RE: Variable Ballast

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Lannis, Ryan (Ryan) by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <lannis-at-lucent-dot-com>

Greg, all,

Sorry I have never used an arc welder or E-I core air gap ballast.  I would
be happy to make some measurements for you.  Good question, now I am
curious.  I built my Tesla coil during college and played with it for a few
months afterwards.  I moved to Massachusetts to take a job with Lucent
Technologies.  For the past 2 years I have lived in a 3 room apartment.  I
would love to fire up the Tesla Coil but unfortunally there is just no room
for it. Anyways, tell me how to measure the efficiency of the ballasts.
Power in / Power out ??  At various core positions?  I can setup the
transformers in a Jacobs ladder configuration.  As far as magnetic fields
are concerned, there have been times that I have seen one or 2 rods vibrate
(probably 60 Hz) but the magnetic field has never pulled the rods into or
out of the core.  

I have been told that the rods should be insulated from each other, has to
do with eddy currents?  I have been meaning to paint the rods, never gotten
around to it.  I need to research this some more, I don't understand eddy
currents?  

Ryan Lannis
Ayer, MA

ps: Greg I might give you a call someday, I spent a year in Perth, Australia
as an exchange student, I have always wanted to get back out there.  Small
World!!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2002 2:55 PM
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Variable Ballast


Original poster: "Mr Gregory Peters by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <s371034-at-student.uq.edu.au>

Ryan, list

I quite like this setup. How does the efficiency compare to that of an
arc welder or E-I core air gap ballast? You mention sliding the rods out
of the tube to control current. I was wondering if the rods get pulled
(due to the magnetic field) into the tube when in operation? If so, how
do you keep them in place? I would like to make a similar unit and was
contemplating making the core from chopped up fencing wire.

Cheers,

Greg Peters
Department of Earth Sciences,
University of Queensland, Australia
Phone: 0402 841 677
http://www.geocities-dot-com/gregjpeters