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? Why does the output change when I move the violet wand?
A This is explained more fully in the violet wand function section. Basically you have electrical contacts in the wand that depend upon magnets to open and close. When the wand is turned down super low the magnets cease to function. Tilting the wand upright adds gravity to the equation and the magnets will just barely move. This is why the output at low levels will seem to increase when the wand is held upright. The best technique is to adjust the intensity of the violet wand in the position you intend to use it.
? I have a wand that I want to travel with outside the US. What can I do?
A Use a voltage adapter. The Rupert Huse & Son violet wand draws 0.35 amps at 120V ac (if your converter is rated in Watts then 0.35amps x 120V= 42 Watts, this is a bare minimum value). Make sure your converter is rated for this ( it is not a very high value so you should not need a super heavy duty converter ). Do not point the violet wand at the converter however. Depending on the type you are using you could damage it. Direct the violet wands energy away from the converter and you should be fine.
? Why does the Rupert Huse & Son Violet Wand use a bead chain with the contact pad instead of a wire?
This is a design choice on our part and is done for safety. We felt that a bead chain was safer than a wire because it is more flexible and any break in the chain would be immediately noticeable. With a wire, if there is a break in the conductor, it would be hidden by the insulation ( how many times has a patch cord on a stereo just simply stopped working due to a break like this?). With the violet wand, this break would never be noticed because the wand is designed specifically to arc across gaps, this includes breaks in wires. It is conceivable that a break in the wire would never be detected, the violet wand would continue to function normally with the contact pad. However, the gap in the wire would start to heat up, any time the violet wand output arcs across a gap it heats the air in that gap. If the wire were laying on the floor, and the gap heated up, it is possible that it could heat sufficiently to burn the insulation and thus start a fire. This is the reason why we use the bead chain instead of a wire.
? Your animations look really great. Why do they say www.huse.com and www.violetwand.org all over them. It is very distracting.
A We had to do this because so many people were stealing our images. This site is sponsored by Rupert Huse & Son who owns the copyright to these images. That's why they say www.huse.com on them. Our most stolen image is:
Unfortunately some got to these images before we put our name on them! We show them here to eliminate confusion. A lot of people who are using them don't know they are using copyrighted material. We post them here to help people be more aware of that.
? What is spark gap isolation? Why do I need this?
A Spark gap isolation is very simply a safety feature. What it does is protect you from the line voltage in the event of catastrophic failure of the violet wand generator. This is done by establishing a gap between the output of the wand and the accessory being used. The best example is the contact pad of a properly spark gap isolated violet wand kit. The plug that goes into the wand socket looks like two pieces of metal separated by a plastic spacer. That's exactly what it is in fact. When fully inserted the plastic spacer is effectively placed between the wand socket and the user. It will allow the wand output to pass through because it is high frequency/high voltage. It will not allow the line voltage to pass through. This is important because one generally is wearing the contact pad when in use. If the wand were to malfunction it would probably trip the circuit breaker and shut down. But suppose this did not happen. Also suppose that the wand malfunctions in such a way that the line input cord becomes connected to the output socket. This would result in the person wearing the contact pad being connected directly to the wall outlet, a potentially fatal condition. The spark gap isolator will prevent this because it will not allow the line voltage to pass through it.
? Are other typical violet wand accessories spark gap isolated?
A Actually a lot of times they are, but in different ways. The glass electrodes have metal bases. The metal typically does not protrude from the wand housing. Thus in case of malfunction there will be nothing to conduct outside of the housing. If your wand has globes that require the use of an Edison base adapter, it should be spark gap isolated.
? How does spark gap isolation affect after market accessories.
A Generally one should only use devices made by or recommended by the wand manufacturer. However, the general guide line is to not make a direct electrical connection between the wand socket and the accessory. Inserting a solid metal rod into the socket would be an example of this sort of thing, avoid it.
? Is there such a thing as built in spark gap isolation.
A We have heard this from people who have had older violet wands. We have never had a wand that made this claim presented to us for examination. It seems unlikely that such a thing would be built into older wands since electrical safety was less of a concern in the early part of the 20th century. Evidence of this would be the complete absence of grounding on older wands and indeed older electrical systems. In general, unless it can be verified directly from the manufacturer or examination by a qualified individual, do not rely on claims of internal spark gap isolation.
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