[volt-nuts] Bohnenberger electrometer

[Mark Sims]

The 3M model 703 static electric field measurement gun can measure the magnitude and polarity of a static field.    They use a 200 millicurie tritium source  and a high resistance circuit to do the measurement.  The tritium source is used as an ionization source.  It runs off of two 9V batteries and looks like a Buck Rogers ray gun.

You calibrate the thing by unrolling a section of tape from a roll of adhesive tape.   Adhesive tape is made sticky by exposing it to what amounts to a Tesla coil during the manufacturing process.

We used to make electrets by charging a disk of carnauba wax with high voltage.   There was an article (in Popular Electronics?) back around 1970 that told how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DR-tTU8uIM