ozzie cager
01-14-2011, 07:42 PM
Hi, new member to the forum here. First off I would like to thank all the moderators and experimenters for their hard work.
That being said, I would very much like to try to build and test a cell on my vehicle, but I am having trouble finding the most up to date information. I would like to take the least amount of steps and build the least amount of cells. I do not want to make several mistakes that other people already have made just because I didn't have weeks to read all the forum material. I know that most, if not all, of the answers are _somewhere_ on here, but it is hard to find any straightforward information. I am proposing that whoever runs this board and/or the most knowledgeable folks put together a simple wiki, how-to, faq, or even just some stickies that is/are updated frequently and geared towards the newb (DIYer) in getting started with a cell.
The most important things it would contain are tips on basic cell design - for maximum (or just decent) efficiency and the best types of materials that are easily available. It would explain the crucial equations that are commonly agreed upon in this forum and in general (such as .5 lpm per litre of engine displacement, plate surface area vs electrolyte vs volume of cell and their relationship to current draw, how to control voltage and quite simply just a ballpark suggestion of the settings that i need to tweak to make my setup a _starting point_ for experimentation). It would also have a list of safety tips and precautions. It would explain what we know so far about overheating, amp draw, wire gauges, etc etc. It would contain explanations of the accessories that are REQUIRED to experiment (bubbler, filter, valves, EFIE etc). If we really wanted to go overboard, it could also contain a couple examples of complete systems installed on different types of vehicles/engines with which the primary authorities of this board agree would in theory work, or already have been proven to work.
It would basically allow someone who has never heard of this technology and who is reasonably mechanically inclined to understand the concept and become up-to-date on the latest findings that the hardcore experimenters and the leagues of garage people have determined to be crucial knowledge in cell building and experimentation.
For example.. I could start building a cell this week, but who knows what the most efficient plate layout would be? The one I have seen the most of is the stainless canister with the concentric plates inside. This is the cell I would build, because it is what I have seen. I have no idea if there has been any huge discovery since people started making cells like this simply because there is too much information here. Does anyone feel me?
I also have several _stupid_ questions that would inevitably **** off the experts on the board if I asked them (like where do I (cheaply) buy or how do i (cheaply) construct a device to measure dc amperage; can this work on a carb/points ignition system; what is the best/cheapest high-powered alternator one can buy and from where; what exactly is a PWM for etc etc). These are things that are supposedly common knowledge here but which would take me days, even weeks sorting through posts and posting useless messages like this one (which is further clogging the board with posts for others to wade through).
Basically I'm asking for a summary of all the findings that have been agreed upon here so far in a file that is updated from time to time. This would save a lot of bandwidth and wasted time for a lot of people and also save people from getting screwed on scams. The more organized the information is the more we can get down to business testing and building. Like I'm sure there's still people trying to build from the obnoxious water4gas pdfs.. I just finished reading them a couple months ago. Like it or not, the information in those pdfs is geared towards newbs and fairly straightforward, albeit horribly written and unscientific.
A definitive faq from the [english] internet's definitive resource would be of great help and i think it is time.
If there already is something like this then kindly ignore this post (while still somehow hinting where it is located) :D
PS I am not a technical writer but i do enjoy it and will kindly organize the information and write a draft of the faq if someone wishes to present it to me in bulk. Thanks again.
That being said, I would very much like to try to build and test a cell on my vehicle, but I am having trouble finding the most up to date information. I would like to take the least amount of steps and build the least amount of cells. I do not want to make several mistakes that other people already have made just because I didn't have weeks to read all the forum material. I know that most, if not all, of the answers are _somewhere_ on here, but it is hard to find any straightforward information. I am proposing that whoever runs this board and/or the most knowledgeable folks put together a simple wiki, how-to, faq, or even just some stickies that is/are updated frequently and geared towards the newb (DIYer) in getting started with a cell.
The most important things it would contain are tips on basic cell design - for maximum (or just decent) efficiency and the best types of materials that are easily available. It would explain the crucial equations that are commonly agreed upon in this forum and in general (such as .5 lpm per litre of engine displacement, plate surface area vs electrolyte vs volume of cell and their relationship to current draw, how to control voltage and quite simply just a ballpark suggestion of the settings that i need to tweak to make my setup a _starting point_ for experimentation). It would also have a list of safety tips and precautions. It would explain what we know so far about overheating, amp draw, wire gauges, etc etc. It would contain explanations of the accessories that are REQUIRED to experiment (bubbler, filter, valves, EFIE etc). If we really wanted to go overboard, it could also contain a couple examples of complete systems installed on different types of vehicles/engines with which the primary authorities of this board agree would in theory work, or already have been proven to work.
It would basically allow someone who has never heard of this technology and who is reasonably mechanically inclined to understand the concept and become up-to-date on the latest findings that the hardcore experimenters and the leagues of garage people have determined to be crucial knowledge in cell building and experimentation.
For example.. I could start building a cell this week, but who knows what the most efficient plate layout would be? The one I have seen the most of is the stainless canister with the concentric plates inside. This is the cell I would build, because it is what I have seen. I have no idea if there has been any huge discovery since people started making cells like this simply because there is too much information here. Does anyone feel me?
I also have several _stupid_ questions that would inevitably **** off the experts on the board if I asked them (like where do I (cheaply) buy or how do i (cheaply) construct a device to measure dc amperage; can this work on a carb/points ignition system; what is the best/cheapest high-powered alternator one can buy and from where; what exactly is a PWM for etc etc). These are things that are supposedly common knowledge here but which would take me days, even weeks sorting through posts and posting useless messages like this one (which is further clogging the board with posts for others to wade through).
Basically I'm asking for a summary of all the findings that have been agreed upon here so far in a file that is updated from time to time. This would save a lot of bandwidth and wasted time for a lot of people and also save people from getting screwed on scams. The more organized the information is the more we can get down to business testing and building. Like I'm sure there's still people trying to build from the obnoxious water4gas pdfs.. I just finished reading them a couple months ago. Like it or not, the information in those pdfs is geared towards newbs and fairly straightforward, albeit horribly written and unscientific.
A definitive faq from the [english] internet's definitive resource would be of great help and i think it is time.
If there already is something like this then kindly ignore this post (while still somehow hinting where it is located) :D
PS I am not a technical writer but i do enjoy it and will kindly organize the information and write a draft of the faq if someone wishes to present it to me in bulk. Thanks again.