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Re: does anybody really read these?



At 10:25 PM 1/18/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Subscriber: knardell-at-mailhost.accesscom-dot-net Sat Jan 18 22:24:39 1997
>Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1997 02:18:23 -0600
>From: Kevin Nardelle <knardell-at-mailhost.accesscom-dot-net>
>To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: Re: does anybody really read these?
>
>
>>  Third, what about filling an old lead-acid battery or similar device
>>with oil or water and using as a capacitor??  They are already designed
>>for maximum internal surface area and high amperages...  Will this
>>work?? (Happen to have a few i was thinking about using...)
>>
>
>Cool idea but I do think that you might need more than a few in order to get
>the right capacitance and also the battery is not designed for HV, I would
>think it would internally short out (fail). Anyone else care to share their
>views on this seemingly ready made cap?
>
>                                       Regards,
>                                            Kevin Nardelle
>
>   ********************************************
>

I have plans (circa 1939) for a large Tesla coil that would have been quite
a project to build!  First you built your own power transformer by
laminating 40 pounds of iron sheets, which you then wound with several
thousand turns of 30 gauge double cotton covered wire.  Then you build a
glass plate capacitor which was mounted in the housing from a large six volt
battery, then filled with transformer oil.  They did suggest a rotary gap
would improve performance.  Primary was a cylindrical type, secondary was
wound on a 14 inch sonotube, dcc 24 ga wire.  No toroid or other top was
suggested.

So yes, people have used battery cases in the past for capacitors - though
it would be very important to use one which has never had electrolyte in it.

Bert Pool
nikki-at-fastlane-dot-net