CONTROL CIRCUIT CAR ON TAP WATER

The diagrams show a simple circuit to control and drive this mini-system. You are going to
make a 'square-pulse' signal that 'plays' the electrodes like a tuning fork; which you can
watch on an oscilloscope. The premise given by the literature is: the faster you want do go
down the road, the 'fatter' you make the pulses going into the reaction chamber. Duty
cycle will vary with the throttle in the vicinity of 90%MARK 10%SPACE (OFF/ON).
There is nothing sacred about how the pulse waveform is generated; there are many ways
to generate pulses, and the attached diagrams show a few. The diagram shows the NE555-
circuit approach from the referenced patent. The output switching transistor must be
rated for 1-5 amps @ 12VDC (in saturation).
Go with a plan that works for you or your friendly neighborhood technoid or mechanic, and
go get all the circuit elements from your local electronics store, such as Radio-Shack or
Circuits-R-Us, including the circuit board, IC sockets, and enclosure/box.
DigiKey has better selection, service, and knowledge; plus they have no minimum order. Be
sure to use a circuit board with a built-in ground plane, and to accommodate room for
mounting 2 or 3 of the gauges. Mounting the reaction chamber in the engine compartment
will require running a stub to your pressure gauge where you can watch it.
You can easily make 30-gauge wire-wrap connections between the socket pins and thru-
hole discrete components having wire leads. Also make sure to get spec sheets on any IC
you use. More details of the best circuits to use will be announced pending prototype
testing. You will want to get your chamber level sensor verified before you epoxy the cap
on.
Throttle Control
If you have a throttle position sensor, you should be able to access the signal from the
sensor itself OR from the computer connector. This signal is input to the circuit as the
primary control (i.e. throttle level = pulse width = vapor rate).
If you don't have such a signal available, you will have to rig a rotary POT (variable
resistor) to the gas linkage (i.e. coupled to something at the gas pedal or throttle cable
running to the carb or FI. If you make the attachment at the carb/FI, be sure to use a
POT that can handle the engine temp cycles. Don't use a cheezy-cheapy POT; get one rated for long life and mechanical wear; mount it securely to something sturdy and
stationary that will not fall apart when you step on the gas.
Control Range. The full throttle RANGE (idle-max) MUST control the vapor rate, i.e. pulse-
width (duty). The resistor values at the throttle signal must allow the throttle signal
voltage, say 1-4 Volt swing, to drive the VAPOR RATE. You will be using this voltage swing
to generate a 10% ON 'square' pulse. The patent implies using a 'resonant' pulse in the 10-
250 KHz frequency range; but it is not explicitly stated so.
In this circuit, you will simply tune to whatever frequency makes the most efficient vapor
conversion. You will have to get into the specs for each IC you use, to insure you connect
the right pins to the right wires, to control the frequency and pulse width. You can use
spare sockets to try out different discrete component values. Just keep the ones that are
spec-compatible in the circuit, and get the job done.
You crank up the throttle signal and put more electrical energy (fatter pulses) into the
electrodes; verify you can get 10% duty on the scope (2 - 100 usec on the horizontal time-
base). Your averaging DVM will display the 90%-10% DC voltage across the output
transistor (Vce or Vds or Output to Ground). Set and connect DVM in the supply current
and measure .5 - 5 amps, without blowing the DVM fuse. Now verify that you got
everything you wanted.
Verify your wiring connections using your DVM as a continuity detector. Check your wiring
1 at a time and yellow line your final schematic as you go. You can best use board-mount
miniature POTs for anything you want to set-and-forget. The LEDs are there to give you a
quick visual check of normal vs abnormal operation of your new creation. You will want to
get your chamber level sensor verified before you epoxy the cap on.