There is a clean-release putty, for hanging posters on the wall. It is blue in color. The brand name is Blue Tack. It can be ordered online, on the "jungle." It might work for securing crystals in the pot. The pot might need to be cleaned with IPA, after each use. Maybe it has some type of minor residue? Yes, I understand that it is not conductive and would have to be placed, so as not to interfere with the connection. It is also great for all sorts of electronic uses. Particularly for temporarily securing a component for soldering. Anyone that has an EE bench really, really needs it.
As a child, it was possible to use a Blue Gilette razor blade as a reliable "crystal" diode, with a hard pencil lead, a brass or copper wire as the "cat's whisker" in a "crystal radio set" The other crystal involved was the piezo crystal earphone which used "Rochelle Salt" - Sodium potassium tartarate - as the piezoelectric transducer with the minute electrical currents and voltages from the crystal detector tuner circuit, which had no power source but the electromagnetic waves recieved by the antenna. Today, are there any powerful amplitude modulated radio stations for crystal sets to use? Pyrites - iron sulhide and galena - lead sulphide were mineral crystals that worked. I imagine that germanium and silicon crystals would have worked as well as detectors.
It seems that the pencil lead works by itself and the razor blade (not necessarily blue) works by itself. Will have to try to see if both together makes a difference.
God dam this look super fun. I've got all the parts to do these expirments. Been collecting them for years, all piled up in an unused room. You just may have given me the motivation to do some vids my self. I've been planning for five years.
@franzliszt3195 There's always the loop antennas wound on darning hoops. Then there are balcony railings. Antennas in closets (I did that one). Flag pole antennas. You will find lots of articles that ham radio operators have written on evading antenna rules. 😊 That's fun too. Or so I hear.
A horizontal brass wood screw (Or similar) screwed into side mounting "Cup" makes a dandy adjustable "Set screw" to Firmly clamp the crystal nugget into cup for better Stability & probing .
I was thinking the bullet may have to much oxide on the outside to conduct a signal but the copper to lead junction inside should do something. Maybe filing the outside to get a better connection to the cup will help
I've heard of using a battery to overcome some or all of the junction bias voltage in various diodes so the weaker RF can make it through and be detected. I never tried it since I had 1N34s.
An interesting video! Now you got me wondering why lead works so different than a lead crystal. I wonder how hard it is to grow lead crystals? Melting the bullet is easy but figuring out how to get it to crystalize as it cools is the mystery. I also wonder if the slag that forms on the surface of molten lead would detect better than the clean lead below. I always scooped it off with a spoon and discarded it while casting bullets. If it was easy I suspect there would have been dozens of articles about how to grow your own Galena crystals published during the beginning of radio. The iron pyrite crystal was surprising. It seemed to work better than a Galena crystal. As common as fool's gold is I would have thought it would have been used in more crystal radio detectors back in history.
I wonder the same. I've seen some of the store bought detectors, and it almost looks like they poked the little puck with a dab of sulfur. One commenter told me he used to mix lead powder and sulfur and heat it in a test tube. It creates toxic gases that damage the lungs and destroy the sense of smell so....
OK, no anthracite coal, but my wife has some medical grade carbon pills. I tested one and it works a lot like the pencil lead. One can find a few louder clear spots, many medium loud scratchy spots. It works better when the cat whisker is on its side, and not when the sharp point is used.
There is a clean-release putty, for hanging posters on the wall. It is blue in color. The brand name is Blue Tack. It can be ordered online, on the "jungle." It might work for securing crystals in the pot. The pot might need to be cleaned with IPA, after each use. Maybe it has some type of minor residue? Yes, I understand that it is not conductive and would have to be placed, so as not to interfere with the connection. It is also great for all sorts of electronic uses. Particularly for temporarily securing a component for soldering. Anyone that has an EE bench really, really needs it.
I have some white blue tack will have to try it. I was going to try aluminum foil.
No. The potting material needs to be conductive, and secure the crystal firmly.
To hold your crystals simply wad up a piece of aluminum foil and cram it into the gap.
As a child, it was possible to use a Blue Gilette razor blade as a reliable "crystal" diode, with a hard pencil lead, a brass or copper wire as the "cat's whisker" in a "crystal radio set" The other crystal involved was the piezo crystal earphone which used "Rochelle Salt" - Sodium potassium tartarate - as the piezoelectric transducer with the minute electrical currents and voltages from the crystal detector tuner circuit, which had no power source but the electromagnetic waves recieved by the antenna. Today, are there any powerful amplitude modulated radio stations for crystal sets to use? Pyrites - iron sulhide and galena - lead sulphide were mineral crystals that worked. I imagine that germanium and silicon crystals would have worked as well as detectors.
It seems that the pencil lead works by itself and the razor blade (not necessarily blue) works by itself. Will have to try to see if both together makes a difference.
God dam this look super fun. I've got all the parts to do these expirments. Been collecting them for years, all piled up in an unused room. You just may have given me the motivation to do some vids my self. I've been planning for five years.
Go wild with your testing. Let us know what you find.
except i live in a tiny condo and nothing is to protrude from the condo except a TV antenna.
@franzliszt3195 There's always the loop antennas wound on darning hoops. Then there are balcony railings. Antennas in closets (I did that one). Flag pole antennas. You will find lots of articles that ham radio operators have written on evading antenna rules. 😊 That's fun too. Or so I hear.
A horizontal brass wood screw (Or similar) screwed into side mounting "Cup" makes a dandy adjustable "Set screw" to Firmly clamp the crystal nugget into cup for better Stability & probing .
I was thinking the bullet may have to much oxide on the outside to conduct a signal but the copper to lead junction inside should do something. Maybe filing the outside to get a better connection to the cup will help
I will have to try that.
I've heard of using a battery to overcome some or all of the junction bias voltage in various diodes so the weaker RF can make it through and be detected. I never tried it since I had 1N34s.
Interesting. I'll have to look into that.
An interesting video.
The coal-based fuel coke will work and was used by POWs in WWII.
An interesting video! Now you got me wondering why lead works so different than a lead crystal.
I wonder how hard it is to grow lead crystals? Melting the bullet is easy but figuring out how to get it to crystalize as it cools is the mystery. I also wonder if the slag that forms on the surface of molten lead would detect better than the clean lead below. I always scooped it off with a spoon and discarded it while casting bullets.
If it was easy I suspect there would have been dozens of articles about how to grow your own Galena crystals published during the beginning of radio.
The iron pyrite crystal was surprising. It seemed to work better than a Galena crystal. As common as fool's gold is I would have thought it would have been used in more crystal radio detectors back in history.
I wonder the same. I've seen some of the store bought detectors, and it almost looks like they poked the little puck with a dab of sulfur. One commenter told me he used to mix lead powder and sulfur and heat it in a test tube. It creates toxic gases that damage the lungs and destroy the sense of smell so....
yes, it is easy, but the gases are not to my liking.@@tsbrownie
That is a lot of crystal poking
Thanks for this
And I've got request to poke some other things. I may have to make a part 2.
Thanks 👍
Thank you too.
What about a small piece of anthracite coal? Almost pure carbon and easy to break down to size. Just curious myself.
If I can find one, I'll give it a try.
OK, no anthracite coal, but my wife has some medical grade carbon pills. I tested one and it works a lot like the pencil lead. One can find a few louder clear spots, many medium loud scratchy spots. It works better when the cat whisker is on its side, and not when the sharp point is used.
@@tsbrownie Thanks for your efforts and testing. Very informative.
@@adnacraigo6590 Thanks for the interesting suggestion. Various forms of carbon have potential. Too bad carbon nano tubes are not a mineral.