Talk-Polywell.org

I don't know... if the navy is able to start building starships, they might be able to put together a solid case to take over the air force. One 90 year old instance of interservice rivalry solved! :lol: Sorry, the Air Force is only ~64 years old, while the Navy was there at the beginning and befor...

Yes. For most of the hard real-time stuff we stick to embedded devices with QNX.

I haven't investigated this yet but there is a LabVIEW real-time module. No idea what performance looks like.

We use LabVIEW for most of our projects, at least at the prototype stage. Some we eventually transition to embedded processors, others keep using LabVIEW. It really is a remarkable toolset. I think it would be an excellent choice for Polywell control. Where the wheel doesn't have to be reinvented......

MSimon wrote:Thoth,

It was exactly the algorithm question that led me to the processor question.

Understood. The message came across a little more brusquely than I intended. I'll have some further thoughts on this topic when it isn't 4:30 AM.

I don't think having enough processing power to control the reactor is going to a problem of any significance. Monitoring and controlling complex parameters at high rates isn't exactly mysterious anymore. It is being done as we speak in thousands of different applications. Focus on the control algor...

My own background is ex-military officer, aerospace R&D, mathematics/physics/EE. The physics is compelling enough that I've convinced my partners to devote a few $100K's in our firm to coming up to speed on IEC fusion over the next year. Some of what we already do is related, or rather is potential...

The bigger commitment for the 100 MW test may be a sign of Congressional funds in the offing. I've been lurking at the nasaspaceflight forum for many months now, ever since I saw the Google video. I've spent all these months absorbing, working through as much of the literature available out there g...

@JohnP The Navy didn't necessarily 'have' the money. Since the line item which contained EMC2's project, among others, had been zeroed out there *was* no money. Those who zeroed the advanced energy research line item likely were trying to find money anywhere they could for some shorter-term needs. E...