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Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)

> Subscriber: lod-at-pacbell-dot-net Wed Jan  8 22:59:23 1997
> Date: Wed, 08 Jan 1997 20:44:32 -0800
> From: lod-at-pacbell-dot-net
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)

<snip>

Greg L. wrote:
 
> The 35K value comes partly from digesting the data; Richard Hull's 'Nemesis',
> which was a strong performer, had a Zo of over 40,000 ohms.  Sadly, I didn't
> collect a lot of data -- I collected only 20 documented examples of operating 
> coils, which I need to enter into a spreadsheet one of these days.

Greg, 

I must apologize for not sending you data on my own two largest coil 
systems in response to your general request some time ago.  I mistakenly 
assumed that the information I had posted with my picture files at nic.fune.fi
was what you were after.  I went there today to check and found to my dismay
that it is not.  Sorry bud, it will be forthcoming.  This will serve 
to answer your other directed enquiry post to me today.

> But the secondary current waveforms on my coil are an even stronger indication
> that I should perhaps raise my secondary impedance.  Even with a full head of 
> streamers, the sec current still takes 10 to 15 cycles to ring down, showing
> that the Zo is far less than the working impedance of the ionized channels.
> 
> If the primary objective of a TC is that of an 'air incinerator', then it seems 
> that only three quantities need to be optimized:
> 
> Power - more is always better.

Truer words were never spoken. : )
 
> Efficiency - less power lost in circuit components means more burning air.

A major "reason d'etre" of this list for sure.
 
> Output Impedance - must be matched to the effective streamer impedance, in order 
>                    to maximize the total power transfer to the air.

I'd never thought about that angle before in the context of plasma 
channels in air or gasses until I recently started playing with a big 
homemade plasma display which I quickly discovered looks electrically 
like a big gas filled VR tube ala VR-60kV.

Good observation here Greg, you are talking (as usual) like an engineer!
Is there any way of employing the freespace impedance of 377 ohms per square
somewhere in this streamer impedance calculation? 

> I maintain that any improvement made to a TC serves to optimize one or more
> of these three quantities.

 I entirely agree! 

> -GL

rwstephens