VIC5 - 6x Parallel Tubular
Experimental VIC5 with 6-cell parallel array for high current.
From the archive's library.
The parts
- The cell Tubular - 6x Parallel (High Capacity) — water cell tubular
- Water Tap Water (Soft) — Tap
- Charging choke Bifilar Choke 2 - 100T AWG18 (Finish-Finish) — AWG 18 Copper AWG 18, bifilar
- Its core MnZn Ferrite E-Core — MnZn e-core
- Blocking choke Bifilar Choke 2 - 100T AWG18 (Finish-Finish) — AWG 18 Copper AWG 18, bifilar
- Its core MnZn Ferrite E-Core — MnZn e-core
- Transformer Forward Mode 1:5 Step-Up — Medium ratio forward transformer for moderate voltage boost
From the parts
Every number handed to the simulation that you did not type, and where it came from. Each derivation that ran a calculation links to that calculation's page with these numbers in, so it can be checked alone.
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σ On the way 125 µS/cm
Tap Water (Soft)'s conductivity, from its dissolved solids reading.
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L₁ Charging choke 31.42 mH
The charging choke's inductance: 100 turns on MnZn Ferrite E-Core (μᵣ 2000, 1 cm², 8 cm path).
Inductance of a winding on a core — 1 note on that page
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L₂ Blocking choke 31.42 mH
The blocking choke's inductance: 100 turns on MnZn Ferrite E-Core (μᵣ 2000, 1 cm², 8 cm path).
Inductance of a winding on a core — 1 note on that page
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R Series resistance 0.2423 Ω
Series resistance, added up: Bifilar Choke 2 - 100T AWG18 (Finish-Finish) 0.0962 Ω + Bifilar Choke 2 - 100T AWG18 (Finish-Finish) 0.0962 Ω + Tubular - 6x Parallel (High Capacity) 0.05 Ω. Wiring and connections are not counted.
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C Cell capacitance 4.627 nF
One tube of Tubular - 6x Parallel (High Capacity) — 0.75 in over 1 in, 12 in long — in tap water (typical) at 20 °C.
Coaxial cell capacitance — 1 note on that page
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C Cell capacitance 27.76 nF
6 such cells in parallel. The inductance handed to the array calculation is the two chokes added plainly, for its resonance figure only; the capacitance does not depend on it.
Multi-cell array — 2 notes on that page
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ℓ Cell leak resistance 2.003 Ω
The leak across one tube, from its geometry and Tap Water (Soft) at 125 µS/cm. 6 such cells in parallel leak 6 times as readily, so this is one 6th of that.
Leak resistance across a tubular cell — 1 note on that page
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V Drive amplitude 60 V
The drive amplitude of 12 V stepped up through Forward Mode 1:5 Step-Up (100:500). The 1 A primary current given to the ratio calculation is for its current figures only; the voltage ratio does not depend on it.
- Both chokes are recorded as bifilar windings, but the arrangement is set to independent. If they share a core, choose an aiding or opposing arrangement and a coupling coefficient.
Result
Where the loop — both chokes and the cell — actually rings. Compare with the drive frequency.
Both chokes together, with the mutual term if they are coupled.
Signed: positive aiding, negative opposing, zero if independent.
√(L/C) — what the loop looks like at resonance before resistance.
How sharp the resonance is against the series resistance.
The cell voltage at resonance — Q times the drive.
Below 1 the loop rings after each pulse; above 1 it sags.
How fast the ring dies away.
What the drive pushes at the drive frequency, not at resonance.
Dissipated in the resistance, averaged over pulses and gate.
How many pulses arrive before the gate closes.
Where the step-charge staircase tops out against the leak, after n pulses.
LaTeX
3.811\,\mathrm{kHz} = \frac{1}{2\pi \sqrt{62.83\,\mathrm{mH} \cdot 27.76\,\mathrm{nF}}}
Worth knowing
- Q factor and voltage rise — A Q of 6209 is very high for a circuit with water in it, and implies a bandwidth of only 0.6138 Hz. Confirm the series resistance includes the cell’s own losses — using just the choke’s winding resistance is the usual way to arrive at a Q like this on paper and not on the bench.
- Q factor and voltage rise — A predicted 372.5 kV across the cell is past where insulation, standoffs and the water itself hold up. Check the field strength across the gap before trusting this.
- Current and power under a pulsed drive — The drive is at 2.62× the loop's resonance (3.81 kHz). The net reactance of 3.37 kΩ is what limits the current here, not the resistance; on resonance the same drive would push 248 A.
- Step charging accumulation — Only 0% of the voltage survives between pulses, so there is no staircase — each pulse is very nearly starting from nothing. The cell is discharging through the water faster than it is being charged.
- Step charging accumulation — The burst reaches 2% of what perfect retention would give. Raising the drive frequency shortens the gap between pulses and helps; raising the water resistance helps far more.
- The drive is at 10 kHz and the loop rings at 3.81 kHz — 2.62× resonance. The resonant rise of 373 kV above is what this loop would do driven on resonance; at the drive frequency the cell sees the drive through 3.37 kΩ of reactance instead. Either move the drive or change a choke so the two agree.
This result is a link — the address bar holds your numbers, so it can be pasted into a post and opened to the same answer.
The working, step by step
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1. Pulse train timing
n 50The drive as timing: how long each pulse is, how many fit inside one gate, and what fraction of the time the drive is on.
With these numbers LaTeX
100\,\mathrm{µs} = \frac{1}{10\,\mathrm{kHz}} \qquad 50\,\mathrm{µs} = 100\,\mathrm{µs} \cdot \frac{50\,\mathrm{%}}{100} \qquad 50 = \left\lfloor \frac{50\,\mathrm{%}}{100} \cdot \frac{10\,\mathrm{kHz}}{100\,\mathrm{Hz}} \right\rfloor \qquad 25\,\mathrm{%} = \frac{50\,\mathrm{%} \cdot 50\,\mathrm{%}}{100} -
2. Two chokes on one core
L 62.83 mHThe two chokes as the loop sees them — their sum, plus or minus the mutual term if they share a core.
With these numbers LaTeX
0\,\mathrm{mH} = \pm 0 \sqrt{31.42\,\mathrm{mH} \cdot 31.42\,\mathrm{mH}} \qquad 62.83\,\mathrm{mH} = 31.42\,\mathrm{mH} + 31.42\,\mathrm{mH} + 2 \cdot 0\,\mathrm{mH} \qquad 31.42\,\mathrm{mH} = 31.42\,\mathrm{mH} + 0\,\mathrm{mH} -
3. Series LC resonant frequency
f 3.811 kHzWhere that inductance and the cell ring.
With these numbers LaTeX
3.811\,\mathrm{kHz} = \frac{1}{2\pi\sqrt{62.83\,\mathrm{mH} \cdot 27.76\,\mathrm{nF}}} -
4. Q factor and voltage rise
Q 6209How sharply, against everything resistive in the loop, and how far the cell voltage rises above the drive on resonance.
With these numbers LaTeX
6209 = \frac{1}{0.2423\,\mathrm{Ω}}\sqrt{\frac{62.83\,\mathrm{mH}}{27.76\,\mathrm{nF}}} \qquad 372.5\,\mathrm{kV} = 6209 \cdot 60\,\mathrm{V} \qquad 0.6138\,\mathrm{Hz} = \frac{3.811\,\mathrm{kHz}}{6209}- A Q of 6209 is very high for a circuit with water in it, and implies a bandwidth of only 0.6138 Hz. Confirm the series resistance includes the cell’s own losses — using just the choke’s winding resistance is the usual way to arrive at a Q like this on paper and not on the bench.
- A predicted 372.5 kV across the cell is past where insulation, standoffs and the water itself hold up. Check the field strength across the gap before trusting this.
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5. Damping and ringdown
ζ 8.053e-5What happens after each pulse: whether the loop rings or sags, and for how long.
With these numbers LaTeX
8.053e-5 = \frac{0.2423\,\mathrm{Ω}}{2} \sqrt{\frac{27.76\,\mathrm{nF}}{62.83\,\mathrm{mH}}} \qquad 518.6\,\mathrm{ms} = \frac{2 \cdot 62.83\,\mathrm{mH}}{0.2423\,\mathrm{Ω}} \qquad 3.811\,\mathrm{kHz} = \frac{1}{2\pi} \sqrt{\frac{1}{62.83\,\mathrm{mH} \cdot 27.76\,\mathrm{nF}} - \frac{1}{518.6\,\mathrm{ms}^{2}}} \qquad 4551 = \frac{\ln 10}{\pi} \cdot \frac{1}{0.2423\,\mathrm{Ω}} \sqrt{\frac{62.83\,\mathrm{mH}}{27.76\,\mathrm{nF}}} -
6. Current and power under a pulsed drive
I 17.78 mAWhat the drive is asked for at the frequency it actually runs at — which is the resonance only if the two agree.
With these numbers LaTeX
3.375\,\mathrm{kΩ} = 2\pi 10\,\mathrm{kHz} \cdot 62.83\,\mathrm{mH} - \frac{1}{2\pi 10\,\mathrm{kHz} \cdot 27.76\,\mathrm{nF}} \qquad 3.375\,\mathrm{kΩ} = \sqrt{0.2423\,\mathrm{Ω}^{2} + 3.375\,\mathrm{kΩ}^{2}} \qquad 17.78\,\mathrm{mA} = \frac{60\,\mathrm{V}}{3.375\,\mathrm{kΩ}} \qquad 76.6\,\mathrm{µW} = 17.78\,\mathrm{mA}^{2} \cdot 0.2423\,\mathrm{Ω} \qquad 19.15\,\mathrm{µW} = 76.6\,\mathrm{µW} \cdot \frac{25\,\mathrm{%}}{100} \qquad 3.83\,\mathrm{nJ} = 76.6\,\mathrm{µW} \cdot 50\,\mathrm{µs}- The drive is at 2.62× the loop's resonance (3.81 kHz). The net reactance of 3.37 kΩ is what limits the current here, not the resistance; on resonance the same drive would push 248 A.
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7. Step charging accumulation
U 60 VThe pulse train against the cell and its leak: does the charge accumulate into a staircase, or drain away between pulses?
With these numbers LaTeX
0.0556\,\mathrm{µs} = 2.003\,\mathrm{Ω} \cdot 27.76\,\mathrm{nF} \qquad 0 = e^{-100\,\mathrm{µs}/0.0556\,\mathrm{µs}} \qquad 60\,\mathrm{V} = 60\,\mathrm{V} \cdot \frac{1 - 0^{50}}{1 - 0}- Only 0% of the voltage survives between pulses, so there is no staircase — each pulse is very nearly starting from nothing. The cell is discharging through the water faster than it is being charged.
- The burst reaches 2% of what perfect retention would give. Raising the drive frequency shortens the gap between pulses and helps; raising the water resistance helps far more.
What this looks like
The formula behind the curve
- f₀
- Resonant frequency, Hz
- L
- Loop inductance, mH
- C
- Cell capacitance, nF
LaTeX
f₀ = \frac{1}{2\pi \sqrt{L \cdot C}}
The formula behind the curve
- f₀
- Resonant frequency, Hz
- L
- Loop inductance, mH
- C
- Cell capacitance, nF
LaTeX
f₀ = \frac{1}{2\pi \sqrt{L \cdot C}}
Open the bare numbers — the same simulation on its own page, every derived value editable.