Bedini Monopole 3 Group Experiment

1 Overview
Bedini Monopole 3 group members
can meet the group’s learning goals by
building and testing a John Bedini
Monopole Mechanical Oscillator
according to the circuit shown here.
A new plastic or aluminum bicycle
wheel mounted in a study non-metallic
support structure is recommended; you
may use your own design.
• What happens to the charging
battery?
• What does the meter indicate going
into the battery?
• What do we get out of the battery
on a repeated basis?
Do as many presentations as you wish
to help in this project.

2 Step by Step Instructions

2.1 Safety First
Flying magnets are dangerous. Wrap fiberglass filament tape around the circumference of
your wheel to restrain the magnets. This safety measure is in addition to regular gluing of
the magnets.
Lead-acid batteries contain a diluted sulfuric acid electrolyte, which is a highly corrosive
and poisonous.
When working with batteries, wear safety goggles, protective clothing and have plenty of
ventilation, remove your jewelry, and exercise caution.
Wash you hands after contact with batteries. Neutralize spilled acid with baking soda.

2.2 Assemble and Test Basic Unit

After you have obtained your parts from either the kit or sources indicated in the parts list,
construct the basic unit.
Connect the batteries and verify the unit runs.
See the message area for Troubleshooting information.

Copyright BM3 Group Page 1 of 5 Version 0.033

 Bedini Monopole 3 Group Experiment

2.3 Tuning
Tune for the highest wheel speed for supply battery current. This is reported in Magnets per
Minute per milliamp of supply battery current (mpmA).

2.4 Measure Output Current to Battery

The best way is to use an analog current meter in series with the charge battery. If you use a
digital current meter, average the readings.
Do not leave the current meter permanently connected as it reduces charge rate.

2.5 COP Testing

Batteries do not charge or discharge exactly as people expect. Repeated load testing helps
you understand the complexities of batteries. The best way to measure how much energy a
battery has is to measure how much work it can do via a load test.

Copyright BM3 Group Page 2 of 5 Version 0.033

 Bedini Monopole 3 Group Experiment

The Battery’s Coefficient Of Performance (COP) is calculated from these load tests. Tabulate
data for each charging/discharge test as shown in the example below.

Table 1 : Discharge Results

Intial Final Charge Charge Time Battery Load Battery Input to System
Run Voltage Voltage Amps Joules Start End Hours Watts Mins Joules COP Volts Amps Joules
1 12.25 12.92 0.036 18,865 19 50 07 24 11.57 15.63 20 18,756 0.994 13.22 0.160 88,077
2 12.31 12.89 0.036 20,875 18 35 07 22 12.78 15.63 20 18,756 0.899 13.22 0.160 97,342
3 12.24 12.94 0.036 20,477 18 00 06 33 12.55 15.63 20 18,756 0.916 13.22 0.160 95,565
4 12.30 13.00 0.036 17,925 22 45 09 41 10.93 15.63 26 24,383 1.360 13.22 0.160 83,254
5 12.26 12.93 0.036 20,404 12 20 00 50 12.50 15.63 26 24,383 1.195 13.22 0.160 95,184
6 12.29 12.97 0.036 19,779 08 30 20 35 12.08 15.63 32 30,010 1.517 13.22 0.160 92,011

Run The number of the charge/discharge cycle

Initial Voltage The voltage of battery at beginning of charging
Final Voltage The voltage of the battery at end of charging
Charge Amps The measured charge rate in amperes from section 2.4
Charge Joules The energy put into the battery in joules
Start Time Time battery charging started
End Time Time battery charging ended
Hours Duration of charge (End Time – Start Time)
Battery Load Watts Value in watts of discharge rate
Battery Load Minutes Duration of battery discharge in minutes
Battery Load Joules Energy obtained from battery discharge in joules
Battery COP Ratio of Battery Load Joules and Charge joules
Input to System Volts Average voltage of input to SSG
Input to System Amps Average input current to SSG in amperes
Input to System Joules Energy input to system in joules

Three of the above values are calculated from the collected data.
• Charge Joules is the result of average Initial Voltage and Final Voltage x Charge Amps x Hours x
3600.
• Hours is End Time - Start Time in hours.
• Battery Load Joules is Discharge Rate x Hours x 3600.

Copyright BM3 Group Page 3 of 5 Version 0.033

 Bedini Monopole 3 Group Experiment

2.6 Selecting a Lead-Acid Battery for Testing

The size and condition of the battery you use will affect the times required for charging and
discharging cycles.
For the SSG to be most effective, the battery must be conditioned by about 20 to 30
charge/discharge cycles. Old batteries go through a desulfating process at first which is slow,
thus a brand new battery is recommended.
For quicker results, select a 3 to 7 amp hour (Ah) battery.
For a battery rated in cranking amperes divide by 20 to get the approximate amp hour rating.
Lead-Acid batteries come in Sealed (SLA), Valve Regulated (VR), deep cycle, flooded and
many other constructions. We recommend flooded construction as it gives better results.

2.7 The Charging Process

The charging process is usually stopped after a predetermined voltage is reached or a fixed
amount of time. See section 2.9 for determining terminal voltage and/or time duration to use.

2.8 The Discharge Process

Rest the battery a minimum of one hour before discharging. The charging process can continue
up to 24 hours after removing it from the SSG.

Starting batteries are rated for a 20-hour discharge. The amperage that will discharge the battery
from full (about 12.8 volts) to empty (about 12.2 volts) in 20 hours is called the C20 rate.

Discharge rates higher than C20 reduce the life of a starter battery. Not so for true deep cycle
batteries.

Discharging is done with a resistor of adequate power rating. It is stopped after a predetermined
low voltage limit is reached. Use 12.2 volts or a value determined by criteria in section 2.9.

Discharge times are tabulated in a spreadsheet similar to Table 1.

2.9 Selecting Charge/Discharge Criteria

Depth of Discharge (DOD) is the percentage of the battery capacity used. For maximum battery
life DOD values should be a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 50%. 10% DOD of a 10 amp
hour (Ah) battery used at the C20 rate requires 2 hours. 50% DOD requires 10 hours.

The discharge resistor value is calculated by 12.2 volts divided by discharge current. For a 10Ah
battery discharged at the C20 rate (0.5 A) use a 24.4 ohm resistor (24). The minimum power
rating of this resistor is 12.2 volts x discharge current (0.5 A) or 6.1 watts.

A State of Charge (SOC) table for your particular battery is required to determine what terminal
voltage to use. Many variables such as temperature and battery construction affect the open

Copyright BM3 Group Page 4 of 5 Version 0.033

 Bedini Monopole 3 Group Experiment

circuit voltage measured with a digital voltmeter. Typical values for a flooded cell battery at 80
degrees F (26.7 C) are: 100% - 12.65v, 75% - 12.45v, 50% - 12.24v, 25% - 12.06v and 0% -
11.89.

These open circuit (i.e. nothing connected to the battery) values are not terminal voltages used
for discharge limits. Do a trial discharge to some value such as 12.5 volts. Disconnect the
discharge resistor. Measure the open circuit voltage of the battery after a few minutes. Use this
voltage and a SOC table for your battery to determine how much battery capacity you have left.

Choosing modest battery size and lower DOD values makes the testing more pleasant.

Copyright BM3 Group Page 5 of 5 Version 0.033