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Re: Explanation of the positive E.S. charge



Ed wrote: 

snip

>.  It is really tough for any neon lamp about a TC to glow with
>> only one electrode ( DC) due to the huge RF fields about the system. 

>These
>> are pure AC (two electrodes glowing). 
>
>Put the neon bulb in a metal box (with viewing hole) and put a small
>capacitor across the terminals (it will then flash on one electrode).
>
>-Ed Harris

Ed,

With the neon and cap in the shielded metal box, are the neon's 
terminals connected to anything or are they just floating? 

RWW
2/7/96

Bob & Mark,

Ed Harris has made a super sensitive and robust electrometer by placing a home made (6" baggy and Al foil plates) 400 pF cap across a common Radio Shak neon.  He has linear correlation of flashes/sec and voltage.
He is using it to measure corona, discharge polarities and voltages. Different polarities cause the neon electrodes to light differently.  Cool, eh?!

He has taken a few hits form the guys with the $2500 Keithlys.  "Can't measure Coulombs", etc.



NOW COMES this post as his rebuttal!!!

> >Subject: Re: Explanation of the positive E.S. charge

>  It is really tough for any neon lamp about a TC to glow with
>only one electrode ( DC) due to the huge RF fields about the system. 
>These are pure AC (two electrodes glowing). 

Put the neon bulb in a metal box (with viewing hole) and put a small
capacitor across the terminals (it will then flash on one electrode).

-Ed Harris

WOW!

Question:  How does the neon light in a shielded metal box and no 
electrode connections?  Is this a super simple scalar detector?

RWW