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Generating Radio frequencies — Parallax Forums

Generating Radio frequencies

ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
edited 2008-08-27 04:34 in Propeller 1
hey guys, I'm doing some experiments on electrolysis and frequency based tests. so i need to know how i can output a frequency from the prop. i know ill need some support hardware to turn a square wave into a sine wave, but any input on how i should set this up? like what kind of cap should i use to get a wide range of frequencies? would i need a digital potentiometer? i plan to amp the signal too, which would probably happen before i run it through a cap or whatever.
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Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-03-15 16:42
    What range of frequencies do you need to provide? How you would need to do this is dependent on the range of frequencies.

    Do have a look at the frequency synthesis object from the Object Exchange.
  • HarleyHarley Posts: 997
    edited 2008-03-15 16:43
    PenguinMaster,

    You ask for help, but do not provide much details as to your needs. What frequency range is needed? How pure a sine wave is needed? Does the output frequency need to be 'swept'?

    One suggestion, without having any further input, look into the object Synth.spin. That may be of use.

    EDIT: Sorry Mike, I was in 'edit' mode when you were creating your response. But were thinking the same.

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    Post Edited (Harley) : 3/15/2008 4:48:41 PM GMT
  • AleAle Posts: 2,363
    edited 2008-03-15 18:58
    A DDS can generate a wide range of frequencies (AD9834, AD9835, etc). They are programmable, low power, etc. Cost, well they cost some bucks, and come in tiny packages. Definitely a way to go for simplicity. Square to sine requires normally inductors... I do not like them.
  • ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
    edited 2008-03-16 03:03
    sorry about being short in my description.. I'm kinda reluctant to get into too much detail of what I'm trying to do because it sounds stupid and probably wont do anything but make me look like an idiot lol, ok, heres a breakdown.

    everything has a resonating frequency, and some things can be heated, boiled or separated by emitting a radio frequency, i know it sounds sci-fi ish, but its true. I need to produce a fairly clean signal anywhere between 20 and 500 mhz. i know the prop is 80mhz max so ill have to work with anything lower then that, unless there is another way. heres a little example of something like what im trying to do (a variation of it) and yes, i know it might be a little high on the voltage.. heres a link..

    http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/11/14/saltwater.fire/index.html

    so yah, its some really cool stuff.. to summarize it, a fins tuned frequency is actually able to ignite salt water. what is happening is salt ions vibrate at some frequency, when you generate an amplified frequency equal to the resonance of the salt ion, it will shake loose the iodine and chlorine ions and also shake off the hydrogen and oxygen particles, then the sodium naturally ignites when it comes in contact with water, and the flame also burns off the hydrogen and oxygen particles. interesting stuff. my idea was to just extract the hydrogen and give the oxygen something else to bind with. and not have to use salt.
    so i need to build a simple frequency synthesizer and an amplifier and try out my variation, which unlike theres is going to use electrodes, instead of broadcasting the frequency.
    like i said.. i don't think ill be able to do what they're doing but i wanted to try some variations to see what happens. id love to see what would happened if he had sprayed and compressed the salt water and then ignited it, kind of like what takes place in a gasoline engine. oh, and theres no omissions off of the water [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    ill check out the object exchange to see whats i can find.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2008-03-16 03:48
    Actually this sound interesting.. If something ignites, be sure and catch it on video for us..

    A couple comments from glancing over the article..

    >14-megahertz .. Ouch.. Aren't microwaves somewhere around 1.4 megahertz?
    I curious of the safety issues with anything generating powerful radio waves at
    anything higher.. (I'm probably wrong, but make sure you err on the side of safety.)

    Experts?

    OBC

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  • stevenmess2004stevenmess2004 Posts: 1,102
    edited 2008-03-16 03:55
    Microwaves are up in the GHz range (around 2.45GHz according to wikipedia). However, if you are using more than a couple of watts output in a transmitter you don't want to be real close to it for too long.

    There has been some discussion recently about glitches that you get from the counters. You will only get a pure square wave when FRQx is a power of 2 if you use the NCO modes. However, if you use the PLL modes than this should make a fair few more frequencies available since it does some averaging.
  • ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
    edited 2008-03-16 07:19
    that is definitely good to know, also there was mention of a chip that could generate frequencies. are these pretty straight froward to use? also i tried a program from the object exchange and used a computer sound card o-scope to check the waves, and the seemed really choppy. i don't know if thats because these kinds of o-scopes suck, or if the signal is just really bad. i know I'm going to need a really clean signal. maybe i should start off with a basic square wave and then use support hard ware to make it a sine wave. i think thats what im most un sure of, is how to go from a square wave to a sine wave outside of the prop.

    i attached a picture of the o-scope screen to show you guys the wave that was generated.
    554 x 562 - 75K
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2008-03-16 07:38
    What frequency were you generating? The sound card will only go up to 48 kHz or less, you need an oscilloscope for testing RF.

    Leon

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  • ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
    edited 2008-03-16 07:54
    ohh.. yah i guess that might be a problem... itll be a few weeks before i can throw a hundred bucks at an oscope and not get hurt in the pocket book.. the parallax one looks nice, but i was really wanting that motorcycle [noparse]:([/noparse] lol.. tax return cant come soon enough!
  • stevenmess2004stevenmess2004 Posts: 1,102
    edited 2008-03-16 08:05
    If you want to test RF you will need something that goes to a higher frequency that the parallax one. The current parallax one will only do up to about 200kHz. You can get better ones but they will probably start at about twice the price...
  • AleAle Posts: 2,363
    edited 2008-03-16 13:19
    Somebody said...
    so yah, its some really cool stuff.. to summarize it, a fins tuned frequency is actually able to ignite salt water. what is happening is salt ions vibrate at some frequency, when you generate an amplified frequency equal to the resonance of the salt ion, it will shake loose the iodine and chlorine ions and also shake off the hydrogen and oxygen particles, then the sodium naturally ignites when it comes in contact with water, and the flame also burns off the hydrogen and oxygen particles. interesting stuff. my idea was to just extract the hydrogen and give the oxygen something else to bind with. and not have to use salt.
    so i need to build a simple frequency synthesizer and an amplifier and try out my variation, which unlike theres is going to use electrodes, instead of broadcasting the frequency.
    like i said.. i don't think ill be able to do what they're doing but i wanted to try some variations to see what happens. id love to see what would happened if he had sprayed and compressed the salt water and then ignited it, kind of like what takes place in a gasoline engine. oh, and theres no omissions off of the water [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    From a chemical/physical stand point above stated is simply put a brief of mistakes.

    1. All matter vibrates, at several frequencies depending on the mass of the particle

    Electrons UV-VIS:
    Atoms: infra-red

    Larger amounts of matter, well depending on the mass.

    2. Sodium does NOT ignite in contact with water. Sodium (metal, un-oxidized) reacts exothermically with water reducing the hydrogen in the water molecule to molecular hydrogen and oxidizes itself to Na+1. Hydrogen then oxidizes with the oxygen of the air to produce water, with the help of the heat generated before. No ignition of sodium takes place.

    3. To shake loose iodine and chloride ions ? from where a crystal lattice ?... this process is known as dissolution...

    4. You can make the ions in solution move, with RF... but I do not see how are you going to get metals to reduce without hydrolysis.

    If I where you, I'd get some chemistry course done, and some physics course, too.

    If you want to get some wide rage oscillator, get a DDS, I told you before. Have a look at analog's web-site, frequency synthesis. Easier way all around.
  • Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL)Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) Posts: 1,720
    edited 2008-03-16 14:00
    ThePenguinMaster,

    A few URL's that may interest you:

    A 0-60 MHz coverage VFO with built-in amplifier and variable output level from 0 to 4V p-p.
    www.amqrp.org/kits/dds60/

    AD9850 CMOS, 125 MHz Complete DDS Synthesizer

    www.analog.com/en/prod/0,,770_843_AD9850,00.html

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  • bambinobambino Posts: 789
    edited 2008-03-16 14:48
    Hi PenguinMaster, Have not heard from ya in a while.

    I did something simuliar once. Placeing an electrode in a 1 liter plastice soda bottle and turning it upside down in a dish of saltwater where the other electrode was placed, applied 12 volts and a few minutes later I had a bottle of hydrogen. Setting it off was no big thrill but watching the process was very interesting. I don't remember which electrode the hydrogen forms around , you will have to wiki that. Using AC doesn't stagnant the water or electodes as bad as DC.
  • ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
    edited 2008-03-16 16:47
    ok, yes i know that i do not know everything about chemistry, but heres the deal, the exothermic reaction of the sodium is what is igniting the salt water. the hydrogen is fueling the flame. if you don't believe me look it up on Google. there is no electrodes involved, just the broadcast of a specific frequency.

    The idea is to use Mechanical resonance to separate a compound. it is very possible and is being done. i know very little about the actual mechanic of it, in fact when you get into the science of wavelengths and the reaction of physical matter, its all just theory.

    so ill be more specific.

    the sodium reacts with the oxygen and part of the hydrogen, to make NaOH and results in off gassing H2. the H2 is then ignited from the exothermic reaction of the creation of the NaOH. and apparently, i don't know for sure but this compound has ho reaction to heat. I'm not sure how accurate this is but from what i read that is what I'm getting. also,i do not know how the NaOH forms while still under the influence of the frequency generator. like i said, its not fully understood why it works. it was discovered by accident by a doctor. not everything we believe to be true is actually true in reality, it is a means for us to understand what is going on around us. check out the link and you'll see how odd it is. maybe it is time for another Paradigm shift. kind of like when the theory of quantum physics came out. also, I've taken basic physics, and i know i have a lot to learn, but i also know i wont be able to fully explain the cause of an event that physicists cant explain yet. this device and the reaction was discovered last June. so its still a new concept.

    Ale, did yo check out the link? what did you think?
    and i know i wont have to go into the microwave frequency i shouldn't have to get into the Ghz range. the highest i want to go is in the 500Mhz. I am also concerned about safety issues. i would think i should be able to shield the radio waves using a Faraday cage of some sort. ill check out the analog website to see what they have.
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-03-16 16:58
    A Propeller can certainly generate a 14MHz frequency pulse stream using the frequency synthesizer object from the Object Exchange.
    The question is how much power do you need and how are you going to produce that cleanly and without interfering with others which
    can get you in trouble with the FCC. This frequency is around the 20M amateur radio band and there are plenty of articles on building
    transmitters for those frequencies.
  • AleAle Posts: 2,363
    edited 2008-03-16 17:11
    Somebody said...
    the sodium reacts with the oxygen and part of the hydrogen, to make NaOH

    I explained to you before, that does not happen like that:

    Na0 -> Na+1 + 1e- + energy (~ 3V per mol of Na in 1 Liter of solution)

    2H2O + 2e- -> 2HO- + H2

    H2 + O2 + energy -> H2O

    Oxygen is not involved in the oxidation of Sodium.

    But Na+1 (oxidized sodium) does not react because is already oxidized it can only get reduced (to Na0).

    water does not combust, it is already oxidized.. it is oxidized hydrogen... does not combust. It evaporates at temperatures around 100 °C at normal pressure.... a source of heat like... rf makes the molecules gain enough kinetic energy to escape tensile forces that keep them in the liquid (besides hydrogen bonds, inertia, etc). it make look like ignites because of the "smoke"... water gas carrying small drops of liquid water. An entirely different process.

    I'd recommend:

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redox
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium

    have fun !

    Edit: Re-reading your post... I find even more mistakes, lets see:

    Water dissolves salts, ok ?, a salt is a pair (or more) of ions that keep together due to electrostatic forces (in the solid), when dissolved they are separated, they do not form part of a crystal lattice anymore, they are loose (read your post above).
    Sodium dissolved in water is already oxidized (to Na+) so it does not react anymore. The above equations are valid if you have metallic sodium (that I think is not your case) that is put in contact with water.

    With your argument one could think that cooking water means... combusting it. It does not happen like that, plain old state change,

    Post Edited (Ale) : 3/16/2008 5:26:04 PM GMT
  • grasshoppergrasshopper Posts: 438
    edited 2008-03-16 18:18
    A bit off topic but I must admit this is a fascinating thread.

    I have most of the equipment at work that you need, perhaps i can try some experiments and post my findings to help out.
  • bambinobambino Posts: 789
    edited 2008-03-16 18:45
    In the "how to" on that article it is said that a match is used to ignite the hydrogen. Based on what I've done just goofing off in the back yard and the reports of how radio waves can transmit voltage I have a very small degree of faith in it's ability to produce fire. A fluke, perhaps, that rf could cause spontanious combustion, but it's a well documented fact that water exposed to voltage produces a flamabile gas. Just ask anyone one on the Hindinburg!

    That sodium bit may or may not be true, I'm no chemist. But to produce the hydrogen, salt isn't necessary.
    In fact, Hydrogen fuel cells reccommend the use of distilled water!

    Post Edited (bambino) : 3/16/2008 6:50:52 PM GMT
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,560
    edited 2008-03-16 19:16
    ThePenguinMaster,

    "...i know I'm going to need a really clean signal. maybe i should start off with a basic square wave and then use support hard ware to make it a sine wave. i think thats what im most un sure of, is how to go from a square wave to a sine wave outside of the prop...."

    I don't know anything about igniting water in the method described, but to what I have quoted above, this is where the specific operating frequency is important.· A parallel RLC tank will convert a square wave·to a sine wave, but only to the specific frequency that the LC is tuned to.· There are several on-line LC calculators that will give you a good ball-park as to what component values are necessary, but you still need to make your design with some degree of tune-ability.· Here is one on-line calculator for example to determine the necessary ball park component values you may need... http://www.daycounter.com/Calculators/LC-Resonance-Calculator.phtml



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    IC Layout Engineer
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  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2008-03-16 19:26
    How big should the parallel RLC tank be and does it have to be full for it to work?

    ·· tongue.gif
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2008-03-16 19:38
    How about a cavity resonator - resonator and water tank in one. 8-)

    Leon

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  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,560
    edited 2008-03-16 19:47
    lol - It should be very full, so the electrons can slosh easily back-n-forth between the Capacitor and the Inductor.· The size depends on how many electrons you are comfortable·working with.

    Seriously...
    Just a low-pass filter will work, but the filter cutoff frequency will have to change if the square wave frequency changes. A square wave includes the fundamental frequency (the one you want) and odd harmonics, so you need a filter that passes the frequency that you want, and attenuates at 3X the frequency that you want and up. A simple R-C is the simplest low-pass filter, and more complex filters (L-C or active) will attenuate those high harmonics better.· A tuned LC (a band-pass filter) will·work the best·at a single frequency.







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  • ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
    edited 2008-03-17 18:04
    Ok that sucked, I had a very long, well written response.. But I tried to post and the page was not found, so I lost it lol...
    But ill try again...
    I checked out the analog site, the chips were very fancy, and.. Wow... a little more than I would want to spend on a chip! It is a good source for parts though! So thanks for the reference. Also thanks for the wiki references. I should also try to better explain what I think is happening.
    A parallel rcl tank, hmm... I have never used one before, but it looks pretty straight forward. Not to mention, I can do it with mostly analog components! Cheap and easy! Well sort of. I think this is the route I will want to go because I’m already working on a long term project which I want to focus most of my time on. This is going to be sort of a side experiment.
    ok now I’m going to get a little off topic again. to try to explain again.
    Ale said...
    "Water does not combust, it is already oxidized... it is oxidized hydrogen... does not combust. It evaporates at temperatures around 100 °C at normal pressure."
    I do understand that, what is happening is the hydrogen\oxygen bonds are being broken, and the hydrogen is being oxidized after the oxygen is pulled away. Ill explain from what I’ve read:
    First you start off with some thing like this:
    sodium chloride mixed with water

    metallic sodium is made through electrolysis of sodium chloride so
    this is what we have:

    NaCl + 2H2O
    Na is broken from Cl (from RF)
    Na reacts with 2H2O and you get Na2O2 (releasing a lot of heat!)

    that releases 2H2 resulting in excess hydrogen
    2H2 is then combusted and oxidized with oxygen in the atmosphere and releases more heat.
    Also, I am not sure what the effects of the frequency are on the NaCl combination, there might be something going on there that I am not aware of.
    The Na has some effect on the burning process because in the video (which you would have seen if you followed the link) the flame is the signature sodium reaction color, you know, that orangeish color. Just keep in mind this is all new stuff and it hasn’t really been explained yet! Ale talks like it is impossible, but please follow the link if you think im making it up, it is interesting stuff.
    http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:John_Kanzius_Produces_Hydrogen_from_Salt_Water_Using_Radio_Waves
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2008-03-17 18:12
    I think you're mis-interpreting the chemistry. The RF is probably causing electrolysis of the water releasing atomic oxygen and atomic hydrogen with the salt serving as an electrolyte since it's ionized normally in the water. The hydrogen is what is combusting above the solution whether with the oxygen also being produced or the oxygen in the air (with the electrolyzed oxygen replacing that eventually). I'm sure there's some water vapor and water mist being produced because of the mechanical vigor of the electrolysis and the mist would contain some salt which would quickly become microscopic salt crystals above the solution. As the hydrogen burns, it also ionizes the salt producing the sodium line observed in the light. Normally hydrogen produces a nearly colorless flame.
  • mcstarmcstar Posts: 144
    edited 2008-03-17 22:18
    ThePenguinMaster said...
    NaCl + 2H2O
    Na is broken from Cl (from RF)
    Na reacts with 2H2O and you get Na2O2 (releasing a lot of heat!)

    that releases 2H2 resulting in excess hydrogen
    2H2 is then combusted and oxidized with oxygen in the atmosphere and releases more heat.
    I think the issue that scientist have with what you (and the doctor who "discovered" this last year) are saying, is that you·appear to be ignoring the fundemental principles that govern the reactions you are trying to harness.· The energy balance of this scheme requires that if we assume that the RF energy introduced into the system is able to break the Na from the NaCl and then that same Na is able to continue the reaction by pulling the H2 off the water molecule,·then the amount of energy given to the Na molecule MUST, by definition, be greater than the amount of energy given off by the 2H2 molecules when they recombine with O2.· IOW, it will always take at least as much energy to sustain the process as the process gives off.· This isn't a theroy, this is fact, and it will always be so (at least as long as we exist in the current universe).· While it might be neat, or entertaining to "ignite" water using an invisible RF wave, it's not in practicality very useful to waste energy by dumping RF into a glass of of water only to collect substantially less energy in the form of H2 gas.· You're better off using that electrical energy to do whatever it was you thought you'd use the H2 for.· Unless you are trying to send a ship into space where the total amount of energy needed and the requirement that it be portable is greater than the requirement that the entire process be extremely efficient.
  • The CaptainThe Captain Posts: 60
    edited 2008-03-18 02:01
    I know what you're doing!! It's a hydrogen fuel generator, more specifically, a variant of Bob Boyce's DC Pulse Electrolyser if I'm correct.

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  • ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
    edited 2008-03-18 14:24
    Yes! now someone is speaking my language! my variation would use electrodes, that is the biggest difference. but from what i understood about the process, i thought it was interesting that the frequency seemed to help enough, that he could do it wirelessly, so i wondered how it would work with electrodes. also, this is an old conspiracy theroy that is very flawed and i dont believe, but this guy:
    Stanley Meyer

    supposibally had a vehicle that optimised hydrogen production by the use of specific frequencies, also using electrodes, and this guy:
    Peter Davey

    who uses a specially shaped·resonating bell shaped probe to boil water.
    Stanley Meyer's electrolysis system used a specially shaped electrode.. interesting, but i know a lot of it is probibaly bull(expletive), but its some interesting bull(expletive). so i wanted to play arround with a few ideas when i get started back up on summer break.

    like i said, im not sure of a lot of the phsysics behind it, i took basic phsysics, but it didnt get into state changes and such, just transfer of energy.

    im not interested im making energy from nothing, that is impossible, im just interested in efficently storing collected energy.

    heres how i was planning on powering the electrolysis:
    http://www.thermoelectrics.com/introduction.htm

    and of coarse it could all be easily controlled with a handy dandy propeller chip! its not a practical plan, but its more of a personal tinkering with stuff project.
  • The CaptainThe Captain Posts: 60
    edited 2008-03-18 16:19
    I'm actually interested in the Joe Cell design and mechanics.

    However, keep us updated on what you find.

    Do you plan on using this for automotive use such as an alternative fuel?

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    Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.
  • ThePenguinMasterThePenguinMaster Posts: 89
    edited 2008-03-18 20:54
    well i plan on using it in my car. I drive a jeep so it would be nice to have better fuel usage. I would probibally use a standard lead or nickel battery, something small to drive the prop board, the battery would charge off of the alternator or if i can get enough energy, from the heat generated in and on the car during the day, using a thermoelectric generator, or a small array of them, at 5 -10 bucks a pop, they're affordible, but you dont get as many watts per hour, but they are also easyier to conceal since they do not need to be exposed to sunlight. The project is kinda for a spare car i have in the back yard, standard jeep. this might make a good summer project.

    as for the cavity resonator, i wonder what would happen if your electrode acted as a cavity resonator, simular to peter davey's invention.
  • AleAle Posts: 2,363
    edited 2008-03-18 21:37
    Well,

    That link to peswiki.com provides enough information to realize that this not only sounds but is another perpetum mobile. Sorry, but that page has even more mistakes that some assumptions done here. I'd not know from where to start, Let alone if any of this can _work_, something I really doubt.

    Penguin Master: You do not seem to grasp a small but fundamental concept: An atom is not an ion and is not a molecule. just because the nucleus onserves the protons does not mean that it undergoes the same reactions.

    So, again: NaCl is an ionic solid (when solid...), that means that it is composed of ions, charged particles. One positive sodium (Na+) and one negative chlorine (Cl-, called chloride). This ions are oxidized and reduced respectively. From atomic or molecular form they underwent oxidation (loss of electron(s)) and reduction (gain of electron(s)).

    Water is a molecule, not an ionic salt formed when two molecules of hydrogen (H2) react with one molecule of oxygen (O2).
    Now, to extract hydrogen from water the only process means the reduction of hydrogen to molecular hydrogen, process that needs 2 electrons per molecule of hydrogen formed. This electrons have to come from somewhere.
    The reaction of sodium, metallic, or Na0, with water means the oxidation of sodium (gives electron) and the reduction of hydrogen in water (gets the electron).
    The ion Na+ already lost its electron, so it cannot give anything, so it does not react with water to give hydrogen (that's why when you put table salt to your soup it does not produce any hydrogen).

    Ok ?, I hope you understood this part.

    Now, normally to produce hydrogen from water, via electrolysis, the flowing electric current gives the electrons to the hydrogen to get reduced, and gets the electrons back from oxygen. No sodium is involved. To accelerate this process (because pure water is not very conductive) a salt i.e. ions i.e. charge carriers are used, like NaCl (well an acid is usually used). This ions have greater mobility in water than water itself.

    Without having a peek at all his machinery, we really do not know what is this guy doing, but be assured that the laws of physics can and are not be bended. So electrolysis or redox, not more than that.

    Red flame: It could be due to the burning of sodium, it does not matter if it had something to do with the reaction or not, dissolved salt will also burn. I'd prefer the green color of copper.

    Hydrogen burn with a flame that gives uv-light.

    I'd not bet on this.
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