The Brown-Bahnson Saucer - BBS v2.0
TEST with a Dielectric
By Jean-Louis Naudin
Cliquez ici pour la version Française
created on November 22th, 2002 - JLN Labs - Last update November 27th, 2002
All informations in this page are published free and are intended for private/educational purposes and not for commercial applications


The purpose of this experiment is to go further in the engineering of the Lifter device for improving its efficiency. So, I used the same device design than the BBS 1.0, but I have added a dielectric ( polystyren K=2.5 ) between the two electrodes of this asymmetrical capacitor. The BBS v2.0 is based on the Brown-Bahnson saucer patented by Agnew H. Bahnson in 1959 ( French Patent FR1266476 "Appareil pour produire une poussée lorsqu'on applique une tension électrique à ses électrodes" (May 12th, 1959) and US patent US3187206 "Electrokinetic Apparatus" ). The asymmetrical capacitor is composed of two aluminum electrodes :
- the biggest electrode, placed at the top, is an arcuate electrode connected to the positive output of the HV power supply,
- the smallest electrode, placed at the bottom, is a cylindrical armature connected to the negative output of the HV power supply.

A dielectric cylinder maintains a gap between the two electrodes. The Brown-Bahnson Saucer ( BBS v2.0 ) is hanged through the thin copper wire which carries the positive High Voltage. A thin balsa wood stick maintains the negative wire connection in the main axis of the device so as not to disturb the shape of the electric field around the device ( see the diagram below ).


The weight of the BBS v1.0 is 6 g


When the HV power supply is swiched on, the BBS jumps upward quickly and translates at a high speed.

The Brown-Bahnson Saucer specifications

  • Top arcuate electrode : 140 mm diameter and 25 mm height ( aluminum 12/100 thick ),

  • Bottom cylindrical electrode : 38 mm diameter and 20 mm height ( aluminum 0.1 mm thick ),

  • Gap between the two electrodes : 50 mm filled with a dielectric cylinder .

  • Dielectric : Polystyren (K=2.5), the dielectric material covers completly the edge of the bottom cylinder to reduce the leakage current in this area.

  • Negative connection wire stabilizer : 120 mm length ( balsa wood ).

  • Total Weight : 6 g

Note : With the use of the dielectric, the thrust is stronger and the device accelerate more quickly than the previous version v1.0 ( with air used as dielectric ). The leakage current in the device is greatly reduced ( the ozone emissions are quasi null ). The geometry efficiency of the BBS is 272% greater than the basic Lifter geometry ( wire + plate ).

See the videos of the Brown-Bahnson Saucer v2.0 in action

To see the video, the free downloadable RealPlayer is required
You may download free the RealPlayer 8 Basic at : http://proforma.real.com/real/player/blackjack.html


Click on the picture above to see the video ( 741 Kb )

Patents and references :

See also the :

The Brown-Bahnson Saucer v1.0


Email : JNaudin509@aol.com


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