Best fusor run so far

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Emma Black
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Best fusor run so far

Post by Emma Black »

After the power supply upgrade and following some bedding in, I think I may have possibly reached the mega mark. This is depending on some unresolved calibration factors around the Ludlum hammer. Never the ness I'm quite excited to try activating some new elements. So many thanks to everyone that contributed and provided much needed ideas on routes forward.

Previously the voltage was limited to around 40kv. The new power supply happily runs up to and over 60kv without any arcing or other issues, so far at least. This run maxed out at between 50-53kv.

For neutron detection I'm using the a Ludlum 2363 with the hammer shielded with sheet of lead and placed a reasonable distance away (39cm) peaking at around 9rem/h. The best silver activation so far is around 5k CPM.
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Jim Kovalchick
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Re: Best fusor run so far

Post by Jim Kovalchick »

Nice work Emma. Please take care with xrays at voltages from here on up.

Jim K
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Emma Black
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Re: Best fusor run so far

Post by Emma Black »

Thanks Jim, yeah things are starting to get a little more of a hazard.

So in terms of protection I currently have:
1) Shielding: the fusor lives inside a metal data cabinet with a lead lined door using a triple layer of roofing lead sheets. Some xrays will still scatter around the lead but comparatively few.
2) Distance: the controls are also a good 6+ feet away.
3) More shielding: a while ago the viewport was upgraded to a proper leaded one, dramatically cutting down the soft xrays.

Inside the cabinet though the hard xrays fly straight though the shell. This cheap meter quickly gets saturated at 40kv and the counts reset at 450µSv/h, over 50kv and you can start to see static on the webcam:

https://youtu.be/aGFcX9nHH-A
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Richard Hull
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Re: Best fusor run so far

Post by Richard Hull »

Great work and a great run. Yes, Be very X-ray conscious. It is the horrid thing now. At 6 feet the neutrons are not an issue yet.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Emma Black
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Re: Best fusor run so far

Post by Emma Black »

I was brave enough to run my new power supply up to the full 65KV today for the first time today under full load. Its causing a weird issue with my monitor flickering on and off I think it's just the HDMI cable picking up noise.

My neutron numbers are looking great though, i'm likely well into the 2m n/s area now and this was only the second run after opening things up - more data to follow this week.
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