Scarpia said:

 "I am planning on doing just that - putting the ion generator off tool."

Hey that's a great idea!  That's thinking outside the box.  Not only would that allow one to use the retail containers as an applicator but in the case of those who still build an applicator it may be handy to have a large applicator for open areas and a smaller applicator for tight spots.  If the electronics are off-tool it would just be a matter of plugging in the applicator best suited to the job.  Thanks for the insight and ideas.  Looking forward to further installments!

I'd be interrested to know precisely what the polarization on a negative ion generator is.  Electricty flow is + to -; it doesn't get much more complicated.

In these applications it seems we are simply inducing a charge onto uncharged particles; once charged, the particles repel the pole they touched. 

I got curious about what these things are: here's my results:

http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/emotor/negion.html

Now things may sense!!

[but there's a new source for the device...]

The negative ION generator used in the static applicator is 12 volt DC not 120 volt AC.  I guess they are used in air filtration systems to remove dust & pollen I think.

Electronic Goldmine is the source I have seen referenced before.  The generator is also available from model-trains-video.com I believe.

Well, yes, but some people have been complaining about the voltage being too low...you thing 10,000V at the business end will satisfy them?

Apparently at a microamp or so that is safe - I remember that from electricity class - it's the Amps[current] that will kill you.

If these were used in Air filtration systems as that page says, that provides a cheap yardsale source for negative ion generators...he found his for $5 bucks apparently.

I was not aware people were complaining they needed more power.  Too many Tim the Tool Men out there I guess. ;o)

Benny said:

"I remember that from electricity class - it's the Amps[current] that will kill you."

Yes and IIRC I was told in that class that if the conditions are perfect it only takes about .8 of an amp to do the job.  Less if the current is applied directly to the heart but who would be that stupid?

Red Green meets Tim the Toolman Taylor...oh dear...

I once read a column in an OLD MR by an author guy who visited strange layouts.  In his travels he came across one man who had roughy F scale trains or perhaps bigger; this guy used Blender motors to power his engines - and guess what the track voltage was!!  Household 220V on the rails!!

But the trains ran really REALLY well...

Apparently the generators in the air cleaners is low enough to be safe...but don't take MY word on that!!

"Electricty flow is + to -; it doesn't get much more complicated."

No, it isn't. "Conventional flow" was debunked a century ago. Simply put, "electron flow" (excess charge) is from - to +. Voltage is the electromotive force (EMF, potential difference) between two poles. Current is the rate of flow of a given number of charged particles passing through a conductor at a given point (1 Amp = 6.25x10^18 electrons/sec).  The full details are not particularly relevant to basic modelling.

High voltage and low current should not be taken lightly; witness the recent spate of Taser-related injuries from units out of calibration or mis-applied by law enforcement officers. An unexpected "static" shock can also result in unintended movements of the hand or arm which may put them in harm's way.

As an aside, decoders with a "Back EMF" feature compensate for the inductive counter force that a motor generates during rotation, varying with RPM. It effectively smooths changes in the motor's rotation by addressing load variation.

As another aside, Back EMF is what affects DC solenoid (relay) coil circuits; hence the inclusion of a properly oriented diode across the coil terminals to short-circuit the reverse voltage spike generated as the magnetic field of the coil collapses when the power to the relay is shut off.

I have a hard time seeing the point in modifying a room air cleaner unless you could get it for less than $5. The 12  volt version I got for $15 delivered from electronics goldmine; the work involved in ripping apart and re-rigging a home air cleaner version, seems kind of not worth it.  Once you have bought the ion generator, the rest of the materials can be either "found" or sub $1 (alligator clips, wire, screen, and electricians tape).

I decided not to move the generator off the tool at this time as I did such a nice job soldering it up. Instead I'm going to use a velcro strap to attach it on a per use basis to the side of the flock container. I cut a piece of screen to fit the 32 ounce bottles last night; as soon as I receive my scenic express order I'll give it a whirl and post up the results.

Me and battery poles never quite get it right - I need a battery diagram to remember it right - but yes, I remember now - it's the electorns that are moving!  Now the real challenge is when you get to the wires and remembering which is red and which is black and WHY!!  In accounting Black Ink is the one you have in excess, but in a battery you have excess negative - and that's a good thing!  So black is the Negative terminal!  But then You'll run into places where the person was thinking in the conventional manner; black is positive, red is negative!

Of course all what really matters is that the Negative lead is at the top of the hill, so to speak, and the positive lead is at the end bottom of the hill.  Getting those two switched and you either blow the circuit or nothing happens because someone smart put a couple diodes in the circuit!

If the leads are exposed on the first tool, then you can hook a second tool up to the first tool with no issues...I think that's what you were saying though; all you need is a double ended set of wires with alligator clamps to go from tool one to tool two, kind of like jumper cables.

<Me and battery poles never quite get it right - I need a battery diagram to remember it right - but yes, I remember now - it's the electorns that are moving!  Now the real challenge is when you get to the wires and remembering which is red and which is black and WHY!!  In accounting Black Ink is the one you have in excess, but in a battery you have excess negative - and that's a good thing!  So black is the Negative terminal!  But then You'll run into places where the person was thinking in the conventional manner; black is positive, red is negative!>

Don't confuse polarity with accounting and the color of the ink used.

The coilor of the ink used has nothing to do with excess that are positive or negative. Red ink was used in the days before printing of financial statements became common to show that the company had a negative income (expenses greater than revenue). Today this shown in parenthesis.

Polarity is a different issue entirely.

Irv