[TCML] Slow progress.

[Barton B. Anderson]

Hi Tim,

I've never had to use a rubber mallet or hammer of any type. I don't 
quite "get that"! That just sounds like a bad idea from the start. 1/4" 
refrigeration tubing is very easy to work with. The biggest issue is 
supports. David Reiben made a similar primary using abs tubing and was 
quite successful, but I personally would not do as good a job. Thus, I 
use rigid supports to accommodate the primary tubing.

Supports of the following are my preference for flat coils and certainly 
helps the winding process, but are a bit more difficult to make.   
http://www.classictesla.com/temp/Pristand.gif

The cuts into the center create a flexible snap in ability. Without the 
cuts, you'll "force" the tune into the holes and this will bend the 
tubing creating a poor connection. I used 3/8" acrylic for this 
particular standoff. All that is really needed is to purchase the 
tubing, drill a few drill sizes similar to this arrangement, and find 
the drill size which works well for the tubing. Then, just drill and cut 
the acrylic to size. It ends up very nice in the end.

To get something nice, it takes some thought process with the method 
used. If your just looking for a working coil, even a messy primary will 
perform well. Been there and done that also (there's nothing wrong with 
that approach either). However, I wanted to point out another avenue. 
Tubing is great for tapping along it's length for tuning and if you are 
simply required to "snap in" the tubing into position, winding becomes a 
cake walk.

I am also a big advocate of ty wraps. But, always use a single hole for 
a single ty wrap (never two holes). Two holes will allow the primary to 
slide all over the place. Simply insert the ty wrap up through a single 
hole, around the primary, and back down the same hole (securing on the 
bottom). This will ensure the primary stays in it's intended position. 
It's not as good as an acrylic standoff, but it's darn close.

Here's an old picture of one my coils using a ty wrap primary (note I 
used acrylic strips between wood and primary).
http://www.classictesla.com/temp/Pristand.gif

Take care,
Bart



Tim Meehan wrote:
> Hey Guys - thanks for the advice.  I think that I'll probably try the rubber
> mallet and refrigerator tubing rather than stripping the insulation off of
> some power cable.
> On Nov 15, 2007 5:38 AM, Lau, Gary <Gary.Lau at hp.com> wrote:
>
>   
>> Yes, I agree that using super-heavy gauge solid wire is awful to work
>> with.  1/4" refrigeration tubing is MUCH more flexible and kink-free.  While
>> Litz wire is the ideal primary conductor from an electrical perspective, it
>> cannot be tapped to adjust the inductance.  The same is true for " small
>> gauge multi-conductor cables".
>>
>> Regards, Gary Lau
>> MA, USA
>>
>>     
>>> Behalf Of Tim Meehan
>>> Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 11:38 PM
>>> To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
>>> Subject: Re: [TCML] Slow progress.
>>>
>>> I notice a lot of people using the heavy-gauge copper wire.  I have used
>>>       
>> it
>>     
>>> too in some of my (ill-fated) coil projects.  It isn't easy to bend
>>>       
>> around
>>     
>>> and I was wondering if you could use the small gauge multi-conductor
>>>       
>> cables
>>     
>>> or litz wire for the primary?
>>>       
>>  _______________________________________________
>> Tesla mailing list
>> Tesla at www.pupman.com
>> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
>>
>>     
> _______________________________________________
> Tesla mailing list
> Tesla at www.pupman.com
> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
>
>
>
>