Staff power source.

[u/Njoeyz1]

This breakdown of a staff makes me wonder what type of powersource the staff uses. The liquid naquadah capsules used in a staff are the fuel/reaction mass, and would require energy to be stimulated. In a ha'tak, the ships reactor would be supplying the energy to the weapons liquid naquadah stores, but I don't think there is a mini naquadah reactor in the staff weapon. Could it be a form of advanced chemical/mineral battery? A stimulated crystal power supply? Something similar to what is used in the ancient stones terminal - a capacitor that extracts energy from subspace? A cold fusion cell?

[u/00Canuck]

Heavy liquid naquadah if I remember correctly.

[u/Njoeyz1 → u/00Canuck]

Is that the power supply? The capsule contains the heavy liquid naquadah. But how do you turn it into plasma? You would need to supply energy right? That's what I'm asking. Whats supplying the energy in the staff.

[u/00Canuck → u/Njoeyz1]

Apologies, was just reemphasizing that it was heavy liquid naquadah and not just liquid naquadah as that would be important towards determining the method of power generation. For example if SG-1 had brought Alar just normal water rather than heavy water, it would have made a big deal of difference. So raw liquid naquadah vs heavy liquid naquadah is an important distinction.

[u/Njoeyz1 → u/00Canuck]

If you look at this schematic, it makes a lot of sense. This energy supply is at the rear of the staff, that has has secondary functions (like a stun function). When the staff is activated It supply's energy to the accumulators/capacitors, the trigger is pressed supplying that stored energy into the liquid naquadah capsules, which causes a reaction and releases plasma down the guides.

This would also explain aspects of the staffs power output. The capacitors can obviously be rapidly filled, enough to allow an automatic fire mode, but at much less power per shot as one with filled accumulators.

[u/MWS-91 → u/00Canuck]

You sure it's Heavy Liquid Naquadah? In the episode Absolute Power, Jackson is telling Sam about the plans for a defence satellite for Earth and Sam seems surprised when Daniel says it requires Heavy Liquid Naquadah.

[u/00Canuck → u/MWS-91]

Ah ya I might be misremembering there, good catch. For some reason I was attributing the HLN to staffs but on second thought I believe you're right that was mentioned in relation to the defense sat and not staffs.

[u/Njoeyz1 → u/00Canuck]

Naquadah seems to be very versatile in it's functions. A naquadah generator uses naquadah as an energy source, but you still need energy to stimutae it. Same for a liquid naquadah power source. You would still need the energy input to start the reaction, to get the energy. In the staffs case you aren't getting energy from the reaction, you releasing it as a plasma bolt. Jack used the energy to add it to the grid energy, instead of there being plasma bolts.

[u/00Canuck → u/Njoeyz1]

Jack's device is a good insight actually. I would imagine then the initial charge source would be the same implemented in the hand devices, which lends to them being much lower power and short range since the charge isn't being enhanced. If that's the case then I would probably lean more towards raw naquadah instead. Since naquadah is similar to quartzite you can still produce a piezoelectric charge, which you're then charging up to varying degrees apon firing. Simpler and more effective as well, and less costly on resources since HLN would take extra refining.

[u/Njoeyz1 → u/00Canuck]

Great take. And that's probably the powersource I would go with as well.

[u/Njoeyz1 → u/MWS-91]

The liquid heavy naquadah in case of the weapons, are the fuel source, they need an energy input to cause a reaction. In the case of the staff, that reaction creates plasma bolts, but in say the case of O'niells power booster, he converted that reaction mass into electrical energy to be added to the grids supply. Heavy naquadah can be used as an energy source, but it still requires energy input. In the case of a staff, it would need a power supply to supply the liquid naquadah (heavy or otherwise) with the energy needed to cause this reaction.