Author Topic: Lighting Fluorescents with radio waves?  (Read 1552 times)

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matthew6

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Lighting Fluorescents with radio waves?
« on: May 30, 2007, 07:17:28 AM »
Hi, I was looking over this thread from a while back: crystal sets

And was very interested in posts 26 and 27 by Ungrounded Lightning Rod which talked about lighting fluorescent tubes with radio waves.  As a newbie this sounds like a pretty simple experiment, but I'm curious how it actually is done.  I just tried it with about 4 ft of wire on each end and it didn't work, but 1) I'm almost certain I don't live close enough to a radio tower to try this at home with short wires, and 2) I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.  


Do you have to somehow "tune" your tube to the frequency of a nearby station, or will it just pick up the enegy indiscriminately.  I would imagine the latter, but you never know...  


Also, It says that copper wires are attached to the ends of the tube, but don't they have two prongs on each end?  Do the wires touch (short?) both prongs on each end?  How are the wires attached?  


Also, should the wires be insulated, or does it matter?


Also, :)  does one of them need to be grounded or something, or do they just dangle?  And, is there any danger of shock with this?


I was just going to message Mr. Lightning Rod with this, but I figured others might be interested, or might have interesting things to say about it.


 Thanks!  


-Matt


P.S. -- While researching a bit on this I found this article I thought you guys might be interested in about this artist who used "wasted" (I gather it should read "stolen") electricity from power lines to light up 1,300 fluorescent tubes. http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/exclusive/2004/pylon_ambience/index.html

« Last Edit: May 30, 2007, 07:17:28 AM by (unknown) »

Flux

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Re: Lighting Fluorescents with radio waves?
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2007, 07:50:23 AM »
You need significant power to light a tube so you are only going to do it in close proximity to a radio transmitter. The power falls as the inverse square so that at a few hundred yards you will need reasonable tuned circuits even near a powerful transmitter.


Very close to the transmitter tubes will light without any external connections.


There is a breed of compact fluorescent that actually works by having a transmitter of sorts in the base.


Much depends on the transmitter frequency and how the energy is beamed, you can probably get things to light at fair distances with beamed microwave, but don't think you are going to light your house from the signal from the local radio station.


Flux

« Last Edit: May 30, 2007, 07:50:23 AM by Flux »

Tritium

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Re: Lighting Fluorescents with radio waves?
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2007, 08:32:10 AM »
When working in the semiconductor industry (IC Fabrication) I worked on equipment that used Microwaves to ignite a plasma in a closed "bulb" that produced intense UV. I have since seen this technology adapted to at least one brand of horticultural lighting.


Thurmond

« Last Edit: May 30, 2007, 08:32:10 AM by Tritium »

TomW

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Re: Lighting Fluorescents with radio waves?
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2007, 08:40:31 AM »
I am trying to see how this applies to renewable energy? Free maybe but hardly renewable. Mostly a parlor trick.


One of those long wire static collectors might be useful to charge a watch battery , too, but just another toy.


T

« Last Edit: May 30, 2007, 08:40:31 AM by TomW »