The Blackbird On-Board Power system...

[Lloyd]

Hi All,

This is a very interesting modified lundell. It might make a good battery charge, by adding a transformer rectifier. It's got a 12 volt field voltage.

Lloyd

Resonant Field Modulation
A New Class of Variable Speed Generator
http://www.raventechpower.com/documents/RavenTechnologyWhitePaper.pdf
The Blackbird features: 5kW 120VAC or 7kW 120/240VAC
...a unique and innovative way to deliver maintenance- free, on-board power for tools, lights, computers or communications. The speed-independent Blackbird system is lightweight, compact, and designed to be belt- or PTO-driven from the engines of a variety of fire, law enforcement, emergency preparedness, broadcast, construction and utility vehicles.

http://www.raventechpower.com/technology.htm

[rcavictim]

Ravens are smart birds.

[Lloyd]

Ravens get the most for the least.

Always standing by to take advantage of an opportunity.

This looks like the Raven's patent source.http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6051959/description.html

Lloyd

This is an interesting bit of history http://www.ieee.ca/millennium/radio/radio_radioscientist.html

check out this google http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Resonant%20Field%20Modulation%20Alternator&aql=&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

this from the google for us non ee's...http://electronics-electrical-engineering.blogspot.com/2008/09/tesla-polyphase-induction-motors-ac.html

[BruceM]

Nothing in the second post is directly related to the Blackbird alternator except the patent link; a new triumph- taking one's own thread off topic!

Here's the google patent link to read the patent pages or download as PDF:
http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=ngl8AAAAEBAJ&dq=6051959

This is a very interesting invention, that is ideal for or low rpm engines.  

The patent is pretty well written, I didn't have trouble following the design concept.

In semi-techno English-  Imagine a 1200 Hz (many poles on stator, high rpm) multiphase generator with a relatively low inductance rotor (so the magnetic field strength can be changed rapidly).  Then  feed in repetitive half 60 Hz sinusoids for excitation (adjusted in strength to achieve full voltage output-that's the tricky part).  Rectify the multiphase output, and you have half of a 60Hz sine wave. By switching the polarity every other half sinusoid, you can construct a decent looking 60 Hz sinusoid regardless of rpm variation.  You'll want to filter the AC a bit, as there will be a LOT of diode noise on it!

Now if only we can find a retailer for the 5KW model...Lister flicker is a thing of the past.

Thanks Lloyd!

[BruceM]

Alas, the boys at "Blackbird" need some better engineers: (This is definitely NOT a Lockheed Skunkworks product.)

"When used in conjunction with a Raven Smart Circuit™ phase correction device, the Blackbird will start and run inductive motors up to ½  horsepower. Inductive loads will require some amount of parallel resistive load to operate effectively. We encourage our customers to adopt SOPs which include running lighting as parallel load when operating inductive loads to assure maximum system stability. Between 1000 and 1500 watts usually suffices. The Blackbird thrives on resistive load, and will accept inductive load most readily when it is already carrying resistive load. Multiple inductive motor loads may not be operated simultaneously without prior authorization by Raven Technology. Contact Raven for details."

Their system can't handle more than a  single induction motor of 1/2 HP!  No wonder they are looking for a sugar daddy to make a larger power model.

They need to ditch their resonant 60Hz excitation scheme and put in an embedded processor!

[mobile_bob]

it appears to me, that they are partly there

they seem to be using a rather crude harmonic winding equivalent and morphing it to standard inverter technology
to reform the sine wave.

very interesting, but i am with you Bruce, i don't see this working well with a highly inductive field (which you about have to have
to make power unless you wanna spin many thousands of rpm) and it will have all sorts of problems as you note with inductive loads
much like induction generators based on induction motors.

might be a fun project to work with though.

me? i am not parting with any hard cash on this one.

bob g

[Lloyd]

(3Ph2W12P)




Arguing with an inspector is like mud wrestling with a pig -- until you figure out the PIG LIKES IT !!

[BruceM]

It would be quite a project to fix this thing, too bad the excitation design was crap. That's probably the tip of the iceberg (of design problems). 

What's really amazing is that they made 200 (!) of these.  WTF do you do with a generator that can't do inductive loads?!  You'd think someone would have realized that was a market killer on testing the first prototype. 

[Lloyd]

Design/use= on-board power where the restive load is usual...me thinks that it's a warning for the times we forget the design/use.

It already has a market acceptance for it's design use...now they are looking to expand the market.

It's typical...they don't see any further than it's intended use, even though they want to expand the market.

It takes someone with a need and a desire to expand on the concept...1+1=2. Every patent worth it's salt, grows exponentially bc people stand on the shoulders of those that came before them.

So what might seem like noise to one, is inspiration to the next guy...they just step up, and find a solution, to what almost fits their needs... in the current machine. wala a new patent is born.

It' not easy being an EE, but An EE with a desire=creator...many fall by the side trying to diss what's wrong with something that came before, instead of developing a solution.

Lloyd

it's all noise until it makes sense, then we all say I could of done that.

[Lloyd]

Bruce,

this is off topic, but still interesting.

On Becoming Energy Self-sufficient
Thorium powerpacks (see diagram at the right) I believe will be made available in either kit form (for a licensed installer to install) or completly installed units. The larger powerpacks will be designed at 100KW 90% duty cycle output for the medium sized "home user" and up to 1 MegaWatt output for the larger industrial size. This system is generally called an "energy amplifier" based on an energy conversion function.

Numbers computed for a "conventional" spallation method show 60 times more energy out than in to evoke the reaction. (That's way over unity by the way... :-) Thorium power is the only way to truly accomplish this.

Extremely low cost experimental demonstrators set at 1 KW continuous output should become available when production agreements can be put in place, at an estimated 25K$ per 1KW size, plus a US licence fee for 10 year license, plus installation costs, etc. (Aproximately 90 watts input equals about 5,000 watts output for the equation.) Thorium's half life is on the order of many billions of years so the fuel source choice is a very good one. At 2010 estimates, the maximum home energy use could be typically 50 KW at full load. Cost of license is estimated at between 1/10th to 1/5th of the existing energy costs (both for electrical and fuel consumption).

[BruceM]

That's almost as funny as your romantic notions of patents, Lloyd.

If you've ever read and appreciated Don Lancaster's many books on electronics for hobbyists , you should read his book on patents, and why you don't want one. 

No inventor or small company can develop this process further, unless they have the money to litigate the patent holder into submission.  Any large company with deep pockets can steal a patented idea and then the patent defender can start handing out vast sums of  money to a lawyer.  The big company can easily delay for many years and confuse, countersue, and litigate you to (financial) death...a patent is rarely useful to small companies and inventors, especially in electronics (or software).

If the patent holder is weak financially, and you have a big staff of lawyers, and you want it, all you have to do is trump of some bogus patent infringement lawsuits.  They will fold within a few years or less, then you can buy up the company for a song.  This is the method that Microsoft has used most successfully to stamp out competition, even those who have no software patents but just potentially competitive software. 

My patents are owned by the Air Force, but someday in the future the Virtual Reality industry may find them useful.  I'm glad I got my money up front.

[Lloyd]

Bruce,

I believe in the intent of the intellectual properties laws. It's the legal system that is the joke. I have a 5 year history worth, litigating an intellectual property claim to success by jury trial. A david and goliath story.

They didn't create the patent, they state on their site that have a exclusive license, they have  patents on new work that came after. Their solutions developed a product that is doing useful work. If their product doesn't fit your needs, then you have 2 options, find a  solution to modify, or look for a different product.

The Air Force, nor any government agency, owns any intellectual property, we the people do. Now if it's a classified design for national safety...that's different, but still no patent. You'll even see on the blackbird site that what they developed for DOD is not under patent.

Lloyd

[BruceM]

In my opinion, the patent system is a joke, and it's not just the lawyers fault.  The Patent office will allow almost anything to be patented, and take the position that litigation will sort it out later.  The issuance of a patent means nothing, except that you have disclosed your design publicly, and now have huge legal liability.  On the flip side, bogus patents issued are an impediment to small business and inventors.  The issuance of a patent should mean that the invention is truly innovative, and should provide some real protection. The current system does not do that, barring deep pockets for aggressive legal defense of your patent.   

If you want to stimulate innovation, or an economy, things that support small business need attention, since that's where most of  the new inventions and jobs come from.  An overhaul of the patent system is sorely needed to level the playing field for small business.

I highly recommend Don Lacaster's book on Patents. 

[Lloyd]

Bruce,

You're preaching to the choir.

No matter the system in play, those with deep pockets always, find the loop hole.

Patents were never intended to create a monopoly, they were to elicit teachings...otherwise inventors were afraid to expose the knowledge for fear of being taken advantage of.

Some say that patents should only issue to those that practice the patent...the downside, would be that the brilliant minds that develops the idea, and proves the idea, usually has no interest in practicing it... they rather be mad scientist...then many an idea would never come to market.

The constitution laid down the order that it was for congress to create the bargain, but as always, either in failure to act, and or private thiefdoms....judge made law is what drives the truck. The third order, has caused many an issue all across society, bc without a good lawyer in litigation many times they have no option.

We as Americans, have failed to hold our elected officials to their job description. Now instead of a government for the people, we have, people for the government...We are not far from a social system, they just give us enough of a feeling of being free to stop a down right revolt.

Thomas Jefferson said it best. " A government big enough to give us everything we want, can also take everything we have"...the hand writing is on the wall but we choose not to read it.

Lloyd

[rcavictim]

It takes someone with a need and a desire to expand on the concept...1+1=2.
Lloyd

Lloyd,

Actually they have!  A really creative or visionary scientist will tell you that 2+2=5....for large values of 2.