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Re: GM coil record




At 04:16 PM 04/23/2000 -0700, you wrote:
snip...
>
>Terry:
>
>	My question referred to internal breakdown voltage, as indicated by
>maximum spark length.  I looked at your site and understand what you're
>doing, but don't understand why your coil doesn't break down at a
>voltage corresponding to a much shorter spark. Seems to me that you
>should have at least as much of a breakdown problem (insulation stress)
>as what I've done.  Were you just lucky in your choice of coils (got
>exceptional ones, that is)? 
>
>Ed

Hi Ed,

	I tried four coils when I did all this.  One from the junk yard and one
from my car after 15 years of use.  They got to around 8 and 10 inches.  My
first new one went to 12 inches if I remember right and the last new one
got to 13.25 inches before it died.

They were all different dates and manufacturers from Genuine GM to who
knows, from new to over a decade old.  So it's not the coils...

It's either running them as true tesla coils or my skill that makes them
put out such big sparks (I prefer thinking it is skill ;-)).  I would guess
you were blowing out the primaries.  My primary cap was only 1.7uF at 1600
volts and well matched to transfer energy in the system.  If there is no
good output spark, that energy can only go into the coil were I imagine it
would do harm.  I cut a few of the failed ones open and the primaries are
typically poorly made and easy to short.

Another way of looking at it is try to imagine what would happen to a
regular Tesla coil if you ran it like an ignition coil.  Pump maybe 1000
amps DC through the primary and then break the circuit...  You'll blow the
primary coil before you get any good sparks off the coil.  But run it like
a true Tesla coil and...

Cheers,

	Terry




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