120 watts 3"

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: 120 watts 3"
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 22:08:50 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	gweaver[SMTP:gweaver-at-earthlink-dot-net]
Sent: 	Friday, November 21, 1997 11:30 PM
To: 	Tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: 	120 watts 3"

I have been experementing with my smallest Tesla Coil.  It is 120 watts, 6K
volts, 20 ma.  The secondary is 1.5" PVC pipe 6" long wound with #24 wire.
The primary is 5 turns of #12 copper house wire with vinyl insulation close
helix wound 3" diameter.  RQ gap .025 x 4. The output spark at the toroid is
3.125" with a .0014 uf cap and a 2" doorknob as the toroid.  If I change the
primary coil from 5 turns to 6 turns or to 4 turns I am off resonance
frequency and the discharge spark gets shorter as expected about 1" long.
If I change the toroid to a 6" diameter copper sphere or no toriod at all I
still get a 3" discharge spark?  If I change the cap from .0014 to .0017
or.0034 or .005 or .0064 or .01 uf I still get a 3" discharge spark?  Some
of these changes makes the discharge spark get hotter or less hot but the 3"
spark length does not change. I know the
discharge spark will change if I change the number of turns of the primary
but why won't it change when I change the cap or toroid?  Is it because it
has a wide bandwidth and I haven't made a large enough change in the caps or
toroid to make any difference?  humm.

Gary