[TCML] Climbing Arcs

Wed May 28 09:23:44 MDT 2008

Here is a video of my 9/120 nst with rods made from coat hangers. I just 
threw this together to test the nst. They seem to work fine until they start 
moving around from the arc, which probably could be avoided by building a 
proper base instead of just attaching them to the HV terminals. They did 
heat up quite a bit (too hot to touch from a 30 second run), and the ones I 
used seemed to have a plastic? coating on them that was burned away where 
the arcs were traveling.

Jacobs Ladder
http://my.break.com/content/view.aspx?ContentID=485263

---- Original Message ----- 
From: "Frank" <fxrays at hughes.net>
To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla at pupman.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 10:58 PM
Subject: Re: [TCML] Climbing Arcs

>I have a 20's vintage X ray transformer, oil filled and weighs about 300 
>pounds. It has a built in reactance coil. It runs on 220V
> On 110, I could produce a very HOT Jacob's ladder with the peak being 
> about 10" apart and the inverted V or the arc was over 8" tall.
> I used coat hanger rods and it made a beautiful display.
> I tried some larger dia tubing and the arc would not travel the full 
> length. A lot of times it would stop part way up and the arc would remain 
> stationary. I had to fan it with some paper to get the arc moving again.
>
> Conduit is not a good choice for another reason, it is usually galvanized 
> and the arc will burn the coating releasing zinc fumes which are quite 
> toxic.
> Frank
>
> At 08:40 AM 5/27/2008 -0700, you wrote:
>>Tony:
>>
>>Do NOT use the 3/4 inch conduit tubing.  Use 1/8th inch stainless
>>steel rods.  The smaller dia rods strike easier and do not conduct the
>>heat away as fast as the 3/4 inch conduit.  Result is a better
>>climbing arc the performs well without re-striking all the time.
>>
>>Dr. Resonance
>>
>>
>>
>>On 5/27/08, Bert Hickman <bert.hickman at aquila.net> wrote:
>> > Hi Tony,
>> >
>> > Some suggestions:
>> >
>> > 1. Use a wide "V" to more rapidly spread the arc. The higher the 
>> > current
>> > the wider the end gap should be
>> > 2. Use inductive ballasting for best performance
>> > 3. Use smooth rails to avoid incandescent "hot spots" that will cause
>> > the arc roots to temporarily hang in one spot. I'd recommend using 3/4"
>> > hard copper pipe or non-magnetic stainless steel tubing. Periodically
>> > remove any oxide buildup. I suspect the oxidation of the galvanizing 
>> > may
>> > a major part of the problem you're seeing.
>> > 4. Enclose on 4 sides to reduce disruption by air currents. Leave top
>> > AND bottom portion open to permit vertical air flow. Be sure to leave
>> > plenty of clearance on either side of the gap, especially for a higher
>> > current ladder.
>> > 5. For grins, try connecting a small (500 - 1000 pF) HV doorknob cap
>> > across the gap to make for "snappier" performance at start and at long
>> > arc lengths.
>> >
>> > Good luck,
>> >
>> > Bert
>> >
>> > Sfxneon at aol.com wrote:
>> >> Hi Ken,
>> >>
>> >> You're right, the arc climbs because it's hotter and less dense than 
>> >> the
>> >> surrounding air. I've had no problem making the small NST powered ones
>> >> work, but
>> >> at higher currents the middle of the arc tends to rise faster than the
>> >> ends.
>> >> It  grows in length but hardly ever makes it to the top of the rails, 
>> >> even
>> >>
>> >> when set  close. It seems to get stuck along the way and doesn't want 
>> >> to
>> >> climb
>> >> smoothly.
>> >>
>> >> Does anyone know if the smoothness of the rail's surface or the zinc
>> >> coating
>> >> would have anything to do with it?
>> >>
>> >> Thanks,
>> >>
>> >> Tony G
>> >>
>> >> In a message dated 5/27/2008 8:47:52 A.M. Central Daylight  Time,
>> >> kwillison2 at cox.net writes:
>> >>
>> >> I never built a really large one. I have however observed that any 
>> >> air
>> >> movement across the ladder will disrupt the arc. Conducted some
>> >> experiments
>> >> tilting the electrodes from vertical it would not work beyond 30 
>> >> degrees.
>> >> The curve of the arc remained vertical while the electrodes were 
>> >> tilted.
>> >> I
>> >> surmised that heat causes the arc to rise and heat raises  vertically 
>> >> so
>> >> won't work when it passes about 30  degrees.
>> >> Ken
>> >>
>> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> From:  tesla-bounces at pupman.com [mailto:tesla-bounces at pupman.com] On
>> >> Behalf
>> >> Of  Sfxneon at aol.com
>> >> Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 12:10 AM
>> >> To:  tesla at pupman.com
>> >> Subject: [TCML] Climbing Arcs
>> >>
>> >> Hi All,
>> >>
>> >> I have a  spare 12.5 kVA/20 kV bombarding transformer and sliding 
>> >> choke
>> >> with
>> >>
>> >> which I'm building a large Jacob's ladder using 3/4" x 10' EMT 
>> >> conduit.
>> >> It
>> >> works reasonably well, but the arc tends to rise up the  rails too 
>> >> slowly
>> >> and
>> >> the
>> >> middle of the arc outruns the ends, resulting in  a restart before it
>> >> reaches
>> >> the  top. I've adjusted the angle of the  rails from near parallel to
>> >> about
>> >> 18" apart  at the top, without much  success.
>> >>
>> >> Does anyone know how to tweak the performance of a big climbing  arc 
>> >> so
>> >> that
>> >>
>> >> it will climb to the top of the rails more often? I'm  guessing that
>> >> increasing
>> >> the air convection around the arc would help it  to climb, so will
>> >> inclosing
>> >> it in a tall clear tube or box make a  difference? Does the material 
>> >> that
>> >> the
>> >> rails are made of have any  effect? How about the ballasting  of the
>> >> transformer, as far as  inductive or resistive, etc?
>> >>
>> >> Thanks,
>> >>
>> >> Tony Greer
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> **************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking 
>> >> with
>> >> Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.
>> >> (http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4&?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)
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>> >
>> >
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