Electric OU: The QEG Arc Events: At What Voltage?
Recently the QEGers released two short video clips showing Arc Events, where the QEG, on reaching the resonant condition, discharges its cap bank in an arc.
The first clip seems to show that the event catches James Robitaille and the others by surprise. The second clip shows that they clearly are expecting the event, so it indicates that they are deliberately repeating this _dangerous_ activity.
Capacitors can blow up spalling bits into eyes, strong transients can destroy the delicate electronics in the scope front end even if the scope isn’t actually connected to the arcing device, people jerking and flinching can run into dangerous or delicate apparatus or wiring.
The clips were accompanied by the claim that this arc happened over a 1.5 cm gap and was between 50-100 kV.
BUT THAT CLAIM IS NOT SUPPORTED BY ACTUAL DATA.
It is well known among experienced HV experimenters that a SPHERE GAP using large spheres stands off the maximum voltage per distance, and other geometries reduce the breakdown voltage for a given gap. The Gap Table tells us that this value is around 30 kV/cm for LARGE SPHERES and is perhaps 10 kV/cm for sharp points.
So, if the 1.5 cm gap distance cited is the truth…. then the _maximum_ breakdown voltage for that gap is about 45 kV, reducing to under 20 kV for things like cut wire ends and corners of fittings, and also reduces even more for humid air.
The segments of video and other images from the QEG Open Source project are used under the FAIR USE provisions of applicable copyright law. This is a critical and educational and forensic analysis of extraordinary claims made by a group that is asking for donations based on their claims. All material released under the Open Source philosophy is Public Domain by definition.
The original videos are here:
I have not altered the clips in any way except to shorten them by cutting to the arc event itself.
