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Re: stepped leaders
Skip, Robert, et al...
<BIG HUGE SNIP>
>Robert and All
>
>My system is powered by a synchronous break which provides one break for
>each half of the 60 hz input at approximately 90 degrees, thereby the
>capacitor is always at the same charge when the "break" occurs. The
>jagged sparks referred to above are about 2" to 3" long and are connected
>one to the next by an interconnecting arc which is .5" to 1" long. This
>series of connected short sparks makes up what then appears to be the
>whole long discharge from the toroid. If there are, say, 10 steps or
>zigzags then the total length of the spark is 20" to 30" long. Then the
>spark STOPS ! Sometimes the individual sparks are short and sometimes
>they are much longer. The questions which come to my mind are:
>1. Does each zigzag represent one ring-up of the secondary?
>2. If 1 is true , is each zigzag added at the toroid end of the spark or
>at the far end of the spark?
>3 Why the random lengths ? The secondary obviously rings for hundreds of
>cycles....it is very high Q.
>
>Answers to these questions seem to bear heavily on the ion cloud which is
>proposed to exist around the toroid and how it affects the toroidal
>discharge and more importantly, at least to me, exactly what makes spark
>grow to the longest possible length.
>1. Is the spark current (power) or voltage driven (dependent)?
>2. Why does a spark once started....cease ?
>3. Can we find a way to keep a single spark activated and cause it to
>continue to build along the supposed ionized channel ?
>4. How about highly insulating the toroid except at one spot to
>concentrate the discharge energy ?
>5. Etc., etc.,..........
>
>Just some food for thought
This is very interesting information. Don't the sparks build from the torroid?
Can one conduct the spark channel using a laser beam to ionize the air in a
single path? Is this Star Wars technology?
See the Elfad Group's posting. They are doing some interesting things here
along these lines. Where are they out of? And do they give tours? <G>
Later,
*** Magic Bill ***