[Amps] copper or silver in tank circuit?

[G3rzp@aol.com]

In a message dated 16/06/2005 19:23:52 GMT Standard Time, rlm at somis.org  
writes:

> I  think the idea is that silver oxide and silver sulphide are 
>  conductors,
> while copper oxide isn't.

Peter -- It may be a  semi-conductor because Cu2O rectifiers were used 
in battery chargers in  the early 1950s.



Copper Oxide rectifiers were invented in the USA in the early 1920's. The  
British Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company saw the advantages of using them  
to provide DC for railway track circuits, and provided the major initial  
exploitation. Westinghouse even produced a device called a 'Westector' which was  
a copper oxide low voltage diode supposedly useful for detecting RF. The one I 
 have measures about 50 ohms forward and about 2000 ohms reverse, so hardly a 
 first class rectifier. On the other hand, it must be at least 60 years old, 
so  it may have deteriorated.
 
 
I don't know how they carbon loaded the silver. Perhaps you could make  it by 
adding powdered graphite to molten silver in a protective atmosphere,  bubble 
a suitable gas through to disperse the carbon, and then reduce the  
temperature rapidly?
 
Any other ideas?
 
73
 
Peter G3RZP