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Re: oops ("Kickback" and untuned coils)
Tesla List wrote:
> Original Poster: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com>
>
> Hi Ed:
>
> I'd like to come to a better understanding of the hazards of coiling to
> appliances, and in particular, just what are these ill-defined demons.
>
> I don't understand your suggestion that an untuned coil is more prone to
> sending HV transients over the AC line. My current thinking has it where an
> untuned coil is simply not efficient at transferring the primary energy to
> the secondary, so the energy languishes in the primary tank circuit for a
> longer than desired time, burning up energy in the gap and putting more
> cycles and wear and tear on the tank capacitor. But I don't see any
> mechanism for this energy to get back to the AC mains any more-so than in a
> tuned coil. While the duration of each "bang" ringdown is longer, the
> magnitude of any coupled transients would be no greater.
>
> Regards, Gary Lau
> Waltham, MA USA
>
Gary,
An untuned coil will produce transient voltage spikes/peaks in the primary tank
that are much higher in amplitude than a properly tuned coil and the
untransfered energy does not just "languish" in the tank circuit, it finds it's
way back to the "mains" through the gap and transformer. Granted, a properly
tuned coil will produce a certain amount of kickback too, hence the need
for EMI
filters on the line feed, but not to the extent that an untuned or badly tuned
coil does.
Harry Goldman, editor of the TCBA Newsletter once printed a letter from a
newbie
who wanted to know why there were SPARKS ARCING across the slots in the WALL
OUTLETS in his home when he fired his newly constructed Tesla coil! How long do
you think a microwave or any other solid state device with microprocessor
controlled displays or functions would last if plugged into those outlets?! If
there were sparks across the outlets, what could be happening inside the
walls!!
Ed Wingate RATCB
Brockport, NY USA