Wayne, here's the headline...Crystal power Palmtop Nuclear Fusion Device Invented By Michael Schirber LiveScience Staff Writer posted: 27 April 2005 01:00 pm ET The nuclear reaction that powers the Sun has been reproduced in a pocket-sized device, scientists announced today. Researchers have for years tried to harness nuclear fusion to power the world. But its cousin, nuclear fission -- the breaking apart of atoms -- is the only method so far commercially viable. The latest invention is not in the same league as efforts to build complex commercial reactors. The new device creates a relatively small number of reactions, and requires more energy to operate than it produces. The Real Deal (AP) - Previous claims of tabletop fusion have been met with skepticism and even derision by physicists. In one of the most notable cases, Dr. B. Stanley Pons of the University of Utah and Martin Fleischmann of Southampton University in England shocked the world in 1989 when they announced that they had achieved so-called cold fusion at room temperature. Their work was discredited after repeated attempts to reproduce it failed. Fusion experts noted that the new UCLA experiment is credible because, unlike the 1989 work, it did not violate basic principles of physics. "This doesn't have any controversy in it because they're using a tried and true method,'' said David Ruzic, professor of nuclear and plasma engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "There's no mystery in terms of the physics.'' -- Associated Press But the configuration is so small and simple that its creators think it may inspire unforeseen applications. "I certainly find it interesting that you can heat a cubic centimeter crystal in your hand, then plunge it in cold water and it will cause nuclear fusion," Seth Putterman from the University of California Los Angeles told LiveScience. Putterman's lay description greatly oversimplifies how the compact apparatus works. Specifically, Putterman and collaborators heat a pyroelectric crystal, lithium tantalite, from minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit to plus 45 in a matter of minutes. This generates an electrical charge -- 100,000 volts -- across the tiny crystal, which is housed in a chamber filled with deuterium gas, a heavy form of hydrogen. The high voltage is focused onto a needle-thin tip, which strips electrons from nearby deuterium nuclei and then accelerates them at a solid target containing deuterium. When two deuterium nuclei collide together at high speed, they fuse to form helium. The Sun also fuses atoms in thermonuclear reactions that create light and heat. The byproduct of the newly discovered lab reaction is a particle called the neutron. The scientists detect about 1,000 neutrons per second. Because neutrons are so penetrating, Putterman said that a hand-held neutron source might one-day be used to do geologic surveys or to look into cargo containers for nuclear devices. "Current neutron generators are extremely cumbersome," Putterman said. "They are about as big as a dentists X-ray machine, so you canÂt carry them into the field." Pyroelectric crystals could also provide a beam of ions for use as a microthruster in a miniature spacecraft. The research is described in the April 28 issue of the journal Nature.

At the least, you will need some basic instruments and a repair manual to chase down the point where power to the lamps is lost. (A VOM [volt-ohm meter] is handy.) You need the repair manual to discover how the circuits are routed and if there are any special relays or computer controls in the works. My first suspicions are the light switch, a control relay/breaker, or wiring connectors. Try the horn. Does it work? Often, the front lights and horn are in a common connector that plugs into the main body wiring harness. If the horn does not work, suspect this wiring connector. See if you can locate this connector. It'll be up front somewhere, maybe under the battery box. Start with the wires at rear of the headlamp and trace back to where it connects to the main harness. Do you have daytime running lights? Sometimes, these are powered at silghtly reduced power through a solid state switching regulator. Maybe this part is bad. This is definitely a problem where it will pay to diagnose rather than throw parts at it.

Hi again Fred. First, do you have auto dimming headlights? If so, unplug the connector from the rear the rear view mirror and see if your lights go out. Now that's the last "silver bullet" that can be thrown out. All too often I see people make light of what a tech has to do today to repair someones car. You don't have to read too many threads right here in this forum and you will see just how rare it is to get respect for what we do. We DON'T just swap parts as you did by playing musical relays in order to figure out a problem with someones car. You should have noticed though, that when you were plugging the relays in, they probably clicked because they are "being commanded on". This command could be a false one such as a grounded wire. We don't actually call that a short because shorts blow fuses, that's not happening here. Looking at the schematic, and not knowing for sure which system you have (there are two designs, one with auto dimming, and one with just Daytime Running Lights) makes it impractical for me to type out each step to lead you to diagnose this thing. Seriously, it would take me about 1/2 an hour to diagnose it, and three hours to type it all out. Average pricing for a tech/shop to diagnose this issue around here would be in the $100 range. Keep in mind things like "Flash to Pass" and the fact that the multifunction switch is a significant part of the circuit. Any aftermarket alarm systems, could also be in play. I'm not going to be able to go into great detail, make sure there are NO blown fuses in any of the vehicles fuse blocks. A blown fuse would of course be evidence of a short occurring somewhere, and this can result in a back feed which can command a relay on. Later today I can look closer at what you have written here again. But if you don't have the skills to do the diagnostics on electronics at this level you should plan to have a tech repair this. JMHO.

I like the battery rundown protection feature also. It will save a lot of batteries and alternators, not to mention the frustration of finding that the car won't start and having to jump start it. Also, any battery that's run down to the point where it won't start the car should ideally be charged with a battery charger at a slow rate. Alternators hit the battery with a strong charge and in many cases the battery won't ever recover unless it's charged more slowly. A car battery that's never deep discharged can last a very long time. I've had them go 10 years before. Leaving the lights on to the point where the battery is stone dead -- not even enough voltage to produce a glimmer of light in the headlights -- will essentially ruin its chance of a long life. I'm not necessarily saying run out and get a new battery if that happens, but at least charge it with a charger and don't just let the alternator do it. And realize that the lifespan of the battery is cut every time that happens. Here's what a good battery can do for you: Last March I had the alternator fail in my Blazer. I was 70 miles from home. It was night, so I had to have the headlights on. I had a Wal-Mart EverStart battery about 1 1/2 years old, never deep discharged. I turned off all accessories except the lights and started heading toward home. I made it 69 3/4 miles -- it finally quit when I was on my road and could almost see my house. I think that's pretty good for headlights on and no alternator. So now that battery has been somewhat deep discharged, but nowhere near as bad as leaving the headlights on, because those will just keep sapping power until it's down to nothing. The Blazer's computer apparently shuts things down when the system voltage hits about 10 or 11, because it was showing 11 on my tester when I got home; probably under load that would be 10 or maybe less. (First it shuts off the overdrive in the transmission, then the ABS, and finally the ignition system.) According to the charger, it was at 41 percent. So I charged it with the charger, replaced the alternator, and that battery is still in there, doing okay. But it may not last as long as it would have if that hadn't happened. (On the instructions that came with the replacement alternator, they said if the alternator has failed and the battery is run down, it is not just recommended but is absolutely necessary to charge it with a charger and not just expect the alternator to bring it up, because doing that will shorten the life of the alternator.)