RE: Water sparks (fwd)

[Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 12:11:56 -0700
From: brianb <brianb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: 'High Voltage list' <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: Water sparks (fwd)

Sean,

I put my Water-Arc setup and some pictures on my website at
http://www.briananddebbie.com/images/Backyard%20Science/Water_Arcs/water_arc
s.htm

The arcs weren't the longest but they were very interesting.

Regards,
Brian B.


-----Original Message-----
From: High Voltage list [mailto:hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 7:19 AM
To: hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Water sparks (fwd)


Original poster: Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxx>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 09:35:41 -0700
From: Sean Taylor <sean.s.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Water sparks

Hi all:

A while back, there were several posts on the Tesla list about creeping arc
discharges along water surface.  It was all started by a picture of the Z
machine at Sandia. Anyhow - I have been trying to do this, and first I used
a 10 kV DC PS I had, and just depended on the filter cap for the discharge
(bad idea, I know, but it was just a test) and it worked pretty well.  I had
about 1 inchor so of arcs going out from the electrode (brass drawer pull).
I recently just tried it again with a couple maxwell pusle caps, with higher
voltage and more energy storage( 0.188 uF, ~15 kV) than the DC power supply.
Results were quite disappointing though - only about 1/2" max creeping
discharge, but plenty of noise.  There were more arcs across the surface,
but not nearly the same length.  So, here's the question/my theory:  Are the
Maxwell pulse caps too good, and the current dies out too quickly so the
arcs don't have time to form? Or is something else going on?

Thanks for the help!
Sean Taylor