Andre, > AB: the fusioncatalyst.org open source initiative that Bastiaan announced will use the beaglebone, which is a very similar device, and uses the same ARM CPU core. It is here on my desk, has tons of I/O pins and works great.
Thanks for mentioning this again. I must have missed it the first time around. My only quibble with this important initiative and mission is the assumption of nuclear "fusion" which is prominently featured. Since this term has a precise meaning in physics, and yet it may not be indicative of the actual mechanism at play in whatever system emerges as the primary way to produce excess heat, it could be a mistake to feature it so prominently, IMO. Following Fuku, there is a lot of knee-jerk negativity towards anything that smacks of toxic radiation. There is close to zero independent evidence of gammas, neutrons, helium, tritium, 3He or any of the other indicia of hydrogen based fusion in ongoing operation of a device. Celani has made an anecdotal claim which may relate to startup only. Many of us suspect a new kind of quasi-nuclear reaction which will not be called "fusion" in the end. The terms "quasi-nuclear" or "supra-chemical" related to a mechanism where inner electron orbitals (as opposed to valence electrons) are involved (as in the Mössbauer effect) yet the ultimate energy source does relate to conversion of nuclear mass to energy, but in a way that does not usually involve significant gamma radiation. Real fusion cannot occur without substantial gamma radiation, and this cannot be shielded with a miniscule amount of lead. Anyway - other than that quibble, this is a very important initiative, and let's hope it gains momentum. Prior to hearing about the ‘beaglebone’ I was thinking about the Raspi as possibly a front-end for another similar sized board, which would have the I/O and other A/D parts and the relays needed to collect and control a fair number of inputs – temp, pressure, and so on. This would include the enigmatic RF generator, if this turns out to be an efficient way to stimulate the reaction. Jones
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