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Re: looking for some help




From: 	R. Dewzenol MacMorran[SMTP:dewzenol-at-smart1-dot-net]
Sent: 	Sunday, August 24, 1997 3:07 AM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: looking for some help

Tesla List wrote:

> From:   Kevin[SMTP:wawa-at-spectra-dot-net]
> Reply To:       wawa-at-spectra-dot-net
> Sent:   Thursday, August 21, 1997 2:09 PM
> To:     Tesla List
> Subject:        looking for some help
>
> Well, I went to test my coil out today and ... nothing :(
>
> I have a couple questions though, mostly regarding my caps.  I wanted
> to
> do as much as I could to spend my money wisely, so I decided to build
> my
> own salt water caps.  Now that I've come this far, I'm determined to
> make my coil work with what I've made.  Maybe I'll buy some caps for
> the
> next one, but I want to use what I have.
>
> Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, when I hooked up my caps in parallel
> with
> my trans and then hooked up a spark gap, I was getting incredibly loud
>
> and very bright sparks.  To go off track for a moment... All of my
> caps
> are in a plywood box on a cookie pan.  The pan is one terminal, and
> all
> the bolts from the tops of the bottles are wired together, serving as
> the other.  With this setup, I can hook the "unit" up in series or
> parallel.  So whenever I refer to my caps, I mean the whole unit.
>
> Never the less, the sparks were very exciting.  Now though, when I
> hooked the caps up in series, the sparks weren't nearly as great.
> They
> were quieter and not as bright.  May I also say, that when I went to
> discharge them nothing happened.  This was the case when I was just
> testing them out and also today when I tried to run my coil.  I know
> my
> wire was good, because I touched them and I'm still here.
>
> I tried taking out some of my bottles from the unit, one at a time and
>
> the sparks just diminished more.  Seems as though I should add some
> more
> then?
>
> Here's a little info on my coil
>
> I don't have a variac so I am using a light dimmer.  It works for me
> and
> I'll be happy until it busts.
>
> I have a safety gap, 2 chokes and one main gap
> In the plywood box there are 8 bottle caps
> My primary is 8 turns of 1/4" refridge tubing ( I tried tapping in at
> different turns with no luck).  It is wound at a 30 degrees
> My secondary is 4" O.D. , wound with aprx. 915 turns of 26 guage
> magnet
> wire
> My trans is 9Kv, 30Ma
>
> this is how I have this arranged (I hope it comes out)
>
>      ---   ---choke---   ---caps---outside pri.
> trans   sg1           sg2
>      ---   ---choke---   ---inside pri.
>
> sg1 --> safety gap
> sg2 --> main gap
>
> Being that this is my first coil and that I have spent all summer on
> it,
> I would really like to get it working.  I would apprecitate any
> comments, suggestions, or tips to help me complete this. I am not
> going
> to give up on this.
>
> Thanks
> Kevin

   Kevin, I'm confused about how your cap(s) are set up.  If all your
caps are on -A- cookie sheet, how did you configure them in series?
Also, is the water level outside of the bottles the same as that inside
the bottles?  Just curious.