Production Techniques and Chemistry > Colloidal Silver Production
mA Current Variation
gkar:
Hi,
During making my first batch yesterday, I noticed that the multimeter reading was constantly varying, by small amounts. Is this normal? Or should it have a stable mA reading?
My meter was fluctuating between ~3.17-3.6mA, during the production cycle. If it should remain absolutely stable, could the electrolyte be at fault? I read WGPeters stating that one of the functions of sodium carbonate is to assist with current control. I'm sure I made it according to specs, & amount: 10 drops for 0.5L.
Thanks
Neofizz:
There are factors that can make it vary but I don't think it's your electrolyte.
Expect variance if you're not using a constant current generator and/or set it up properly for the task.
If you're stirring, the water level is varying the amount of submerged electrodes which can cause the amps to vary.
As the process continues the solution gets slightly more conductive as well.
Before I got the now extinct SilverTron I dealt with it by twiddling a variable resistor, averaging numbers and eventually saying, 'close enough'.
cfnisbet:
--- Quote from: gkar on July 08, 2020, 03:26:42 AM ---Hi,
During making my first batch yesterday, I noticed that the multimeter reading was constantly varying, by small amounts. Is this normal? Or should it have a stable mA reading?
My meter was fluctuating between ~3.17-3.6mA, during the production cycle. If it should remain absolutely stable, could the electrolyte be at fault? I read WGPeters stating that one of the functions of sodium carbonate is to assist with current control. I'm sure I made it according to specs, & amount: 10 drops for 0.5L.
Thanks
--- End quote ---
This is completely normal for a standard constant-current supply.
The currents we are using are very low, far lower than those anticipated by the producers of the PSUs that we use. You should use the average or the lower figures to calculate your processing current, as this will give the minimum ppm that you have produced.
Only the SilverTron holds the current rock-solid at the power set, because it samples the current many times a second. It is theoretically possible to make a circuit to do this for a "normal" PSU, but the costs would certainly not be as low as we pay for a PSU from eBay.
Your PSU C-C circuit is a completely acceptable solution for all uses.
gkar:
--- Quote from: cfnisbet on July 08, 2020, 09:04:56 AM ---
--- Quote from: gkar on July 08, 2020, 03:26:42 AM ---Hi,
During making my first batch yesterday, I noticed that the multimeter reading was constantly varying, by small amounts. Is this normal? Or should it have a stable mA reading?
My meter was fluctuating between ~3.17-3.6mA, during the production cycle. If it should remain absolutely stable, could the electrolyte be at fault? I read WGPeters stating that one of the functions of sodium carbonate is to assist with current control. I'm sure I made it according to specs, & amount: 10 drops for 0.5L.
Thanks
--- End quote ---
This is completely normal for a standard constant-current supply.
The currents we are using are very low, far lower than those anticipated by the producers of the PSUs that we use. You should use the average or the lower figures to calculate your processing current, as this will give the minimum ppm that you have produced.
Only the SilverTron holds the current rock-solid at the power set, because it samples the current many times a second. It is theoretically possible to make a circuit to do this for a "normal" PSU, but the costs would certainly not be as low as we pay for a PSU from eBay.
Your PSU C-C circuit is a completely acceptable solution for all uses.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for your excellent, thorough explanation to remove any uncertainty I had on the generator's -& hence, the final Colloidal Silver production- fluctuations.
Gene:
If you built yourself a current limiter, that should stay pretty much dead nuts over the whole run as long as there's enough headroom above cell voltage for it to adapt to changing cell voltage.
The current limiter in power supplies has never been uber accurate at small currents. Its there as protection so that if you're powering something and it "runs away" or shorts out, you don't turn it or the supply into a room heater that might even set something on fire.
As cfnisbet says, our usage is not "normal" by any means. If you're limiting to say 1 amp, what does a fraction of a milliamp mean? Right? If you're limiting to 5-10ma, that drift is significant.
There is nothing wrong leaving it like this. If it stays OVER the target current by a little, just run the correct amount of time and add a bit more reducing agent and call it even. For things that go into the body, nothing is an exact science so as long as all the IS is reduced to Colloidal Silver, you're good. Whether you ingest 20PPM or 22-25PPM, it matters little though if you're processing cold, that could be an issue given you really don't want to go up over 21PPM or so as above this it will start precipitating out silver oxide which isn't good. If you're processing hot and adding the reducer at the beginning of the run, you're fine - just add a smidge more to compensate for any misgivings. I usually do this anyway. A little too much reducer does nothing bad. Its sugar and a TINY amount of it to boot (unless you're using cinnamon tincture but the extra just makes it taste a bit more cinnamony -wink).
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