[TCML] IGBT use with a coil

[Stephen J. Hobley]

This is pure "sitting at work speculation" but I've been thinking about IGBTs and their use in a coil. Am I right that these things can replace a spark gap? 
 
If they can, would it be possible to fire them using a microcontroller (suitably isolated) and change the frequency electronically to optimize the discharge from the secondary coil? (I'm a big fan of the Arduino MPU, as some of you know...)
 
Am I right that traditionally we need to tune the coil to the output frequency of the spark gap...? Or do we tune a spark gap to the coil?
 
Does that make any sense?
 
As I say, I'm just thinking things over at work...
 
Steve 
 
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