Bedini Monopole 3 Group Experiment 1 Overview

Bedini Monopole 3 group members can meet the groups learning goals by building and testing a John Bedini Monopole Mechanical Oscillator according to the circuit shown here. A new plastic BMX bicycle wheel mounted in a study wood support structure is recommended; however: 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. See the message area for Troubleshooting information.

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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

Batteries do not charge or discharge exactly as people expect. Repeated load testing helps you understand the complexities of batteries. The best way to measure how much energy a battery has is to measure how much work it can do via a load test.

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The Batterys 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 1 2 3 4 5 6 12.25 12.31 12.24 12.30 12.26 12.29 Final 12.92 12.89 12.94 13.00 12.93 12.97 Charge Charge Amps 0.036 0.036 0.036 0.036 0.036 0.036 Time Battery Load Battery COP 0.994 0.899 0.916 1.360 1.195 1.517 Input to System Volts Amps Joules 13.22 0.160 88,077 13.22 0.160 97,342 13.22 0.160 95,565 13.22 0.160 83,254 13.22 0.160 95,184 13.22 0.160 92,011

Run Voltage Voltage

Joules Start End Hours Watts Mins Joules 18,865 19 50 07 24 11.57 15.63 20 18,756 20,875 18 35 07 22 12.78 15.63 20 18,756 20,477 18 00 06 33 12.55 15.63 20 18,756 17,925 22 45 09 41 10.93 15.63 26 24,383 20,404 12 20 00 50 12.50 15.63 26 24,383 19,779 08 30 20 35 12.08 15.63 32 30,010

Run Initial Voltage Final Voltage Charge Amps Charge Joules Start Time End Time Hours Battery Load Watts Battery Load Minutes Battery Load Joules Battery COP Input to System Volts Input to System Amps Input to System Joules

The number of the charge/discharge cycle The voltage of battery at beginning of charging The voltage of the battery at end of charging The measured charge rate in amperes from section 2.4 The energy put into the battery in joules Time battery charging started Time battery charging ended Duration of charge (End Time Start Time) Value in watts of discharge rate Duration of battery discharge in minutes Energy obtained from battery discharge in joules Ratio of Battery Load Joules and Charge joules Average voltage of input to SSG Average input current to SSG in amperes 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. Battery Load Joules is Discharge Rate x Hours x 3600.

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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. 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 battery. 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 removed. 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 removed at the C20 rate requires 2 hours. 50% DOD requires 10 hours. The discharge resistor value is calculated by 12.2 volts divided by discharge current. For a 10Ah battery discharged at the C20 rate (0.5 A) use a 24.4 ohm resistor. The minimum power rating of this resistor is 12.2 volts x discharge current (0.5 A) or 6.1 watts. A State of Charge (SOC) table for your particular battery is required to determine what terminal voltage to use. Many variables such as temperature and battery construction affect the open

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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. Choosing modest battery size and lower DOD values makes the testing more pleasant.

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