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Re: Condenser Products capaci

 Hi Scott;

>There are some other advantages like more aggressive sparks and sharper
 > tuning,

I've made a rolled cap this weekend and was tuning my TC with the new cap,
but have only a long enough wire to reach about 40% of the winding. How
sharp is the tuning? 1/2 turn? 1/10 turn? I'm using a a series gap, not
shunt.

>but these are things that are very tough to quantify...

I just got my copy of Corum & Corum _Vacuum Tube Tesla Coils_ and one of the
first things that the "Engineer Corum" says is (paraphrase) YOU CAN'T TREAT
THESE AS LUMPED CIRCUITS. I'm finding that out myself:)

>Well, the neon doesn't "dump" its energy across the gap.  The transformer
 >charges the capacitor which "dumps" its energy across the gap when the
>breakdown voltage is reached (in a static gap system).

You're right I keep thinking of a standard xformer, not a shunt limited one.

>The realization the it is best to put the gaps across the transformer came
>from many people's experimetations.  There was a good deal of weighing data
>to come to this conclusion.  It is not a conclusion that was reached based
>on calculation.

Yep, the standard engineering model don't work here.

>The transformer's circuit is never really broken, as it is always trying to
>charge the capacitor (or short the gap) in both circuits.  Therefore, there
>is no collapsing flux to cause such a kick.

Of course! I should have engaged my brain, before putting my mouth in gear:)

I hate to say it, but, I've cought the bug! I started out to build a small
power oscillator driving a Tesla Resonator at a few hundred watts, but in
shopping surplus, I found a 450-900 VA xeon arc lamp ignitor transformer
(shunt limited like a neon) and used it as a quick get started source. Now
my wife wonders why I walk arround the house mumbling MORE POWER.

                jim