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Re: primary coil wire



Tesla List wrote:
> 
> Original Poster: "chris morgan" <crmorgan-at-hotmail-dot-com>
> 
> Everybody uses copper tubing for there pirmary coil cause its got more
> surface area, right?  Why don't you just twist 3 strand #12 house wire
> together.  That will have more suface area and be cheaper also. So if
> your pinchin penies or strivin for that extra watt, this sounds like the
> way to go.  Someone who's actualy built a tesla coil should try this and
> post how it works out.

Copper tubing is used because its radius of curvature is greater,
reducing the corona discharge or inter-turn arc potential. And, of
course, tubing is a lot cheaper than a solid conductor of the same OD
(less copper, etc.)

Surface area, in the reduction of RF resistance sense, is kind of a
tricky thing. However, it is done, using multiple *insulated* strands
braided (or twisted) together. It is called Litzendraht wire (or Litz
wire for short). 
-- 
Jim Lux                               Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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