Sweet Vacuum Triode Amplifier (VTA)

Floyd Sweet's self-sustaining vacuum triode replication

$320 plan

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Technical Specifications

Classification Scalar EM — Energy

Magnet Type Barium ferrite (conditioned)

Coil Config Primary / secondary + sensing coil

Conditioning 60 Hz pulse + mechanical shock protocol

Reported COP 1,200:1 (Floyd Sweet claims)

Output Frequency 60 Hz (self-tuning)

Difficulty 5 / 5

Est. Build Cost $800–$1,600

Est. Build Time 8–14 weeks

Overview

The Sweet Vacuum Triode Amplifier is Floyd Sweet's most documented device: a pair of specially conditioned barium ferrite magnets sandwiched between two coil systems that, once triggered into self-oscillation, produce output power exceeding input by factors reported at 1,200:1. The conditioning process — exposing the magnets to a pulsed 60 Hz field at precisely the right amplitude while simultaneously applying a mechanical shock — establishes a self-sustaining ferromagnetic resonance mode that Sweet attributed to virtual photon flux from the vacuum. This build plan provides the exact conditioning protocol, coil winding instructions, barium ferrite sourcing guide, and triggering circuit. Replication is notoriously difficult; our plan documents the failure modes encountered by previous replicators and the control variables that matter most.

Intended Research Use

Ferromagnetic resonance conditioning, self-sustained oscillation studies, barium ferrite domain wall dynamics, anomalous COP measurement.

Bill of Materials (18 components)

#Component

01 Barium ferrite magnet blocks, grade Y35 (×4, 100×50×25mm)

02 200W variable transformer (Variac)

03 26 AWG magnet wire, 300m spool (×2)

04 Phenolic bobbin forms (custom, ×3)

05 Rogowski coil for current monitoring

06 Digital oscilloscope, 200MHz+

07 High-voltage capacitor bank (400V, 100μF ×4)

08 IGBT switching module (600V, 30A)

09 Mechanical shock applicator (calibrated mallet + jig)

10 Gaussmeter / Hall probe

11 Spectrum analyzer or FFT plugin for oscilloscope

12 Isolation transformer (2kVA)

13 Faraday shielded enclosure

14 Heavy gauge connecting wire (10 AWG, 5m)

15 Precision AC voltmeter + ammeter (true RMS)

16 Non-contact thermometer

17 Data acquisition system (Arduino + ADC)

18 12V trigger pulse circuit

Get Build Plan

Complete plan PDF including all specs, winding geometry, drive circuit schematics, measurement protocols, and Gerber files where applicable.

$320 one-time

Purchase plan — Stripe

Also available: Component kit $1,400 — members get 10% off

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Complete build documentation (PDF)

Winding specs + circuit schematics

Measurement + verification protocols

Sourcing guide for all BOM items

Lifetime access, no subscription

Build Difficulty

Expert — significant technical background required.

Est. cost: $800–$1,600
Est. time: 8–14 weeks