The Big News:
A Report
on our First Year From the view in the “Hot
Seat”
This last year has been a very busy and enlightening one. When we started PlasmERG I expected to use this motor/engine (whichever you like) in Mostly Cars and trucks. So we spent much initial time looking into a design that was “bent” that way. My wife kept saying that Cars was a “peanut” next to what Power generation, water pumping, Boat, train and light plane needs were. After 3 months it finally dawned on me she was right.
To start with we got several provisional patents filed and now have converted the first to a real patent with more to come. The provisional patent, by itself, requires that you be rather secretive to protect the “discovery”. Now that our first patent, covering the Plasmic Transition Process ™,Controller and hardware is complete you will start to see more information.
Much has been said about these motors. Most of the available information was, until I published my article on Peswiki, over 26 years old and very far off base. Let’s face it, what Joe Papp found and what he understood were damn little when one considers what we know, and use, now. In 1983 we did not even know that the forth state existed, Solid, Liquid, Gas and now Plasma. Fusion and Fission were Bomb technologies not power generation potentials; ok we did have nuclear power plants so we knew that. Our scientists play routinely today with things that at that time were “magic”. I smile as I remember chasing a firefly just to prove it was not “HOT” from making all that light.
The first thing we learned this year was that making the hardware, a engine, is not a hard thing to do if you pay attention to HOW the process works. I will admit my first motor design was very elegant, for an electronic guy. It did prove to be cumbersome to build and when failed cumbersome to fix. That taught me a lot about Mechanical design and how to listen to my son. Matthew Rohner, my son, does all our 3D Drawings, renderings and Animations. He told me that the design was interesting but unwieldy to make. Since then I have him Model any design and test it, in animation and in parts explosion. The power of the 3D Design approach is a huge improvement over the old Drafting / prototype machining process. We can completely test a new part in a complete assembly and show it in operation to see how it works and when happy we can have a program convert this to NC commands for machining to exact spec. This really shortens lead times and gives you a easier look at what any change may be like. So all the 3D drawings and animation (cartoons) you see come from Matt. This process is used and is working great as you may see from some of the postings on www.plasmicmotor.com.
The next thing we learned was getting a motor to run was not a problem, either, and that many GAS mixtures would work doing what needed to be done, as would several “activation” hardware designs. Making a motor go “pop pop pop” (run!) was not a problem. The problem was getting one to run and be controllable enough to provide a range of operation usable for various tasks. Simply changing voltages and RF Frequencies does not provide a usable stable engine.
The next thing we learned was that our simulations were correct and our Electronic Control System was designed properly and it was flexible enough to make up for the initial “stiff” approach, taken from the Papp documents, to the timing elements. Different gas mixtures requires different Activation parameters and timings. In our tests, so far, we have had good success but still need some fine tuning. We started using what Papp had published and we have found he was close for very low speed operation but way off for anything above 1100 RPM. We are building 4 test bays now so that we can test run and reprogram the controller “on the fly” and collect the data for comparison to determine the best tuning for each gas mixture and engine size. There is a difference in expansion coefficient from one gas mix to another and we think we know what that is from our simulations but we need to prove them. Some of the things I did with our controller are very unique. These have been protected and I plan to show some of these in my next article on Peswiki as I talk about the true elements that make the Controller the single most important element of the Process and usage.
I have been asked why we don’t show “working”, or otherwise engines. To be honest, I wanted to show one many months ago. Then I realized that it would be a mistake to do that. Quite simply the range of use of these engines is so broad and the need so great that it seemed bad manners to show the world something I could not provide to anyone. As a Company, we made the decision that we will go public when we can actually ship the motor. Had we shown one before would simply have meant that for all those asking to “see” one now we would have hundreds asking to buy and use them. We even put all licenses on a “letter of intent” status and have collected no fees from anyone, as yet. However, we will be calling these companies to come see the test units when our new test bays are ready and to set their license so they and we can get things to market. At the moment only the company insiders have the privilege but that is changing. You will note we have started some “projects” that will be done, in plain view, right through testing. So that would be where to watch. We have 4 public appearances scheduled for next year which we will post as soon as plans are complete. Things can get more public as our patents get filed also.
I am very
happy that my How
to article on Peswiki was
one of the TOP 10 of
2009. My whole drive is to get this technology into use as fast as
possible. I keep getting asked “what about you making money?”. My answer is
simple. I am 68 and have enough to go on for sometime without working and I
still get 3 calls a week, average, to come and consult with someone. So what do
I need lots of money for. Happiness is doing what you enjoy and not related to
money. I love the old
Remember I thought it was best for a car, well I have been converted to power generation, Water Pumping, Fishing and pleasure boat engines, Heavy equipment, Trains and I have friends that are planning to use these in their light aircraft (to fly around the world?). But I also see a really nice ALL ELECTRIC car that can go over 85 MPH and not have a big ugly battery or need to be plugged in and has a range of MONTHs not miles with 4 wheel electric wheel motors that are quiet and cause NO problems. So it will be the second wave. First we do all the personal Power plants and rid the world of wires.
My Brothers, Robert and Tom, were involved with Papp from 1981 till he died. For them this is an unfortunate thing.
1. My brother, Robert, is a crack Mechanical Engineer and a terrible Businessman; he managed Rohner Machine to bankruptcy and failed another. Bob did a very good design of the hardware, while having to push Papp out of Conservatism. Not an easy chore.
2. My other brother, Tom ,is a good people manager and technician. He did well with my designs. Tom translated the very rude Papp electronic design into what was a nice simple and modern design for that time.
3. Their problem, with their old engine, is simply that they were too close to Papp to see the “how and why’s” of the process that made it work. Both did well with what they had to work with, but by modern (OUR) standards this is like comparing a steam engine to a diesel locomotive. They both do the same function but the latter is modern and very flexible.
Since I talked about them, let me talk about me.
I started 3 businesses on “shoestrings” and sold 2 for a profit once they were successful.
1. First from
1975 through 77 was “California Advanced Telecommunications” (CAT). This was the
“original” 2 Transistor 100W Mobile CB Linear amplifier. I Designed/built
HF (1.6 to 30 MHz) mobile Linear amplifier (3 watts in to 100 watts out)
broadband using dual Transistors and Ferrite transformers. This was the first
Transistor Amplifier ever designed and built with an internal broadband matching
transformer made from ferrite materials. Later I also added the first selectable
receive amplifier to create the Bi Linear. Tom was my “production” for a
while, until he decided to compete with me with my own design, and I moved
production to
2. Next from 1979 through 85 was “Advanced Communications Engineering”. I was one of the eight founders of the "backyard TVRO" (big dish) industry. I was the first to define and use of “Block Conversion” in a telecom system, my own design, and my FM demodulator was done using reversed Bias ECL Digital components, auto Tracked the IF, not CB PLLs. I also designed the first Block converter for use at the LNA that was voltage tuned for AFC, now called the LNB. While I did this, I also published a Magazine every other month with 2 new projects, of my own design, for hobbyists to build. I was also a guest lecturer at many of the “Cooper Satellite shows” to explain the How’s and why’s to the attendees. Those of you familiar with this era that may remember Bob Cooper.
3. From 72 till last year,. with breaks for perm jobs, I owned a company called “RAM Engineering”. This is a consulting company for anyone, that wished a new product designed and made ready for production. These products ranged from Laptops, servers and Workstations through embedded Micro computer based Controllers and Multimedia players. I also write my own Firmware in Assembler and C.
Ok enough of me, here is my resume you may find it interesting to see what I have accomplished in my short lifetime.
My friend, Dr. Haik Biglari PE, has been a good friend and very helpful getting the team and business together and considerations. I hope he will replace me shortly. Quite honestly, what I am doing, while normal for a startup, is just more than I can do. I would rather stay with the technology and have a good solid business type handle the rest.
We have a great team of people and research organizations working together to learn and provide solutions as quick as possible. Together we proved that a single cylinder motor will run. We have also learned that the engine is a true 2 stroke motor. It CAN be just as efficient counter clockwise as clockwise, Fully reversible. The learning is continuing and will show when we start production.
You may also note that we don’t go public with names of people working, or involved, with PlasmERG, at this time. We never will unless we have permission from the group or person, anyway. BUT, the real reason is, as some of you know, my brother Bob, who turned down an offer to join us. He’s so upset that he has been the worst source of spam to me, and Haik, making all kinds of threats and using unprintable language. All in the hope that I would not file the patents or give them to him, so he can be the “ONLY” manufacturer. He does not like getting this technology available to everyone. I guess he is, like his CEI Co. based on their history, determined to never get it done, just keep the money rolling in. So, I am unwilling to turn him loose on anyone else. I was, and am, able to handle his assaults. You will notice I did file, and will continue to, and support PlasmERG. To not would be a diservice to Mankind in general.
Thank you for
a Happy and learning first year. The next one will be even more challenging as
we have to get production up, get licensees going,
get proper
investment and start converting the world from the DIRTY Internal
combustion motors over to these nice clean and quiet replacements. Maybe we will
have a good place for our kids after all. It has been a busy year but very
rewarding considering where we were and where we are.
Enjoy LIFE!
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2010 by John Rohner
This document maintained by John P
Rohner