[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

First Tesla Coil.... done!




----------
From:  Bert Hickman [SMTP:bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com]
Sent:  Saturday, March 07, 1998 11:54 AM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: First Tesla Coil.... done!

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> ----------
> From:  spcutler-at-ucdavis.edu [SMTP:spcutler-at-ucdavis.edu]
> Sent:  Friday, March 06, 1998 12:32 PM
> To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:  First Tesla Coil.... done!
> 
> Hey guys!  Well, I finally did it...  I finished my first Tesla coil!  Actually,
> "finished" isn't quite the right word since I haven't put the toroid on yet.
> But it does make sparks of about 3-4 inches from a screw mounted on the top.
> My plastic-bag capacitor seems to work beautifully.  By the way, what kind of
> sparks SHOULD I expect to get out of a 15 kv, 30 ma xfrmr, assuming an ideal
> design?  I couldn't have done it without you people; thanks for all your help!
> 
> Scott Cutler

Scott,

Congratulations on first light - There's a real rush of excitement in
seeing a brand-new coil come to life, whether its your first coil or the
20th! 

You'll definately get better performance when you complete your toroid.
Depending upon the design and construction of your coil, it should be
possible to get up to 2 - 3' streamers from your power source. Much of
the process of getting the most out of your system is in identifying and
eliminating areas of inefficiency. For example, simply going to a
forced-air cooled multiple static gap from a single gap can double
output streamer length. Adding the appropriately-sized toroid will also
make a big difference.

It certainly sounds like you're off to a good start! 

Safe coilin' to you, Scott!

-- Bert --