Excitron Grid Controlled Mercury Arc Rectifier

Rare test and a bit of fun with of an Excitron grid controlled Mercury Arc Rectifier

[@Photonicinduction]

Lol, not even I can get in the comments first! Warm regards to you all, thank you. Andy.

[@Purple431]

Hello

[@Purple431]

Your welcome Andy!

[@Ryan-be8jf]

Thanks bud! Keep em coming....plans to pop capacitors today with the kids

[@arminius7799]

Hi!! You're welcome ❤️

[@TheMattjussila]

Love you Andy!

[@Photonicinduction]

Aussie50 will always be on my wall, bless him RIP

[@RetroSwim]

He was a beautiful soul, I miss his antics deeply.

[@naomi10260]

thats so depressing, i miss him, what a loss :(

[@zayd162]

F

[@leexgx]

Will always remember his washing machine

[@IC-qf7ev]

Rest in peace Aussie50

[@Nordern]

At this point i'd not be suprised if he suddenly has a nuclear reactor to show us

[@CallumWK]

Funny you should mention that, he did once have plans to build a fission reactor if I remember correctly... not sure what happened to it...

[@sleeptyper]

Beats a genset any time, lol.

[@Levin12377]

Hi Norden

[@collingeiger7321]

honestly

[@rolandlemmers6462]

Don't know why but the combination of a nuclear reactor and photonic induction slightly worries me for some reason.

[@UraTrowelie]

This guy really is a legend. Out of nowhere, Drops every fan on KZbin like a bad habit. MIA for 4yrs. Returns as tho he never left. Gets a 100k subs in a week or two. Well done photon.

[@SpeedyStevesChimineySweeping]

he did it for a good reason tho

[@Encrypt-]

@@SpeedyStevesChimineySweeping how come?

[@how.to.crypto]

@@Encrypt- had to get his wife into his country, it cost alot of money so he worked like a mad man for 4 years. theres a video about it on his channel check it out

[@dubsydubs5234]

He made a video on his departure and then his return, most definitely didn't drop us like a bad habit.

[@ARSZLB]

uhhh you really need to get a clue about the REASON he ‘dropped us like a bad habit’ because that’s very rude and 100% false. any good man would have done the same as Photon in his situation. very proud of the man, myself

[@leokimvideo]

Photon, the man brave enough to play with the devil metal

[@sixstringedthing]

He's proper back lads, he's not f**king abaht.

[@Wm.]

Surely you're the first person in history to use an excitron as a music visualizer! :)

[@ruinsleepless9098]

Nobody show Sam from LMNC, thinking about what he'd do with it scares me.

[@RobR386]

@@ruinsleepless9098 When I saw Photon using it this way, LMNC came to mind instantly :D

[@nicwilson89]

@@ruinsleepless9098 LMNC? Uhoh, am I missing out on something awesome here...

[@ruinsleepless9098]

@@nicwilson89 Look Mum No Computer, Sam, he's an awesome musician, uses analog and modular synths, not to mention the absolute mad creations. Here on y-ou-tube, worth checking out.

[@nicwilson89]

@@ruinsleepless9098 Ohh, yeaaaaa I'm subbed to him. Didn't recognise it as an abbreviation haha, but yea I adore his channel as a musician and electronics nerd with a love of both weird creations and synth-y goodness. Thanks! :D

[@Woffy.]

This Excitron may never see power again but what a magnificent display it made.

[@CorndogBrownie]

I can’t imagine all of his collectibles. Absolutely crazy man. Neat

[@MrEp5]

Having the goodies is one thing. Knowing what you can do with them and go past the limits without blowong yourself up, is another. :D

[@ih4t3u28]

and where does he get all of this stuff from? and where does he get the money for all this stuff?

[@mrmerfeo4320]

@@ih4t3u28 He is in the know so he has access to alot of goodies, or at the very least people that own the goodies

[@UraTrowelie]

I'd love to hear a price estimate on his collection

[@Smartzenegger]

Imagen this thing just tiny and working as a keychain.

[@wolfdale_3m]

The new computer is like a new fresh start for Andy. He's going to use the old intro style again and it's going to evolve into a newer style while he becomes more familiar with the new PC.

[@uK8cvPAq]

Until Windows 11 is forced down our throats and he puts his foot through it again.

[@SeanKerrygames]

i wonder what software hes using

[@wolfdale_3m]

​@@uK8cvPAqI'll take your word for it.

[@willjohnsonjohnson]

@@uK8cvPAq Don't install it if you don't need it.

[@wolfdale_3m]

@@willjohnsonjohnson right. Until Microsoft denies users still using Win10 and forces them to upgrade.

[@Minimelkav]

You can’t keep spoiling us like this 😂 “Here’s the original container”

[@thetoasterisonfire2080]

As quickly as he returned , he left once again. We can only hope for his return.

[@realastropulse]

It makes me so glad to see a youtuber come back after 4 years, and have just as many, if not more dedicated fans. Simply amazing. Best wishes, and keep having dangerous fun!

[@BrorAppelsin]

When I got the notification I couldn't even remember who it was at first :)

[@tsm688]

The man's got fans for a reason. He don't mess around

[@exulan9570]

Still love how you kept the original editing style

[@EeekiE]

He let’s the things being demonstrated be the star of the show. No bullshit. No unnecessary waffling. No rushing. Just sharing a hobby and interest with the world.

[@tsm688]

@@EeekiE He didn't gain 100K by being pushy and playing games. Most youtube celebrities would lose that in 5 minutes if they stopped pandering and pushing and gaming the system, let alone fell off the face of the earth for 4 years

[@amplecrayon9724]

These mercury arc rectifier exhibitions have been awesome. I've only now recently learned about them a week before your June 21st update and the angry neon blue octopus has impressed me time and time again. Fun fact: Mercury arc rectifiers feature a staggering efficiency of 95-96%. ( With a 20 badass point bonus - hidden )

[@jacknedry3925]

That's impressive!

[@peterlee2622]

Thanks for great memories. As I said in the comment to your last video, I worked on transmitters using these rectifiers back in the 1970s. A bank of 12 of these in 2 x 6 phase bridge configuration could deliver 11kV dc at around 40 amps. It was always great to see the dippers jump up as the transmitter HT was started, followed a moment later by the blue glow from the 12 tubes. We didn't use the grid control to vary output power, but simply had the facility to switch one bank completely off to reduce the supply voltage while we tuned up the transmitter. The grid, was, of course, biassed positively by a potential divider of encapsulated resistors so that the grid sat , I think, around half the anode voltage. I seem to remember that the excitation could be turned off to kill the output quickly in the event of an overload on the transmitter (which were frequent!). The high voltage AC was controlled by an oil circuit breaker in the substation which would take a good part of a second to operate, so this fast acting protection by the MARs was important. Incidentally, we always called these tubes "Ex-ee-trons", not "Excite-trons" - don't know if we were correct, but I guess we probably got the pronunciation from English Electric who origianally made these tubes, I believe, when the transmitters were installed in the 1960s. Thanks, from an old transmitter man for bringing this back to life!

[@frankjohnson7204]

Hi Peter. I also worked on many of these in the Marconi short-wavers... Best regards.

[@phirebird27]

Still got the wall of followers, wow. Also rest in peace aussie50.

[@whoyoulookingatabs1028]

yeah, Seeing some of the OGs on there made me feel nostalgic

[@FrontSideBus]

I've been watching all of his old videos in sequence when I have some spare time. I found Photonic's channel via Aussie50. RIP Ed Jones!

[@RNA0ROGER]

Loved Aussie an Aussie.myself and you can see.my pic

[@whoyoulookingatabs1028]

@@FrontSideBus Ayyy, its you! Haven’t seen ya in a while

[@whoyoulookingatabs1028]

I miss Aussie50 dude. Seeing him in the background when Andy was talking made me sad. FrontSideBus’ Profile Picture also brought back some memories :) keep up the good work, Andy.

[@MrFang333333]

What happened to him? I think the same, I think I found Photonic through Aussie.

[@uK8cvPAq]

@@MrFang333333 Aussie50? Committed suicide.

[@whoyoulookingatabs1028]

@@MrFang333333 Aussie50 Took his own life, unfortunately :(

[@rjs198585]

Frontsidebus is in the comments down below lol..

[@kc0eks]

Aussie50 was and always will be one of my fave people. Just wish he knew that.

[@OnTheRocks71]

Looks like a component that you'd install in a sci-fi hyperdrive. Wicked cool.

[@nikkiofthevalley]

The name sounds like one, too.

[@vanharmon4423]

This channel is one reason I still watch you tube. That dry British humor without the juvenile crap wondering when they are going to get fried playing with that much power not knowing what they are doing. Love it

[@popepaul4438]

I would consider these rectifiers a work of art in their own right there beautiful

[@funnyyylock]

The best intro on KZbin.

[@DanielTseng100]

I love these things so much. They have that eerie mysterious aura surrounding them. If I ever have enough money I'll buy one of those "octopus" rectifiers or even commission one if there are none available, I really want to have a running unit in my collection of vintage equipment. Thank you Photon for showing and teaching us how it works

[@nicwilson89]

He's got one or two of those, too, haha

[@pauls510luv]

WOW! You are so much fun to watch while playing and teaching. The music is a nice touch too!

[@TRKaliFoxxo]

One of the many reasons I absolutely LOVE you and your channel. Educational but also chaotic at times! Lots of love from the US.

[@idontneedaname85]

Best night light ever. That little blue dot and I could be best friends.

[@MuhammadHanif-bx4pb]

you definitely don't want this near your field of vision. the UV radiation from those thing are nasty.

[@alexander3554]

@@MuhammadHanif-bx4pb True but only if it can pass through the glass. Ordinary glass blocks UV, so they use quartz glass on germicidal UV lamps and EPROMs for that reason.

[@javierenriquez1652]

And the whirring sound

[@zspacecaptain8228]

Mercury leakage in the middle of the night?

[@blackferrets820]

@@zspacecaptain8228 trust that thing wont leak except you break it

[@stevec00ps]

The light to music and the 'VU' meter in amps is just great!

[@tommihommi1]

Really puts the UV in VU meter

[@paulh5293]

Loving these arc rectifiers. Reading how they work isn't half as good as seeing it in this sort of detail. And never have I been so happy *not* to hear the words "ah, popped it". Thanks for treating these elderly beauties with such respect.

[@Shadowcify]

So happy you are uploading regularly again!

[@stefanotrevisan4924]

This piece will be awesome in the MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING ELSE!!!

[@sofa-lofa4241]

Yeah, connected to his Megadrone !

[@Alenvmathew007]

Compared to the present day solid state devices, these Mercury arc rectifiers operates with a mesmerising elegance and grandeur. The quote - "Any sufficiently 'advanced' technology is indistinguishable from magic"- candidly complements this.

[@kobraflyer]

I just spent 14 minutes staring at a rectifier, with some bonus music at the end. ...and it was beautiful. Thanks for that. :-)

[@tafsirnahian669]

His voice is perfect for a villain character lol.

[@matthewday7565]

Mercury rectifiers are also good for a villain's lair - fry the intruder with voltage, sunburn them with UV and then poison them with mercury if they break it

[@blkmgk16]

He talks as if you didn't listen or understand there would be severe consequences lol

[@MuitoDaora]

His giggles are very villainous

[@juststeve5542]

Said every Hollywood producer about every British accent... Ever! But yeah, the London "cheeky chappy" accent does make you think he's got his fingers in many pies (and mash).

[@tsm688]

@@blkmgk16 He's an electrician. If you don't, there just might be

[@GrantWyness]

I love the new happier professor Photonic - keep them coming Andy 🍻🤞🏻

[@SinisterCity]

I’d like to believe he’s been in a time machine since May 2017. I’m just glad you’re back man.

[@casemodder89]

Clive would absolutely love this awesome looking ozon generator ! I can smell it through the screen.

[@noahb717]

My favorite part other than how he explained how it worked - was when he decided to hook it up to an audio output. That was awesome. And it's a very good demonstration of AM - amplitude modulation and frequency. I just love how he took an analog signal in AC and used it to feed an AC to DC conversation to prove his point. Bravo. It took me back into the 80's and 90's. Now I'm wondering what the lifespan of the rectifier would be if I used it in the same way for a lot of music.

[@kaya9293]

Wondering the same... maybe use the output to some heavy material on a continuous feed for a "nearly unlimited" audio bandwidth(As far as human hearing goes) on the output of the mix. Heck if 2 inch was the Master Standard, think of a heavy bar of magnetic memory type materials in layers to capture the unique output characteristics of each material in the layer. Maybe the 30v layer could carry a digital pulsed signal across it with your analog across the mains. (think time-coding, midi, and any other time lock clocks to synch equipment?) or (furthermore maybe compressed forms of the medium?) Meh maybe nothing new here... but hey, to have a recording venue alight with all these tubes, would be wicked. Now these recordings would be played on a custom venue pa designed for the increased bandwidth of this recording medium to just use stupid amounts of power needlessly... just because it might sound cool. yee. Shrugs shoulders ...if= ...off to another tangent. If I had money I would try to build the worlds most unique music venue, weird, quirky and strange that the whole time off prime time of the "paid shows" people could sign up for time slots to just play and jam through the system at will with doors open and free as a art center to if you chose to hear random artists its free, if you want specific is pay because of having to pay the band. But again, the pay side would just be the support for the freedom of expression of art aside from big music, aside from server platforms... if no one is jamming you'd be able to just walk up plug in and jam with an on staff sound crew 24/7. Feel free to put your opensource music waves out into the ether. Feels good to dream.

[@Zero.0ne.]

Fine print in the beginning is hilarious

[@venbrou]

I lost it at "Unidirectional digital input" meaning some dude giving the equipment a good thump.

[@crystalfir]

Coming from an undergrad studying physics, the light education is a nice touch. love the vids

[@morkorson4196]

That is way more watchable than a lava lamp, and the buzz accompanying it is so reassuring.

[@charmio]

I'd like to hear more about the technical details of these interesting devices you have. The pros and cons vs modern tech, history of where they were used, what it does, how it functions, etc.. I think I speak for you entire audience when I say we'd love to hear your take on it.

[@dimitar4y]

Pro-s and Con-s of these old things: 1. So simple that it's robust as hell. 2. It does very well for the cheapness of the materials - a DIY version can outperform multi-million-dollar modern equipment 3. Horrible response speeds, horribly inefficient, tendency to be made of hazardous materials, difficult to ship or repair

[@Sixta16]

@@dimitar4y ad 2: Cheap materials probably yes, but requires a metric sh!t ton of manual workmanship to be made. Was likely as expensive back then as a modern semiconductor solution today. And I would be very careful about claiming it outperforming a modern equipment - which is a huge lie, especially as this device in most situation could be replaced with something as simple as SCR (thyristor). That is a very robust semiconductor by itself.

[@dimitar4y]

@@Sixta16 Can you make a SCR thyristor in your home? HEC NO. Can you make a tube thing? Yes, easily. It doesn't require a "ton" of workmanship. It just requires a jar, some glass blowing equipment and a few pieces of metal. And yes, it will outperform modern equipment for a fraction of the material and production cost. However, it will be GROSSLY inefficient. But also awesome and robust.

[@zebdeming]

@@dimitar4y Don't forget high vacuum equipment, I doubt these things work under a normal atmosphere. A cheap vacuum pump rarely works in these situations, you'll normally need either a diffusion pump or a turbo molecular pump, and neither are cheap

[@dimitar4y]

@@zebdeming what are you talking about lol go watch a cody episode. You can make a basic mercury high vacuum pump - just like they did it in the old days!! You think they had lasers and CNC machines back in those days? Don't underestimate the ingenuity of someone strapped for cash and just a stick for equipment!

[@Nuker-jc6qo]

Man I'm so glad to see when that youtube notification comes

[@martehoudesheldt5885]

your right . i love the color of the light it would make a great low room light . i don't know how you do it on getting all the old stuff to show us but please keep it up. i am 72 an really like seeing all the stuff that you find. thank you for keeping history alive and more. also having fun is a good thing👍😊

[@davidbrennan5]

Glad your making videos again. Greetings from Canada.

[@dylanholzman8840]

wow thats cool.. gotta say I got my love of electricity from this channel. I'm now an electrician because of it. glad your back mate! cheers!

[@robertlapointe4093]

Thanks for showing us this brilliant bit of history. Loved the musical grid modulation.

[@lonniehand1386]

Things like this is why I love this channel the average person like me would never see anything like this if it wasn't for him

[@Flumphinator]

Best outro ever. Would be awesome in a music video or something. If Photon started a museum with all this cool stuff, I’d honestly fly my ass there from Texas.

[@timarc9895]

Oh my god, the part with the music... So nice!

[@wardfiction5693]

So true man..... that was awsome...

[@BiggRanger]

The king of HV is back!!!! So glad to hear your voice and see your work again!

[@williams6550]

Shaking and messing with that while it's on is like poking dangerous insects with a stick. Love it!

[@DreamGrandDragon]

When we lost ed that was a bad day. But now we have you to pop things with just a little bit of love in his memory. Rip Aussie50

[@samcoon6699]

So cool that you show us this stuff. I watched your other video on the 3 phase rectifier and found both of those very interesting. I work in the maintenance field and unfortunately (or fortunately) we don't get to see that stuff that you show us. Thank you so much for making these videos.

[@Lee_B_Futures]

The OG intro!! YES

[@kc0eks]

So glad you are back KZbin needed some old school awesome creators again. That music responsive tube is the most amazing thing I've seen.. in a long time

[@Lo0NaTik1]

Photonicinduction theme tune is now my ringtone. The looks I get when someone calls me is pure gold.

[@vergilstatus2975]

nice to see your old intro .. feels so nostalgic .. love ur vids mate !!!

[@hooviedoovie5220]

Almost looks like Cherenkov radiation when the main is switched on

[@ruinsleepless9098]

Ok seriously mercury vapour blue, now my favourite colour. Thanks for bringing crazy rare stuff to us man, loved every minute

[@fissionchips8840]

Great to have you back 👍 Another excellent video!!

[@noisytim]

What an absolutely gorgeous bit of kit! I’m glad I got to see one of those, before I kick it. Cheers, man! I’d send some beers your way if I could!

[@spodule6000]

That outtro cured my cat's epilepsy.

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Wow such a cool device, makes such a cool light and satisfying purring type sound.

[@fredygump5578]

And to think, 500k people waited 4 years for this. Totally worth it!

[@econimical9587]

Man watching you turn an excitron into a musical light show made me feel like everything is ok🙂

[@F-Man]

His Eclectic Electrical Eminence has returned!

[@Terry-Tibbs]

Great to have you back, & looking so well My Life is returning to normal with each upload,

[@TheClanAdventures]

Its so hot its unbearable. proceeds to double the temp. Mad lad indeed. Andy Your the spark and light this year needed. Keep the light show coming

[@dash8brj]

musical tesla coils are old fashioned - bring on the musical excitrons! :)

[@theelmonk]

Seems like the perfect control valve for a tesla coil

[@CharredSteak]

@@theelmonk i’d be curious how fast you could actually switch one of these exactly for stuff like that

[@phoephoe795]

It'll look very awesome in a tesla setup. (assuming the tesla fields wont screw with the excitron)

[@FishFind3000]

14:12 perfect for a rave

[@EeekiE]

I could imagine LookMumNoComputer incorporating some of these things into his set.

[@SephBane]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@tudoria]

***MMM MERCURY RAVE***

[@dav1dbone]

@@EeekiE I could imagine him building a giant version, like turning his living room into a Mercury Arc Rectifier with electrodes coming in the windows, with him sloshing around the liquid metal while blue spectral emissions are bouncing off his head.

[@mastertravelerseenitall298]

Anyone that absorbs X-ray & UV radiation for "music effect" earns my thumbs up! Great vid!

[@stephenstones6251]

That piece of kit is a work of art and the colour is mesmerising . Thanks a very enjoyable vid

[@justas7463]

The King is back with some more legendary content, what a treat!

[@scott8919]

I'm a simple man. I get a PI notification, I click.

[@Doeff8]

I clear my calender.

[@georgiosxirouchakis439]

It’s like start nuclear reactor the sound and color…amazing!!

[@K-Effect]

That's one of the best looking power meters I have ever seen! I need 2 for my home stereo, left and right channels

[@the__geekboy]

That intro is sooo Nostalgic ❤️

[@mrrooter601]

hell yeah, that outro was awesome!

[@frommarkham424]

The intro feels like something from the 1990s-2000s even though it was made in 2021

[@CPUTests]

I always had my computer audio line out plugged in with an old Pioneer with some EQ and very good hand made speaker I have for years, I was a child when I construct those speakers and I have a good quality to listen to this videos. Audio is important too and the sound that I like more is to ear that variac at the background rotating upwards. Very good Photonic! God bless you! Love your videos! Best regards. Hope you come back soon.

[@paulmcmc4005]

It’s crazy how people think these up with regards to invention, such a long time ago as well🤓

[@PITTBULL0]

Absolute god has returned

[@nightbutchers]

Loved it..outtro was awsome..Thanks for coming back

[@wibblywobblyidiotvision]

That's glorious. The world needs more Mercury arc rectifiers.

[@m3sca1]

i was doing some work on the car yesterday and everytime i needed the hammer...i used Andy's accent..."wheres my 'ammer"?

[@Dazzy84]

Haha. I do the same. 🤣

[@chrisfarrell7309]

Same here!😂 and when things are not working out properly I also add “I ain’t havin it!”😂

[@Wayoutthere]

@@chrisfarrell7309 His accent is half the fun really

[@5Dale65]

I keep saying "wherz me fuckin' beah" when I can't find my beer

[@BeeKisses]

Followed by "aaahm nor'ravvin it!!"

[@zvezdaster]

you should give that to Matt from Techmoan, he's always looking for ever more niftier VU meters.. nothing is ever gonna top this one!

[@Epyon3001]

OMG, I love this! Not only a great video showing older technology and ways of doing things, but I also love the combination of old and new at the end. It's an awesome and entertaining way to bring life to an older piece of technology as a wonderful visual to the music!

[@thelamb288]

Best outro I have EVER seen on KZbin, thanks to you and the chaps :D Cheers.

[@sarkybugger5009]

"Unidirectional digital input." I'm stealing that one.

[@kamenovyuri2571]

THE BEST INTRO IN KZbin

[@craignehring]

Splendid, always a treat to watch and hear your latest antics So SO very happy to have you back

[@xyzconceptsYT]

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. This is mesmerising.

[@kjm-ch7jc]

Love to know his background and how he got the knowledge in what he does.

[@ZizzyDizzyMC]

Photon owns a company, and did (does?) a lot of stuff relating to lighting. His hobby of working with stuff just kind of progressed into breaking things electrically on KZbin - and it turns out a lot of people really enjoy seeing things let the smoke out. He's always taught safety and stuff in his videos - and I really appreciate that a long ways compared to similar tubers who do not teach safety or *cough* pretend to touch HV equipment.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

All I image at the end is the neighbourhood lights dimming to the beat 😂😂🤣

[@upsidedownrc8992]

Life is PPAAAANNTTTS...MAN we need you back❤❤❤ Please come back lad. Hope your doing ok👍🇮🇪

[@VariacManiac]

Years ago, I showed my mom some of your videos and she told me your voice is soothing lol!

[@ponchoremerize5508]

I love old technology. Like they say, "If it an't broke don't fix it."

[@aaronbrandenburg2441]

@Ghost Heart well and a few hacks make it better. For example if you've got underpowered tool that can take the power upgrade the motor. Got it all puny not-so-good vacuum going around use it in the shop for dust collection and power takeoff! But may not necessarily be broken but could be repurposed into something better or maybe make it better in some way more suited to your use. Such as adding circuitry to a plain old dumb fan to make it work with say a smart speaker or other smart device even though it was not broken in the first place you fixed it and made it better that ever was so that could really be you fixing something that's not broken depending on how you look at it

[@psy0rz]

the motto here is: if it aint broke, pop it!

[@Melonthefox]

Rest in peace 🙏 💔 Aussie 50

[@sdgelectronics]

@Ghost Heart In the intro where everyone from 8 years ago who had a KZbin channel sent in a picture - Aussie50 was one of the original vloggers.

[@guitarstitch]

@Ghost Heart He was another youtuber that was all about content and chaos. None of this popularity or monetization BS. Sadly, he succumbed to depression and exited this world.

[@johnnycash4034]

I hope you have children who will appreciate having this one day.

[@HOMeSKILiT24]

Using a audio signal to control the grid was pretty neat, I was telling someone at work how cool it would be to make a MAR glow to the music. It can be done by the looks of it.