[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

sparks for cheap





----------
From:  Michael Nolley [SMTP:mhnolley-at-willamette.edu]
Sent:  Friday, August 21, 1998 4:20 PM
To:  Tesla List
Cc:  'Tesla List'
Subject:  Re: sparks for cheap



On Tue, 18 Aug 1998, Tesla List wrote:

> 
> ----------
> From:  Jim Lux [SMTP:James.P.Lux-at-jpl.nasa.gov]
> Sent:  Tuesday, August 18, 1998 11:43 AM
> To:  Tesla List
> Subject:  Re: sparks for cheap
> 
> Tesla List wrote:
> > 
> > ----------
> > From:  Michael Nolley [SMTP:mhnolley-at-willamette.edu]
> > Sent:  Monday, August 17, 1998 2:18 AM
> > To:  Tesla List
> > Cc:  'Tesla List'
> > 
> >         I have some interesting information for those of you who would
> > like to generate huge sparks for cheap- - - last night I rigged a setup
> > which has been familiar to me for the last 2 years in my high voltage
> > work- I wired 5 MOT's together in a dual parallel-series arrangement,
> > with the primaries in parallel, and the secondaries in series.
> > Altogether I was able to generate foot and a half long arcs at 10 kv out of
> > the arrangement without the TC assembly. 
> 
> A foot and a half? You mean 18 inches or 45 cm? From 10 kV? Perhaps in a
> Jacob's ladder or drawing an arc with movable electrodes, but I'd find
> it unusual. Needle point breakdown at 10 kV is only going to be a
> centimeter or so.  If you could get 18" arcs with 10 kV, then neon sign
> transformers would need MUCH better insulation and need to be much
> bigger.
> 
> Perhaps you mean you got an INCH and half, which is reasonable and
> practical with a fairly high current 10 kV supply and a suitable rising
> arc gap or needle points.
> 
> 
> 
	You're right, you have to bring them within a centimeter or so 
before the arc forms, but bringing the electrodes apart again creates the 
said arcs, which tend to last for a few seconds after rising and 
extinguishing due to their own heat.  These arc lengths tend to indicate 
for me how much amperage and/or voltage is being handled by the 
transformers.  
	--Mike