Testing The 50 Year Old Mercury Arc Rectifier
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2021
- Testing The 50 Year Old Mercury Arc Rectifier
Mercury Rectifiers were manufactured to handle 1kW - 300kW
Battery Chargers, Elevator Motors, Even Railway Traction Power - Наука та технологія
Who else is overjoyed at the fact this legend has started to upload again, as I know I am
Ya! Super happy haha dude is a legend
He is awesome science teacher but a good one
Im super hyped 17 mins ago i rush to youtube idc if my noodle get burn (jk)
@@richardelliott9980 if he was my science teacher I would not miss a day😂
ME! I watched his videos constantly when I was younger and I'm so glad to see he's back
Old intro? Ahh yes. The nostalgia.
This is the best intro. He should use until the end of times
Oh how I missed that intro. The beat makes me smile ☺
Hearing that in a new video, even better.
@@blick9538 Aciiiieeeeed
I was disappointed when the old intro wasn't used, as it brings back so many good memories of madness. So it's great to hear it again
You bring back memories from my shipyard/engine building days in the 70's. we had six or seven of those bad boys supplying 220v DC to the overhead cranes. One morning when the outside temperature was below -10degrees celcius there was no power to the cranes. My solution, play a gas fired space heater across the length of the array of tubes until the mercury vapour was warmed enough to strike an arc. The Director asked me why there were no cranes operating. Electricity is frozen I told him. Called me a stupid boy, but I knew better, after half an hour of gentle warming they, one by one, fired up into full operation. Happy days, thanks for bringing it all back.
Frozen electricity, thats a good one. Well done for you understanding of Physics I hope the Mgr thanked you. Boris Karloff films often had MAR's and big neon discharge lamps, very spooky.
That's hilarious, good work
Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed it 😊
It's terrifying to think that touching anything live in that room could kill you
"50 years of dust"
Thats gonna be whoever plugs their phone into the wrong socket at your house mate
Bahahahaha
@@sinchrotron ah yes one side 2v 1000a the other 400v 3 phase😂
genius comment
@@thepurdychannel8866 and no ground, please
nah that’s gonna be the cat if it decides to “investigate” a little too much
Didn't expect an unboxing video on this channel. How very modern of you!
It is funny on which channels i can find you in the comments section, as a subscriber of yours. The ven diagram of overlapping channels is borderline creepy :D
Yes every channel I watch is getting ruined with an unboxing series < sarcasm
Is hot tub stream next?
Only unboxing video I've ever cared about. That is some engineered packaging!
A wild Jeff Geerling appears!
13:33 "You gotta be mad, to have one of these in your living room"
Mad respect my good chap.
Man has about 6 lol
This type of Rectifier was used in Melbourne Australia to produce 1500V DC for the Electric trains , there were 7 of these H&H glass bulb rectifiers across the network in 1970's the last was de-commissioned in 1981 . There were large fans below each bank of 4 bulbs and as the load increased on the rectifier unit the fans speed increased till it reached maximum speed . It was an extremely noisy environment that was extremely hot in the summer but nicely warm in the winter.
if ever there was a dangerous device these has it all , if they ever broke mercury finished up on the floor and every where it was quite a job to transport them with special crates, it took 3 people to hold and slowly invert the bulb while the pool of mercury was also inverted.
It was quite spectacular to see but by today's standards very hazardous I was glad to see the last of them .
Railway substation had Rectifier units made up of a Transformer with an output of 12 single phase's connected to a bank of 4 bulbs and a large 12"fuse each phase along with associated protection relays in the Rectifier control cubical (64, 64A, 86, 86X, 30 ) . I also remember two large extraction fans for cooling built into the substation wall .
The excitation and the striker was used to create the mercury vapor in the bulb it's all history now.
Be careful with mercury keep it in a well vented area.
Thanks for the video !
Wow I especially appreciate your comment on this subject!!!! Thank you for sharing sir.
"This rectifier set can do a million watts, and this rectifier set can do a million volts"
Now we're talking baby
I'm still waiting for news re: the neighbor's dog. ⚡🐕⚡ 😉
My wife wouldn't even watch this video... or any part of it. EVEN though I told her I used to USE mercury vapor rectifiers. Ye gods. LOL de KQ2E
I can smell the carpet already...
Incredible thing. Mesmerizing. What sort of equipment might that have been used in? Any concern for X-ray production?
Remember the last time we seen one at college in 1979 in electrical power was the last year they were demonstrated
"Use the skippy button"
Nah bro. Im in this for the whole video.
Snow flakes can’t pop it! Photoinduction can!
Happy Days, I'm old enough (82) to have worked on mercury arc rectifiers. Steel works where we had 500 volt DC and 250 volt systems. Can't remember the rating of the rectifiers, Big yokes in metal cabinets. This brings back som happy memories, thank you ☘️🇮🇪☘️
The glasswork on these is truly magnificent. All vacuum tubes are gorgeous in my eyes. But, mercury arc rectifiers are just down right sexy. Thank you for sharing this amazing experience with us.
It’s reassuring to see that I’m not the only one who gets all excited about such things.
"this video is a bit long" That's what we want, fella.
Still not long enough if you ask me
No one skips your videos, sir.
We do appreciate your humility though.
I do.
I skipped. Seen the good stuff.. and then went back and watched the whole thing...
That extra special touch -> "Please handle with EVERY care!" That makes me smile.
Thanks for this. I have memories from when i was an apprentice electrician at the BR Carriage Works in York, 60's to 70's. At one point i was assigned to the maintainance department for the works, which was also attached to the main transformer station for the works You can imagine a huge amount of power needed. The works had two traversers which would traverse the carriages from out of one shop into another. At the time these were still powered by 400Volts DC. In the transformer station was a large metal containerprobably about 6 foot x 6 foot x 8 foot high. Painted dark blue with a sign saying 'THE TARDIS'. Emanating from above was blue/ ultaviot flashing light and a strange science fiction film sound. When the door was opened it was a sight to behold. 6 of the above mercury rectifiers. No doubt we should have been wearing dark glasses and sun cream . At the time i had no idea of how they worked, so cheers for this.
my stepdad did a bit there before becoming a guard, i think the times may have overlapped slightly with yours, so you may even have met him, brian cox was his name.
im an electrician and i love that kind of stuff. must have been an amazing thing to see up and running.
It’s also really funny how they possibly reused an old police box as an enclosure for a mercury arc rectifier! :)
its so nice... looks like someone would use it to bring a monster to life
Like Frankenstein
IT'S ALIIIIVE!
Exactly. I live for this comment.
the rectifer is the monster
This is exactly what is used. Fucking amazing to look at. I
This style of content is how youtube should have stayed as!
you don't know how right you are
getting the feeling my youtube feed is very different from others and im glad
Straight up !
Yeh maaaaate
I do feel a little bit like I'm a teenager again while watching Andy's videos. It's nice.
Ah! Takes me back to the start of my career in broadcast transmitters. The more modern transmitters then (250kW carrier power) used Excitron mercury arc rectifiers. They had 2 banks of 6 Excitrons, with the transformer windings arranged to give 12 phase rectification. Output was 11kV DC - the radio part of the transmitter took about 26 amps, and the high level Class B modulator another 15 amps depending on audio level (approx - from my memory). The rectifiers were in a cabinet with glass windows so you could see that lovely blue glow as the arcs were struck - then the light output would vary with the audio modulation. Quite spectacular when the Greenwish Time Signals 6 pips came on (they modulated the transmitters to 100%) - the extra current draw caused lights to dip in the nearby town in step with the time signal! Oh, and the older transmitters (built during the 1940s) used mercury arc rectifiers in massive steel tanks with continuous pumping to produce the required vacuum. They used grid control to vary the output as required. Incredible to think about now!
Ho i brividi di eccitazione leggendo questo commento, vorrei essere li
And now a MUCH smaller (in comparison) diode quietly does the exact same thing...
You're a brave man having a cat in there.
"Please don't ask, it used to be white"
This really takes me back. In 1995 I was doing a job at the old Simpson's building in downtown Toronto and one of the maintenance guys was leading me to the area where I was to drop my delivery. We passed this area that was significantly hotter than the others and there was this dreadful humming/buzzing sound. I asked what was up and he smiled, passed me a long lab coat and dark goggles and took me to a bank of cabinets. They looked like industrial lockers only much larger. He opened one up and there was a massive mercury rectifier running and he explained it was powering a good portion of the building. This thing was huge and he told me that it contained around 50lbs of mercury. I knew these things were really old tech and I was shocked to see one still in active use. then I looked to the side and saw the bank of similar cabinets and realised this one was not alone.
There are several of them still in service in the downtown Toronto area, some in the TTC streetcar power stations, and in several old elevator control and power systems. I am friends with an elevator tech, who was showing pictures he had taken, on a service call.
They are in most 1940's and Cold War Bunkers all around the UK, which are also still there. Some still work.
Check TheSecretVault, many of his urbex videos featuring massive nuclear bunkers will reveal everything else that they were attached to.
We are not alone!
Epic last line.
The engineering involved with old things like is amazing. But can we just take a moment to think about the master glass blower that had to make that assembly, and the people who installed the metal parts to it. They mass produced these.
They would have made exceptional bongs
@@JG-nx3jg you bet your sweet bippy they did
Yeah, back in the day glass blowing was a career, and always in demand.
@@tncorgi92 it still very much is.
I couldn't stop thinking about that the entire time.
You could open your house as a museum for electricians. Well, i'm no electrician (yet) but I love hearing the history of it all.
This is why history is so interesting. This was the norm at one point and that's fascinating to me.
when the solar flares hit, this guy will put England back on the grid.
@Leonidas Poledouris instead of a solar flare it would be a global flare
Send a single 19kv wire to 10 Downing St too zap BOJO
Only if he happens to be in Dinorwig at the time.
And I suspect there's a picture of him at the gate with the caption : "Not permitted entry under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER."
I wouldn't be surprised at all. When high tech fails and the experts that keep it running stand by helpless guys like him will put us back on line.
This man is the grid
You can tell he's grown up boys. He's protecting the carpet with plastic
It's the new wife probably lol.
Was thinking the same thing.. the wife is asking him "please don't burn the fkn carpet and try keep it clean" 🙄
Burning a carpet is ok for later use. Spilling mercury ... isn't.
Only from the mercury, burn mark in the carpet = meh, mercury all over the floor = oh fucking shit
Mercury on the floor = Biohazard cleanup crew, stripped up carpet and underlay, chemical cleaning in the worst case scenario and an expensive hotel bill while the house is sectioned off. If not mercury poisoning literally kills neurons via breaking down of the structural tubules supporting the axions.
21:40
The small bubbles that appear on the interior glass surface of a mercury arc rectifier after some time are typically due to a phenomenon known as mercury vaporization or mercury spitting. This can occur due to the high temperatures and pressures present inside the device during operation.
When the mercury arc rectifier is in use, the mercury in the arc is heated significantly, causing some amount of mercury to vaporize and become gaseous. These mercury vapors can then condense on cooler surfaces such as the glass interior of the device, forming small bubbles.
This phenomenon can be more pronounced if there are leaks in the device or if it is operated under abnormal conditions, resulting in increased mercury consumption and the formation of more bubbles.
It is important to note that mercury vapors are toxic and should be avoided from being inhaled. If significant condensation of mercury vapors or an increased formation of bubbles is observed, it may indicate issues with the device's integrity or operating conditions. In such cases, it is recommended to cease the use of the mercury arc rectifier
Please come back to YT . Of course only do so if it brings you joy. You're the reason I got into Electrical. While I'm nowhere near as versed as you are, it fulfills my "need/wants" of cranking the voltage till it pops at the factories I've been tasked to work at.
"I'd like to arrange a life insurance policy"
"Certainly, sir. What are you main hobbies and occupaions?"
Collecting STAMPS
"playing with 50 year old high voltage and amperage equipment"
"oh you fix old boilers and cookers?"
"a bit more voltage than that..."
@@1marcelfilms *AMPS 😎
Electricery Shirley.......
“No problem Sir, that will be $1M per year premiums for a $500K plan.” 😂
If this isn't the best come back on youtube, I don't know what is.
i also like how he kept his personal life and his youtube electronic videos in separate videos ,very professional of him
@@girlsdrinkfeck he should have millions of subscribers, I'm amazed he doesn't...
He likely would if he didn't leave for 3 years
@@helpabrothawithasubisaiah5316 electronics is a vague subject for UA-cam. Most big channels are aimed at woke liberals
@@girlsdrinkfeck styropyro and electroboom both have millions of subscribers
@@helpabrothawithasubisaiah5316 and they are a comedic niche not a professional like he is
Having worked in a 50 year old power station and been through various store rooms, I know exactly what that thing would smell like when you unboxed it
WoW That was literally a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you so much for letting us see such cool old-school things. I'll never forget how awesome that was. Thanks again.
You can literally watch the video as many times as you want. 😊
I was gutted when I got outbid on this…… but then I see Andy is back and he has brought it. Now very happy!!!!!
Glad you got to see it run at least. Truly a gem.
I'd happily be outbid by this dude.
how much was it
He ain't havin it 😅
@@maplejakee If you have to ask.....
That was one of the most "belongs in a mad-scientist's lab" looking devices I've ever seen. Thanks for the educational bits - really interesting to see this old tech in action and to learn how it works.
THIS, is the most mad scientist one :D
ua-cam.com/video/EZBhiJq4TL4/v-deo.html
PhotonicInduction _is_ a mad scientist. Nothing is out of place in his room.
YEESSSS I CAN SEE
DR. FRANKENSTEIN
RUBBING HIS HANDS ALL ROUND N GRINNING LIKE MAD
"You gotta be mad, to have one of these in your living room"
Oh, I dunno, 'tis a thing of beauty.
The 11Kv transformer though..........😯
your editing is a breath of fresh air, so please dont stop making videos this way.
Fuck yeah! The "classic" intro is back!
This my jam
Looperman dude
yeah !!!
@@woody442 is that what it's from?
@@colinstu
It's the old Looperman website for generating your own music
The old intro is pure gold. Was a joy to see it again.
An unboxing vid about ... a mercury rectifier. Now that really is something different from the masses of unboxing vids!
All roads lead to Rome in the same way all AM radio interference leads to this room...!
That aside, they're fascinating things to watch. Thanks for posting.
The transformer noise is labeled as "music" in the generated subtitles. It is indeed.
yeah lovely buzz! could sample it and use as a nice bass or lead.
A flat (if anyone is interested) ;o)
It's beautiful!
50 Hz sounds so great, soothing and menacing at the same time 😈
Music to my ears :)
idk what it is but i love the more classic style of editing, feels more retro
Hell yes.
ğüşöç
?
I AGREE!
i dont understand what you're saying. youtube is youtube.
Wow, I was expecting it to be the size of a light bulb. Look at that thing!!! Imagine what electrical equipment used to look like 100 years ago, totally futuristic!!!
“Are you bored with it yet ?” .... Never !
You might just be mad but in the best way possible.
I did not realize the solenoid was only needed to start the rectifier and all you needed was to get the ( dippy thingy ) bouncing with a hand held magnet.
Very enjoyable!
When this dude returns, he doesn't mess around!
He's had years to come up with ideas, I'm sure he's got plenty planned!
"use the little bar to skip around to the points you're looking for"
bro im here for the whole video
True... No skipping here!!!
They really are a work of art that should be shown in museums but you can't get the workmanship these days to make em :D Cheers.
Wish I had one in my living room. Thank you for sharing this magnificent treasure.
giving off some serious mad scientist vibes
Well what is a mad scientist supposed to do otherwise?
Or like a deleted scene from Back To The Future 😅
50hz
This is why we love him!
We have a saying for children that translates to "Everything for the eyes, nothing for the hands" regarding museums and exhibitions.
I think this room is the manifestation of that sentiment.
That’s the general idea at substations as well, one hand in the pocket if you know what you’re doing, both if you don’t and are just looking.
These were used in the early experimental British Rail 25kV AC electric locos. The production locos that became class 86 used Si rectifiers. Have never seen one run so this is quite fascinating.
The signature intro/outro music, i will never get tired of hearing that.
“Use the little skipping button”
Uh sir excuse me but I never skip through content I enjoy
I remember asking for a demo of this about 5 years ago. Now my dream has come true. :-)
Was expecting to hear "WHERE'S MY HAMMER? I AIN'T HAVIN IT!" A photonic vid without destruction is a rare thing indeed!
When I joined London Transport in 1979, as a substation tech, many of the original substations still had these working.. Very eerie, but comforting on a nightshift. Sadly most had been converted over to SCR by 1981.
I have so much respect for this mans knowledge. Electricity terrifies me.
yeah i totally want to chime in and be like "that shit ain't safe" but dude hasn't fucked up once so imma keep my mouth shut lol
The key is to know what you don’t know yet😂
I appreciate that you showed us this piece of history. That you handled it so gently and respected it, called it art. That you keep it safe in the original box. Collector excellent...
I agree. it's like a museum piece.
My man puts in the work blowing up, burning, frying & alerting the authorities to his activities for years. Thus he’s earned all us wanking gibbons rapt attention for his curation of a personal museum of arcane & obsolete technologies making up historical methods of transmission & rectification, power supplies, gas excitation light emissivity & other smart smart boy shit. I love you PI don’t ever leave us again.
The Glass blowers that made these, and many more electrical and sientific equipment are true craftsmen of the highest order.
It's lovely to see old equipment in use, after so many years after they were made.
Nowadays everything seems to be throw away after a couple of years,,, if your lucky.
Thanks for this vid, I totally enjoyed it.
I didn't even noticed how much I've missed this channel until he got back.
Same. Every now and then I'd wonder whatever happened to the bright lightbulb guy, but I never realized it was four frickin years.
it's like sex, you never notice how much you missed it after trying (again)
I've been checking for updates for years
You know its old when the "Handle with Care" sticker has Please and Thank You on it
That is the coolest thing I've ever seen, not even joking. I had no idea these even existed until now. Thank you for this! You are a legend.
Anyone else think the Three Dots should make a comeback in post-production? They're just a part of the videos as anything else 😄
I feel sorry for the people who don't understand about the 3 dots.
@@evilutionltd they better go back and watch the medical laser video 👍😂
😂😂😂
Only a true fan would know the legend of the 3 dots!!!
Bravo!
Firing maa laaazzaaaa😂😂😂😂
This dudes bong collection is off the chain!!
Great comeback 🤣
LOL !!!!
It's art dude.....now drop some wax on that nail.
Seeing that little spark dance around on the mercury is so nice, I could watch this all day too.
And get blind in the process 😎
Maybe we should try to ask him to do a one hour static shot video?
I bet we could find enough people to support that to get him to do it 🤔
The Mercury Arc Rectifier video was one of my favorites you've done. I am so happy you brought it back. It is the really emphasizes the beauty of electrical engineering.
WELCOME BACK BROTHER. You HAVE been missed.
Now I just need BMVAGS back and my life is complete.
It's such a shame none of this stuff is used any more. It's absolutely beautiful and mind blowing such dangerous elegance.
Muesuem of transport in Auckland, NZ has 2 running their trams, had a chat with a guy there, said they were completely reliable they have 2 spare ones and never fitted a replacement!
@@ruuman yeah, they're kinda like incandescent bulbs imo... Some burn out after 100 hours, some last 50 years.
"Ya gotta be mad to have one of these in your living room"
But... but photon you have like *three*
three? this man has at least 12
@@TheAechBomb goddamn Ive missed him so much
Then it means he is not mad... I mean.. He doesn't have one...
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing this piece of history with us 😃 Wellcome back to you, and Mrs. Photon ❤️
A collaboration between Photoninduction and the Slow Mo Guys would be amazing! I'm thinking of all the amazing footage from both their combined knowledge in their respective fields.
I love these old mercury rectifiers! They look so utterly "mad-scientist". And this is probably the best footage of one running that I've ever seen. We're all so lucky PhotonicInduction is uploading again. He is absolutely legendary!!!
came here to say this, but you put it better
@Mark O So true. Love the explanation of the different types also. As Photonic says, they are mostly built inside cabinets and poorly visible on other video’s.
"Better than TV, innit?"
-No doubt about it! 😉
@@marcse7en - The little spark on the pool never moves the same way... 😁
Amazing to see how they did things back in the "old" days...That thing is a pure work of art not to mention a functional piece of tech!
When you have to add extra floor joist to your house, your definitely doing something right
Items needed:
1: Old Castle.
2: Assistant with hump.
3: Freshly buried corpses. 😂
And a mad scientist lab.. Oh he already has. Let me scratch that....
5. Thunderstorm
@@juststeve5542 are included
6. Kites
> "HIT THE SWITCH IGOR!"
< "Hnnnn Yes masta!
The local power station ... Oh no, he's back
The local power station is no longer. Now completely flat. It did feature in some older videos, but just a dusty site now.
Wow. Just found this. When you turned the lights off it gave me a shiver. So exciting! Thank you so much for sharing!
I am very happy that you are putting more explanation into how electrical devices work and why. Cheers.
"use your little skippy button to get to the best bit"
no, i don't think i will.
I used the pause button several times.
Where would one ever see and learn about this cool shit…? You’re a fucking legend, mate! Glad you’re back!
It's obsolete technology - just not used at all any more. You'll probably only see them in museums.
@@PlasmaX00000 Certainly not hooked up and working and with a camera pointing down the bulb
@@PlasmaX00000 No shit… still interesting!
Start with wiipedia? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-arc_valve
Hell yeah, fantastic timing on your upload as I was just learning about these (relatively) ancient beasts for the first time just a few days back. After grasping the basics of their operation, I naturally wanted to see one of them in the hands of a professional lunatic, so this is all very much a sublime confluence all-around as I see it...
"i could watch this all day. - it's better than TV, innit?!"
well, nearly everything is better than TV nowadays anyway, but it sure really is awesome. wouldn't mind having this as party lights :) chill and fascinating, spectacular at the same time.
This would be the perfect decoration at a Halloween party for a mad scientist.
Speaking of halloween... If i saw that as a kid i'd be intrigued if i knew it was a piece of vacuum tube electric gear beforehand, i liked the purple glow in big rectifiers, but it would still freak me out.
If i saw it in the corner of a basement without knowing i would be mortified, bad dreams for years!
We now know why you are as mad as a hatter mercury poising 🤣🤣on a serious note if you don't inspire the next generation of sparkies no one will keep up the good work I've missed you buddy 👊
Enough mercury in one to poision the whole neighborhood...
Just imagine the glassblowing involved in making that. Absolutely amazing.
Amazing you got a new-old-stock mercury arc rectifier! That is really a work of art as much as an electronic device. Thanks so much for sharing with us. So pleasing!
Nice that you'e replacing the missing Aquadag on the anodes, as well.
I am seriously impressed. A few questions. 1) Would you please publish the listed specs for this device? 2) What is the best feature of a mercury arc rectifier? (cleaner output, lower temperature, high capacity, easily handles current surges) 3) It would be nice if you published your results, AC input, AC current, DC output, DC current, Output waveform, etc. Hope to see another video like this.
High capacity, and overload is about it, when compared to current day silicon diodes.
nah mate, I ain't skipping. The whole video is the best bit.
I swear, photonic's collection. EVERY. And I mean. EVERY little one thing in that room is a functional trophy. I haven't seen more than half of the stuff he's shown.
Including the light bulb kettle :D
so true swen those on the shelf for ages so glad to see them. functioning
@@adam207321 which one was that, I've forgotten
@@dimitar4y ua-cam.com/video/PL1VWr6I16o/v-deo.html
This one
@@adam207321 aye cheers gov
Absolutely fascinating! Love your work Photon!!
I worked for a local power company and would often marvel at the wonderous glow from the enormous Mercury Arc Valves when visiting the Haywards substation.
In NZ we have a 610 km (380 mi) long, 1200 MW bipolar high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system linking between the South Island and the North Island (40km of which is via 3 parallel submarine cables running under the Cook Straight).
Up until 2012 this was a 600MW bipolar link running through Mercury Arc Rectifiers.
Extremely fortunate to have been able see them in operation before they were replaced with Thyristor based rectifiers.
SOLID STATE TECHNOLOGY IS SO BORING IN COMPARISON!!!!!
Thanks for sharing details of your wonderful toys!
Look forward to the next lesson!
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful piece of vintage tech with us. Also thank you very much for returning to UA-cam, it has been a boring place without you
The Isle of Man Electric railway used these until only a few years ago. I remember seeing them when I was last there! You could see when the motor on the train was pulling some amps as it would light up really bright!
Bit of trivia, if you have ever seen a fluorescent lamp which is dark at one end, it has a damaged electrode on one side and it is rectifying just like this and the DC is causing all the mercury to migrate to one end of the lamp hence why it's gone dark!
Heh - I just posted video of that one: ua-cam.com/video/yjMZ5qtyCUc/v-deo.html
They are something to see in person!
I’ve also seen one that flashed very rapidly, regularly and intensely. I think it was on an old 60hz magnetic ballast. I imagine rectification was making it light every other half cycle, creating 60 short duration flashes per second.
@@deltab9768 If you are talking about the tube on start up it will be cause of a preheat ballast
@@crazy-es8tr It was very regular, you could see a "smeared" strobe image on moving objects with a bit under 50% duty cycle. It was very fast (at least several tens of flashes per second.) It didn't stop after the tube warmed up, and it was slightly dimmer than a good tube. I still believe it was rectifying, but not 100% sure.
Imagine your neighbours were into ham radios 🤣 they’d have a shit time
Wonder if you can hear our boy photon on one of those web SDR sites.
🤣 As a ham radio guy, I was thinking the same thing. (Imagining Calum having a bit of trouble with QRM for about a half hour.)
And what was it used for again?
@@pepperjackshack2439 A MAR like that would be used for street cars.
@@jdecar1 I can imagine the FCC would have a cow if someone was doing this stuff in the USA. Though maybe not, I honestly do not know what their take on people playing with electricity is. As its not a part 15 device malfunctioning and its not deliberate jamming.
thank you very much im 39 years old and this is the first introdution to these masterpieces.. truely magnificent sir
I remember that there was a Big Wheel, owned by McArdle's, on Cleethorpes beach, for many years. As a child in the 1960's I could never afford to ride on it, but was quite happy to stand and watch the Mercury arc rectifiers glowing merrily, and the glow changing as the wheel was started and stopped. That rectifier had been running since at least 1948, and it was still in use in the late 1970's. 30 years of running was not unusual for those rectifiers, if they were used properly.
This is probably Electroboom's favourite video.
Can you imagine a day when THIS was the heart of your 200,000 watt AM radio station?
They still have such a beast on display at the Radio New Zealand Titahi Bay Transmitter just north of Wellington. Huge long green transmitter with a mercury rectifier at it's heart. The newer replacement transmitter is about 1/8 the size...
On't wireless...
Back in the '30s WLW Cincinnati used to run 500KW! They got requests from Buckingham Palace. Lots of interesting history on the place available on the web. 3000 Amps of DC for the filament transformers. Up to 90 amps of RF at the antenna. No modulation limiters, so when someone hit a big note, streetlights in the vicinity dimmed because the transmitter would just suck down the juice.
Easily. This isn’t an alien spaceship from a trillion years ago.
Thank you for reviving this bit of old technology!!! This is amazing that there are people in the world with enough brain power and enthusiasm to get it working!
As an advice(and not asking for more in any annoying way, hopefully) you could tell more of the story of the devices and technology, an insight for those clueless but curious. And tell some specs of actual device, like power ranges, efficiency and of course reason for them being discontinued(was it due to losses, difficulty to manufacture or just mercury use...)
Thank you!
Absolutely fascinating! I only understand the very basics of AC/DC electricity, so I had no idea these existed until today. Like you, I could watch that beautiful light all day!