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RE: Why am I getting small sparks? Am I underpowered? (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:13:43 -0400
From: Scott Bogard <teslas-intern@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Why am I getting small sparks? Am I underpowered? (fwd)
Trevor
Nooo! Don't open your gap too wide! Set it like this, turn the
transformer on and off, starting close enough to make an arc, and keep
opening it a tiny bit at a time (like a millimeter) until it won't start an
arc, then, leave it there. What you may find, is that once you install a
good fan of some kind, you may need to close it some for best performance.
I just use a tiny 1/32 hp squirrel cage fan for inflating the layers of
greenhouse plastic, to improve their insulation value, but this may or may
not be enough for you, but since your low power, it may very well be fine.
As for your caps popping, how do you have them wrapped, do you use foil, do
you use any glue, do you have them sitting in a tub of salt water, what are
you doing? I have found you can get small but worthwhile improvements by
wrapping the jars in tightly fitting foil tape, and then aluminum foil (to
bridge the connections between tape strips) and then an insulator (like a
few layers of electrical tape). I personally prefer one gallon pickle jars
(about .001 uf or 1nf a piece, so your larger than resonant value would need
about 7 or 8 jars, assuming you could tune your secondary to this
combination), and glue never seemed to work for me (so I use tape)! Also,
you can increase the efficiency of your caps by experimenting with the salt
you use, I find more caustic stuff to be slightly better (I use NaCl, MgSO4,
HCl, Vinegar, and CuSO4 all mixed, but your electrode will not last forever
with a concoction like this!). Also make sure they are sitting on a well
insulated surface, like Styrofoam (although your system is probably fine, as
if this were a problem you would not have much happening in your spark gap).
Good luck!
Scott Bogard.
>From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: RE: Why am I getting small sparks? Am I underpowered? (fwd)
>Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:34:27 -0600 (MDT)
>
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:28:37 +0000
>From: Trevor Keast <trevor_keast@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: RE: Why am I getting small sparks? Am I underpowered? (fwd)
>
>Thanks for the comments. I am currently using two threaded rods as the
>spark gap. I have no fan or anything like that at present. I did make a
>quite elaborate multi gap spark gap out of about 7 short lengths of copper
>pipe. Strangly enough, when i use this spark gap I get no sparks from the
>top load whatsoever and the sparks going across this spark gap seem quite
>tame in comparison to the single spark gap.
>
>If I open up the single spark gap too much it start setting of some rather
>alarming pops and banks in my beer bottle capacitor bucket and I have no
>idea what that is happening!! It scares me.
>
>Trevor
>
>
>
> > Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:04:57 -0600> From: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> To:
>tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: Why am I getting small sparks? Am I
>underpowered? (fwd)> > > ---------- Forwarded message ----------> Date:
>Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:53:21 -0400> From: Rich Winders
><rwinders_3@xxxxxxxxxxx>> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: Why am I
>getting small sparks? Am I underpowered? (fwd)> > > i had the exact same
>problem as you did with spark length.. and what i> did i was exactly as
>chiris said .. try varying the distance between the> electrodes.. this will
>send a diffrent amount of charge to your tank> capacitor but if you change
>that value enough your also going to through> of your tuning so good luck!
>... what kind of arrangement are you using?> Eg nuts and bolts ... or
>copper pipes or are you using roatating spark> gap?> >
>_______________________________________________________________________________
>sparks? Am I> underpowered? (fwd)> Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:54:37 -0600
>(MDT)> >> >---------- Forwarded message ----------> >Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007
>15:48:34 -0400> >From: Crispy <crispy@xxxxxxxxxxx>> >To: Tesla list
><tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>> >Subject: Re: Why am I getting small sparks? Am I>
>underpowered? (fwd)> >> >What are the details on your spark gap? I made a
>similar> coil, and had> >a similar problem. When I changed the fan to
>quench the> spark gap to a> >more powerful one, spark length improved from
>around 6" to> around 4' .> >> >Chris> >> >On Fri, 2007-08-10 at 12:54
>-0600, Tesla list wrote:> > > ---------- Forwarded message ----------> > >
>Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:38:35 +0000> > > From: Trevor Keast
><trevor_keast@xxxxxxxxxxx>> > > To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> > > Subject: Why am I
>getting small sparks? Am I> underpowered?> > >> > > Hi Guys,> > >> > > I
>managed to reach 'first light' with my coil last night> however I was
>unable to get the spark length that I was> hoping for and feel I may be
>underpowered.> > >> > > A basic overview of my coil is as follows:> > >> >
> > 6 inch secondary diameter> > > 24 inch secondary length> > > approx 900
>windings on secondary (24 AWG magnet wire)> > > 13 Turns on primary made
>from 1/4 copper tube> > > static spark gap> > > beer bottle cap (14
>bottles)> > > 15,000V 30mA NST> > > 4 inch dryer tube toroid (approx 12in
>diameter)> > >> > > I tuned it as best I could but was unable to get
>sparks> bigger than about 6 inches. They were also quite dim and> could
>hardly be seen unless in the dark.> > >> > > I am wondering if I am
>underpowered? How can I improve> spark length?> > >> > > I greatly
>appreciate any advice or comments.> > >> > > Regards,> > >> > > Trevor.> >
> >> _________________________________________________________________
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