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explaination ?
Ha, ha, ha... 
my crazy friend Ivconic ! But... have to say I tested too... and works as described... so Ivconic is not so crazy as it seems sometimes!
There's also a serious explaination...
Yes, laser "powder"(formally "toner") is something useful sometimes.
It's made of fine carbon particles (around 10um) bond with polymers like styrene or acrilic base polymers and similar stuff. As I know it doesn't contain iron particles if not in traces, but what's interesting is that the carbon particles are set in place by heath melting the polymer stuff around (that happens in the laser printers or photocopiers machines).
The formula you explained is intriguing also for that fact: the heath generated by chemical reaction with hardner is probably the cause of melting of external particle film (as said made of styrene etc) causing particles mixing much more effective under electrical point of view.
The particles hold a charge (that's how they are attracted on the roll of e.g. printer... a laser beam creates an electrical drawing ... made of charges over the roll that's then covered by powder that only stay fixed in some places having complementary charge than particles...) , that's why they are so effective in shielding from e.g. grass effect (due to static charges): the particles are also conductive when insulant polymers melt and they can make charge routes inside the mass of filler.
That's why, as in Faraday's cage same we made of aluminium etc and under the Gauss' flux theorem the charges stay outside in the outmost surface of "conductor", in our case... the mass itself: under that principle we can also say that inside the mass there's NO electric field, thus giving no capacitive coupling with coil's turns... so solving the annoying grass stuff...of false (capacitive driven) signals.
But why they are conductive also ??? Carbon particles are , actually, graphite grains, same as in acquadag/oildag varnish , conductive paint!
When polymer melts graphite particles can touch freely and enstablish electrical paths, the more graphite, the more conductivity.
In VLF MDs weak graphite shields (low conductive) are enough to shield from electrical troubles, like capacitive due to wet grass for example.
So... instead of buying hi grade graphite...and becoming crazy about finding it, pay for it, shipping it abroad... you can find some old cartridge and get what you need, now and forever! That's very clever!
But remember, it works mostly cause of the heath of reaction, that's why probably the "time" when you add the powder is so critical...
and quantity also... too few and you'll not get desired effect (too low conductivity) , too much and too much stuff to melt, can leave not enough room for further reaction and cause breech in the mass make it porous.
Also, take care: so small particles are a bit dangerous... avoid breathing them. Use some mask/breather at least, and mix outside home if possible.
Safety first.
Kind regards,
Max
Originally posted by ivconic
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"...Can you tell me is the lower part Al?This that is conected to coil?Because from this picture it look so..."
No. It is cheap plastic made in China! Ha,ha,ha! Poor Seben; bad detector and bad material also!
About mass:
It is so called "Smolit" and it is epoxy resin (2 components; mass and hardener). Just found a link:
http://www.fks.co.rs/fkse/maticna/pribor/text.htm
It is local manufacturer here in my country.
Mass is very tough to mix it. Once metal can opened; i divide mass in a portions for one coil each. Than i protect extra portions in separate cans and close those very good. Portion for one coil usually i mix very hard for 20 minutes to make it softer. Than join a bit of hardener and mix,mix,mix...sheeesh... tough in first few minutes, but than starts chemical reaction and mass is getting softer. It is getting a bit warm for a moment, not much...and last short. When mass is mixed good and soft, almost liquid than i add my secret ingredient!!!
After many experiments i found out that wasted laser printer powder is a hell of ingredient to join to prepared mass. Why? First i dont like natural color of the mass it is light gray...buiiiakk! Adding powder makes it black and nice. Also another trick; there is certain ammount of some iron particles in powder or something simillar so integrated in mass it is acting like some sort of very tiny "shield" against skin effects on coil surface. I noticed a much better stabillity in detector behavior when powder is joined in mass than without it. What a revelation! Hah!?
But you must be a carefull about powder dosage!! More than enough will degrade mass when dry and it will become porous. What is "enough" dosage for one coil? I can't tell exactly, i never measured, but it is very small ammount...let's say 0.3mL for one coil. So finaly, when dry, coil and bottom surface looks almost identical as any original coil....for example take a look at some Fisher 28cm spider coil, same look from bottom, looks also as same mass...shiny and black and hard as a steel! But Fisher 28cm Spider coil is (if i remember well) some 800gr weight, but my coils filled with this mass are usually from 580-650gr weight! I beat up the cat! (fisher) !!! Coil is 28cm (27cm). But newer 24cm coil is approx. 380gr. Same mass can be used also to fix and constrain any other coil. For example if you have housing for cc coil. You dont need to use much mass, just apply thin layer over windings and let it dry. You will be amazed after 10-12 hours. Also...if you want to protect whole pcb or just some important part from copying, scratch component values and apply thin layer of mass over those. Remember DBP2010? Remember the small piggy pcb? It was protected in simillar manner. Or lunatic ionic chamber in Mineoro? Ha,ha,ha! Same trick. Also in Future 2003 walkabout; whole pcb was covered with same or simillar material - not possible to scratch it without damaging some component... But in case of protection do NOT use laser powder in mixture!
Now i disclosed my top secret!!! Sheeeesh!!! Ha,ha,ha! Sooner or later i was about to post this here, anyway..so enjoy!
People! Do not discard your wasted laser powder! It is still very useablle! And a hell of a material for some works!
Cheers!
No. It is cheap plastic made in China! Ha,ha,ha! Poor Seben; bad detector and bad material also!
About mass:
It is so called "Smolit" and it is epoxy resin (2 components; mass and hardener). Just found a link:
http://www.fks.co.rs/fkse/maticna/pribor/text.htm
It is local manufacturer here in my country.
Mass is very tough to mix it. Once metal can opened; i divide mass in a portions for one coil each. Than i protect extra portions in separate cans and close those very good. Portion for one coil usually i mix very hard for 20 minutes to make it softer. Than join a bit of hardener and mix,mix,mix...sheeesh... tough in first few minutes, but than starts chemical reaction and mass is getting softer. It is getting a bit warm for a moment, not much...and last short. When mass is mixed good and soft, almost liquid than i add my secret ingredient!!!
After many experiments i found out that wasted laser printer powder is a hell of ingredient to join to prepared mass. Why? First i dont like natural color of the mass it is light gray...buiiiakk! Adding powder makes it black and nice. Also another trick; there is certain ammount of some iron particles in powder or something simillar so integrated in mass it is acting like some sort of very tiny "shield" against skin effects on coil surface. I noticed a much better stabillity in detector behavior when powder is joined in mass than without it. What a revelation! Hah!?
But you must be a carefull about powder dosage!! More than enough will degrade mass when dry and it will become porous. What is "enough" dosage for one coil? I can't tell exactly, i never measured, but it is very small ammount...let's say 0.3mL for one coil. So finaly, when dry, coil and bottom surface looks almost identical as any original coil....for example take a look at some Fisher 28cm spider coil, same look from bottom, looks also as same mass...shiny and black and hard as a steel! But Fisher 28cm Spider coil is (if i remember well) some 800gr weight, but my coils filled with this mass are usually from 580-650gr weight! I beat up the cat! (fisher) !!! Coil is 28cm (27cm). But newer 24cm coil is approx. 380gr. Same mass can be used also to fix and constrain any other coil. For example if you have housing for cc coil. You dont need to use much mass, just apply thin layer over windings and let it dry. You will be amazed after 10-12 hours. Also...if you want to protect whole pcb or just some important part from copying, scratch component values and apply thin layer of mass over those. Remember DBP2010? Remember the small piggy pcb? It was protected in simillar manner. Or lunatic ionic chamber in Mineoro? Ha,ha,ha! Same trick. Also in Future 2003 walkabout; whole pcb was covered with same or simillar material - not possible to scratch it without damaging some component... But in case of protection do NOT use laser powder in mixture!
Now i disclosed my top secret!!! Sheeeesh!!! Ha,ha,ha! Sooner or later i was about to post this here, anyway..so enjoy!
People! Do not discard your wasted laser powder! It is still very useablle! And a hell of a material for some works!
Cheers!
my crazy friend Ivconic ! But... have to say I tested too... and works as described... so Ivconic is not so crazy as it seems sometimes!
There's also a serious explaination...
Yes, laser "powder"(formally "toner") is something useful sometimes.
It's made of fine carbon particles (around 10um) bond with polymers like styrene or acrilic base polymers and similar stuff. As I know it doesn't contain iron particles if not in traces, but what's interesting is that the carbon particles are set in place by heath melting the polymer stuff around (that happens in the laser printers or photocopiers machines).
The formula you explained is intriguing also for that fact: the heath generated by chemical reaction with hardner is probably the cause of melting of external particle film (as said made of styrene etc) causing particles mixing much more effective under electrical point of view.
The particles hold a charge (that's how they are attracted on the roll of e.g. printer... a laser beam creates an electrical drawing ... made of charges over the roll that's then covered by powder that only stay fixed in some places having complementary charge than particles...) , that's why they are so effective in shielding from e.g. grass effect (due to static charges): the particles are also conductive when insulant polymers melt and they can make charge routes inside the mass of filler.
That's why, as in Faraday's cage same we made of aluminium etc and under the Gauss' flux theorem the charges stay outside in the outmost surface of "conductor", in our case... the mass itself: under that principle we can also say that inside the mass there's NO electric field, thus giving no capacitive coupling with coil's turns... so solving the annoying grass stuff...of false (capacitive driven) signals.
But why they are conductive also ??? Carbon particles are , actually, graphite grains, same as in acquadag/oildag varnish , conductive paint!
When polymer melts graphite particles can touch freely and enstablish electrical paths, the more graphite, the more conductivity.
In VLF MDs weak graphite shields (low conductive) are enough to shield from electrical troubles, like capacitive due to wet grass for example.
So... instead of buying hi grade graphite...and becoming crazy about finding it, pay for it, shipping it abroad... you can find some old cartridge and get what you need, now and forever! That's very clever!
But remember, it works mostly cause of the heath of reaction, that's why probably the "time" when you add the powder is so critical...
and quantity also... too few and you'll not get desired effect (too low conductivity) , too much and too much stuff to melt, can leave not enough room for further reaction and cause breech in the mass make it porous.Also, take care: so small particles are a bit dangerous... avoid breathing them. Use some mask/breather at least, and mix outside home if possible.
Safety first.
Kind regards,
Max
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