styropyro
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the omega switch
🕑 Added 2023-06-14 20:54:10 +0000 UTCI estimate the short circuit current on my car battery bank to be 120,000 amps. How on earth do you switch that kind of current? I considered all sorts of options, from huge MOSFET banks to pneumatic devices and even some sort of mercury filled chamber, but I ended up settling on modifying a wood splitter.
I met up with my friend Josh to build this crazy device since he is an excellent welder and fabricator. Fun fact, this is the same guy from those nearly 20 year old vids of me blowing stuff up as a kid. Anyway, the device is armed like a crossbow, pulling back a very stiff spring mechanism which is locked in place with a pin. Then to switch it on, an actuator pulls the pin and the contacts (16 pounds of copper!) slam together. Then to switch it off, the log splitter runs and rips the contacts apart, hopefully with enough force to rip apart where it welds in places.
So how well does it work? I have no idea! I'm still wiring the car batteries! I'm going to give the plates a coating with graphite powder to hopefully mitigate welding, but if the switch fails, it's going to be up to my DIY fuses to prevent the bank from discharging all at once (which has the energy of 500 cars speeding down a highway)
Stay tuned!
Comments
Tyler Hargrove
I think a mercury tube with an axe and a plastic bin below it makes sense. I guess the only issue is vapor right? Or maybe a liquid tube with oversaturated salt water and an axe. Would the salt vaporize still and arc???? 🤔 A lot of Tesla's gear was glass jars and brine... thats why I considered this. Either way I hope whatever you build works and is safe... relatively speaking.
Faraz Sadrzadeh
I would propose an alternative way of switching. A wire cutter and thyristor. A few puck thyristors can easily handle 120kA. Also cutting a link or pulling two already touching contacts apart would be easier.
SJC
Let's say it does pull apart without any issues, can it form an arc from the sliding plate to the body of the wood spliter thus keeping the circuit closed. Just some food for thought. Anyways that's badass and my adrenaline is pumping just looking at these pictures. I can't imagine how your feeling building this thing. And will you be doing all of this indoors?
stella
A liquid electrode would seem to make more sense, but that's crazy that you're going to do this all in parallel.
