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Re: Straight Spark

Subject:       Re: Straight Spark
       Date:   Thu, 22 May 1997 08:56:21 +1200
       From:   "Malcolm Watts" <MALCOLM-at-directorate.wnp.ac.nz>
Organization:  Wellington Polytechnic, NZ
         To:   tesla-at-pupman-dot-com


Hi all,

>   From:   FutureT-at-aol-dot-com
>     To:   tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> 
> 
> >snip>
> << The one spark had absolutely no branches. The spark was
> > perfectly straight and the only movement was at the very
> > end of the spark which had a small whip-like movement at
> > the very end. The spark stayed in place on the doorknob
> > for about 10 seconds and then broke back into the scattered
> > discharges running around the doorknob as previous. Has
> > anybody ever seen this effect? Why was the spark straight ?
>  
> > I am going to see if I can re-create this at will (sorry Will)
> > and take some pics.
>  
>  >Bob Schumann
>   >>
> 
> Bob,
> 
> The most impressive display of this effect that I witnessed was at one
> of
> Richard Hull's Teslathons a few years ago when he ran one of his early
> magnifiers with a 1 foot sphere on top.  At a certain rotary break-rate,
> the
> spark took on this single straight spark characteristic.  the spark also
> became much brighter and thicker when this happened.  The effect was
> attributed to a rotary speed that phased in with the 60 Hz AC creating a
> sort
> of temporary synchronous operation.  It must be a combo of the sphere
> and the
> synchronous operation.  I speculate that it also has something to do
> with
> heat in the spark rising and promoting the effect, since this effect
> seems to
> occur only in vertical sparks.  I've also seen the effect in small neon
> coils
> using a spherical electrode, as you noted.  I've never seen this using a
> toroid.
<snip>
     I too have seen this effect (sphere only). I speculated that it 
is because the spark can go upwards dead-centre from the top of the 
sphere and just hang there without being interrupted by spurious 
airflows. I have also obtained this effect in a plasma globe by 
adjusting both power and frequency carefully.

Malcolm