Electric Field Transformer...

[Fred Bloggs]

Everyone is aware of the technique of running multiple turns of wire through an ammeter current probe to place the measurement within the meter scale for reasonable accuracy.

What\'s the equivalent procedure for multiplying an electric field measurement/ indication for a non-contact meter?

 

[Anthony William Sloman]

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10:54:03 PM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:

Everyone is aware of the technique of running multiple turns of wire through an ammeter current probe to place the measurement within the meter scale for reasonable accuracy.

What\'s the equivalent procedure for multiplying an electric field measurement/ indication for a non-contact meter?

Perhaps a

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_mill

it\'s not really the same thing, but turning a static field into AC is a useful trick too.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydne

 

[Fred Bloggs]

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 9:12:19 AM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10:54:03 PM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:
Everyone is aware of the technique of running multiple turns of wire through an ammeter current probe to place the measurement within the meter scale for reasonable accuracy.

What\'s the equivalent procedure for multiplying an electric field measurement/ indication for a non-contact meter?
Perhaps a

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_mill

it\'s not really the same thing, but turning a static field into AC is a useful trick too.

Right- I\'m familiar with that technique. Put the signal in a very narrow band using low noise, offset and drift electronics.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydne

 

[Fred Bloggs]

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 9:12:19 AM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10:54:03 PM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:
Everyone is aware of the technique of running multiple turns of wire through an ammeter current probe to place the measurement within the meter scale for reasonable accuracy.

What\'s the equivalent procedure for multiplying an electric field measurement/ indication for a non-contact meter?
Perhaps a

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_mill

it\'s not really the same thing, but turning a static field into AC is a useful trick too.

I think the key may be to concentrate the field, maybe bring it to a point somehow.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydne

 

[Anthony William Sloman]

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 11:56:44 PM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 9:12:19 AM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:
On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10:54:03 PM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:
Everyone is aware of the technique of running multiple turns of wire through an ammeter current probe to place the measurement within the meter scale for reasonable accuracy.

What\'s the equivalent procedure for multiplying an electric field measurement/ indication for a non-contact meter?
Perhaps a

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_mill

it\'s not really the same thing, but turning a static field into AC is a useful trick too.
I think the key may be to concentrate the field, maybe bring it to a point somehow.

That gives you steeper electric field gradient, and field emission electron sources do exploit that, but it doesn\'t do anything for the voltage difference.

There\'s more capacitance across a narrow gap than a wide one, so you can get more AC current by modulating a narrow gap rather than a wide one in your field mill or vibrating reed electrometer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrometer

--
Bill Sloman, Sydne

 

[John Larkin]

On Sun, 24 Sep 2023 06:35:38 -0700 (PDT), Fred Bloggs
<bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 9:12:19?AM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:
On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10:54:03?PM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:
Everyone is aware of the technique of running multiple turns of wire through an ammeter current probe to place the measurement within the meter scale for reasonable accuracy.

What\'s the equivalent procedure for multiplying an electric field measurement/ indication for a non-contact meter?
Perhaps a

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_mill

it\'s not really the same thing, but turning a static field into AC is a useful trick too.

Right- I\'m familiar with that technique. Put the signal in a very narrow band using low noise, offset and drift electronics.

Vibrating reed electrometer.

 

[whit3rd]

On Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 5:54:03 AM UTC-7, Fred Bloggs wrote:

Everyone is aware of the technique of running multiple turns of wire through an ammeter current probe to place the measurement within the meter scale for reasonable accuracy.

What\'s the equivalent procedure for multiplying an electric field measurement/ indication for a non-contact meter?

Electrostatic voltmeters use a capacitor plate/spring kind of indicator driver.
To get \'multiplication\' they use a multiplate capacitor.

The familiar pith-ball electrometer doesn\'t have any multiplication scheme, other than
to dangle the pith balls on longer (conductive) strings.

In addition to field mills (generally a grounded-blades rotating mechanism) there\'s
vibrating reeds, but the \'non-contact\' descriptor doesn\'t really apply to those, because the
position sensitivity has to be nulled by burying the vibrator inside a shield,