The RC Balloon-Lifter experiment
by Saviour ( Europe )

created on April 4, 2002 - JLN Labs - Last update April 4, 2002
All informations in this page are published free and are intended for private/educational purposes and not for commercial applications

Hi all lifters,

Today I successfully flew my RC lifter using helium balloons to just balance out its weight. The motorised panel worked as expected.

Regards,
Saviour.

Photos and details, courtesy of Saviour, more photos and technical datas at : http://bel.150m.com/experiments.htm

Design of a remote controlled lifter by Saviour

Following various unsuccessful attempts with radio controls readily available on the market, I decided to convert one of the cheap radio controls into an infra red system. Infra red transmission eliminated all transient problems which were entering the RC receiver unit via its antenna. The infra red receiver unit (below picture on lower right) is enclosed in a foil coated plastic cover to reduce interference reaching the board.
The photo below shows a demo version showing the basic components required to acheive a battery operated, isolated (no ground connections) remote controlled lifter. This unit is capable of powering my sealed lifter at full payload for about 30 minutes continous operation, starting with a set of fully charged batteries. Note the strong bowing up effect on the aluminium elements.

Phase I : Design of lightweight hv supply for lifter

Following various attempts to produce the best power to weight ratio hv power supply, my best present design utilises a colour tv line output transformer which has its driver circuitry built 'around it'. The below picture shows the power supply unit, that is battery operated. Weight is just 300g and power is approximately 80W at 45kV. Driver circuit consists of a 555 oscillator and BU508DF output transistor. Capable of running continously at full power without heatsink. Note the transformer is model HR 7493, others might need a higher dc input (>110v) to work properly, and will surely have different pin outs.

Schematic of the Lightweight HV power supply


Photo of assembled power supply

To see the videos, the free downloadable RealPlayer is required

Click here to view video of the tests of the On Board Power supply ( 252 kb )

Phase II : First flying EHD controlled machine

Involves directional control & helium baloon to balance out the battery+electronics weight, to achieve a real flying machine.

RC Lifter panel mounted on balsa structure. Centre shaft is motorised & can turn 360' to provide control in any direction in one vertical plane. Shown in the photo are my infra red remote control and all electronics on the upper shelf of the structure.

Phase III : Balloon lifter

The following video files show the above lifter, exactly balanced by 6 helium 3 foot balloons doing some acrobatics. All tests have been done indoor with just 1 metre clearance from the balloon to the ceiling so it was quite tight to manouvre.

SEE THE VIDEOS OF THE SAVIOUR's RC-LIFTER IN ACTION

To see the videos, the free downloadable RealPlayer is required

Click here to view video of the RC lifter vertical take off ( 135 kb )

Click here to view video of the RC lifter vertical landing ( 105 kb )

Click here to view video of the Motorized Control panel in action ( 176 kb )

Click here to view video of the RC-Lifter in translation ( 434 kb )

See more photos and technical datas at : http://bel.150m.com/experiments.htm

Comments from Jean-Louis Naudin :

CONGRATULATIONS SAVIOUR !!!
YOU EXPERIMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE LIFTERS PROJECT !!!

YOU HAVE DEFINITELY PROVED THAT :

1) A LIFTER WORKS WITH A POWER ON BOARD AND FULLY UNGROUNDED,
2) THIS IS NOT A SIMPLE REPULSION EFFECT BETWEEN THE DEVICE AND THE POWE SUPPLY,
3) IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO BUILD A KIND OF SEMI-RIGID BLIMP WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO FLY SILENTLY WITHOUT PROPELLER AND A COMMON ENGINE...

This is a new step towards a full electric and propellantless propulsion...

GOOD WORK AGAIN, SAVIOUR.

Best Regards
Jean-Louis Naudin
Email: JNaudin509@aol.com
Main Web site : http://jlnlabs.org
Site France : http://jlnlabs.multimania.com

See also the :

A Lightweight HV DC Power supply for your Lifter

Lifters builders and tests feed-back

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