7×7 #7 PROTOTYPE CREATION

The final product will be an electromagnetic field detector.

It is based on the Marconi magnetic detector, which is an early radio wave detector.

It is basically an iron wire running that you can turn, it is magnetized in one direction first, then run through antenna wire which is connected to the antenna on one end and ground on the other end. After that it is magnetized again, this time in the opposite direction as the first. The antenna wire is connected to audio pickup.

I wanted to do something which was without batteries and electronics. So it is an extremely simple device which, in theory, could be made to work, although my version is missing a crucial part – audio pickup and speakers or similar. So even though – theoretically – it would be possible to detect radio waves, it is not able to communicate them/play them.

The twisted wire surrounding the iron wire is the radio frequency excitation coil, which is basically where the radio waves are detected.

Sketch

I made a version using not iron wire (since I did not have iron wire unfortunately), but aluminium. Aluminium wire is not usually considered magnetic (which is crucial), but it is actually magnetic, just not as easily to magnetize/polarize than iron etc.

Final product.

Very DIY-ish but I’m OK with it. I like that it is on felt and the possibility of magnetizing the wire in the middle and then changing the magnetization I think is interesting. That it actually possibly could work (in of course a way more advanced – and more precise – version) is exciting.