Opinions on two wart zappers designs

[pomprocker]

wart zapper

There is this circuit I'm trying to build but there are multiple versions on the internet, and some argue there schematic is right and the others are wrong. Can someone help me get to the bottom of this:

**broken link removed**
https://www.instructables.com/id/Electronic-Wart-Removal-8211-No-Blood-Little-/

I think the question lies in the voltage multiplication part..

 

[betwixt]

Re: wart zapper

Whether the technique works or not is open to debate, I'm not medically qualified to comment on such things. From an electronic point of view, it isn't particularly well designed and using a FET rated at 8000mA when the limit the circuit can produce is about 2.5mA seems a bit extreme!

If the principle works, I would have thought the same results could be obtained by using two 9V batteries, an SE555 and omitting all the voltage multiplier and FET stuff altogether. Just connect the potentiometer to the output of the 555.

Brian.

 

[pomprocker]

Re: wart zapper

For purposes of putting it in a project box with one 9v battery storage area, i would like to be able to keep the circuit using one 9v batt.

I have all the components listed on the two sites, but I just want to verify which is correct! I think the output voltage is suppose to be 25v

 

[betwixt]

Re: wart zapper

25V is correct.

But it is derived by tripling the 9V supply then losing some in the forward drop of the diodes. It may not measure as 25V on a voltmeter because it is pulsed so it's average will be lower. To give a more realistic measurement you would have to connect a capacitor (>100nF) across the meter probes so it held peak V.

If I'm looking at the right design on 'Instructables' it does the same thing by doubling 12V rather than tripling 9V. The outcome is very similar.

Brian.

 

[CapnKosmic]

There are a number of people who have found problems replicating Thomas Scarborough's wart zapper.

One common issue, apart from questions regarding the voltage multiplier part, is that even though a square wave can be measured at the gate of the Mosfet, only DC with no square wave seems to be coming out of the drain and consequently the electrodes.

Scarborough has recently published yet another version of the Wart Zapper circuit on his blog which is simplified and has no voltage multiplier. I'll see if I can find it again and if so will post the link.

- Cap'n Kosmic

---------- Post added at 01:32 ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 ----------

Here is the other version of the Wart Zapper circuit which Scarborough has recently published on his blog:

Urban Ministry Live And Unplugged: Wart Zapper

Also found this thread that really gets into the nuts and bolts of it:

Health Zapper Circuits - DIY and Experimentation - Page 2 - Heretical Builders

- Cap'n Kosmic

 

[Nick_F]

Hi guys,
I built one of the versions of the Wart zapper designed by Thomas Scarborough. I was very skeptical it will work, but the diagram is simple and I had all the components. The MOSFET did not work properly, the oscilloscope showed poor response at the drain. I improved it a bit by connecting a resistor (10k...20k?) between the drain and node R4-VR1. Changing the MOSFET had a significant effect in the amplitude of the pulses, but it was still not high enough, so I replaced the mosfet with a bipolar transistor (2N2222) with a resistor in the base. The pulses were approx 24V, with a sharp rising edge and not very good falling edge. Because I didn't think this voltage was likely to cause much harm, I had VR1 set at low value. I applied the voltage on my index finger (back of my hand) using the blunt end of a needle. I had a very small wart, approx 0.5mm in diameter for approx 10 years. Soon I felt some stinging sensation on the skin and I kept the electrode touching the skin, waiting for the pain to dissapear. I must admit it felt pretty bad, but I ignored the pain. After about one minute (?), I removed the needle from the skin. Unfortunately I realised too late that the needle head moved approx 2mm away from the wart. The skin got a red tint, approx 3 mm in the next minutes. For a whole month after the experiment I had a pretty severe burn on the back of my finger. At some stage it was swollen and painful and it got infected. I squeezed out the infection and in about two weeks the sore healed.
It is now about two months later and I still have a visible spot on the skin. I will probably have a 2-3 mm tiny mark there for the rest of my life. Checking with a magnifier I can see the tissue regenerating like after a burn. The wart is still present, but it seems to have been affected as well. I might give it a try in a few months, but this time I will be a lot more cautios. So, I can't tell you if the device removes warts, but I can advise you to be very cautious and not overdo it. It is very easy to get severe burns if the 24V pulses are applied on a small area of skin. By the way, I used a frequency counter to set the frequency to 21.27kHz. The ceramic capacitors can have high dispersion and I used a ceramic trimmer in parallel with C2 to finely adjust the frequency. Good luck, if you dare
PS - I just posted this comment on Thomas Scarborough blog, I am curious if he will publish it, since it is clearly not positive.