to Table 1.
2.9 Selecting Charge/Discharge Criteria
Depth of Discharge (DOD) is the percentage of the battery capacity used. For maximum battery life DOD values should be a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 50%. 10% DOD of a 10 amp hour (Ah) battery used at the C20 rate requires 2 hours. 50% DOD requires 10 hours.
circuit voltage measured with a digital voltmeter. Typical values for a flooded cell battery at 80 degrees F (26.7 C) are: 100% - 12.65v, 75% - 12.45v, 50% - 12.24v, 25% - 12.06v and 0% - 11.89.
These open circuit (i.e. nothing connected to the battery) values are not terminal voltages used for discharge limits. Do a trial discharge to some value such as 12.5 volts. Disconnect the discharge resistor. Measure the open circuit voltage of the battery after a few minutes. Use this voltage and a SOC table for your battery to determine how much battery capacity you have left.