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Re: Air as di-electric



Tesla List wrote:
> 
> > > > Subject: Air as di-electric
> > > Subject: Re: Air as di-electric
> > > > Subject: Air as di-electric
> > Subject: Re: Air as di-electric
> 
> Subscriber: bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com Sun Jan  5 21:43:29 1997
> Date: Sun, 05 Jan 1997 16:18:41 -0800
> From: Bert Hickman <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: Air as di-electric
> 
> Tesla List wrote:
> >
> > > > Subject: Air as di-electric
> > > Subject: Re: Air as di-electric
> > > > Subject: Air as di-electric
> >
> > Subscriber: gweaver-at-earthlink-dot-net Sat Jan  4 21:54:27 1997
> > Date: Sun, 05 Jan 1997 09:00:07 -0800
> > From: Gary Weaver <gweaver-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> > To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> > Subject: Re: Air as di-electric
> >
> > Tesla List wrote:
> > >I use to use air capacitors all the time and had very good luck with them
> > much better than glass plate capacitors.  I was running one 12K 30 ma neon on
> > the TC.  I use to space the steel plates 7/8" apart.  I found out that the
> > capacitor can be used as the spark gap.  Put the transformer, capacitor and
> > the primary all in series with NO spark gap.  Every time the capacitor
> > charges it arcs over to the other plate. The capacitor is very loud and also
> > very interesting.  The capacitor has what appears to be 100's of arcs all
> > over it and it will light up a dark room.  Sounds about like someone shooting
> > off a 2000 pack or firecrackers but not quite as loud as real firecrackers.
> >
> > Gary Weaver
> >
> >
> Gary,
> 
> But doesn't the air cap just short itself out without sending the
> discharge current through the primary?
> 
> -- Bert --


Its the colapsing magnetic field that makes a coil work.  The cap was 
probably charging up then when it discharged the magnet field on the TC 
colapsed and produced the output.  I had a 30" window fan blowing across the 
air capacitor.  The fan is the thing that made it work.  Also the plate 
spaceing was closer together.  I don't remember the exact spacing about 1/2" 
or less it was 10 years ago.  The plate spacing had to be right.  Also I had 
a Tesla Coil that didn't work very well.  It would be interested to try this 
again with a good working TC like I have now.

I use to built the air capacitors with orange wire nuts as spacers.  I would 
put the 1st plate flat on the work bench.  Then stand wire nuts up on end at 
each corners of the plate and about 10" or 12" apart all over the plate.  
Then put another plate on top of the wire nuts.  I would repeat this over and 
over with several plates.  The wire nuts have a very high failure rate 
because of the metal spring inside the wire nuts.  The wire nuts would arc 
threw at the end and have to be replaced.  Later I tried 3/4" wooden blocks. 
3/4" spacing between plates was too close so I cut PVC circles or donuts form 
small pipe as 7/8" spacers.  I used a single compressed air spark gap and got 
12" sparks from the secondary.

The way I use to build Tesla Coils was to make a secondary coil then make a 
primary with 10 turns for 12 guage wire.  Connect the transformer and spark 
gap and about 4 metal plates for the capacitor.  Then try it.  If it didn't 
work I would add 2 more plates to the capacitor and try it again.  I would 
keep adding plates 2 at a time to the capacitor until I reached resonate 
frequency an the secondary started producing some sparks.  I also use a 
compressed air spark gap.  At that time I knew nothing about Tesla Coils.  I 
just experemented until something worked.

Gary Weaver