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RE: newbie question - spark gap and toroid



Original poster: "ho \[shu\] huang" <shuhuang-at-singnet-dot-com.sg> 

Hi Gary,


>If I'm interpreting your photo correctly, it looks like your fan is
>blowing into a chamber below the gap segments, and the air exits the
>chamber between the aluminum segments.  This in itself is a fine plan.
>
>I've found that air flow always improves performance over no air flow,
>but there is a point above which more air does not help.  It's difficult
>to indicate or predict how much is enough, but I don't think heroic
>measures, i.e. shop compressors and leaf blowers, are needed.

I doubt i'll go to those extremes, but I'll prob redesign the housing when 
I'm free. I'll stick with aluminium because I've got lots of it lying arnd 
(bought too long a length..hey it was cheap!). I'll prob come up with a 
design which has the entire rail exposed to the air flow, without the ends 
being shielded in any way.

>good airflow is important.  I'm not sure that "quenching" is a factor in
>the airflow equation at all.

Ok thanks for the tip.

And sorry for the wrong use of the term. To be honest, I don't fully 
understand how each part of a tesla coil works. I know how the coil works 
with everything put together, but I'm unfamiliar with the nitty-gritty 
details of each component.  Quenching...airflow...they're both often 
mentioned in the same paragraph on most tesla coil websites, so I guess 
I've begun to associate both of them as being the same thing. I stand 
corrected now :)


>The 2 woks actually look quite good!  But the problem with using a
>spherical top load is that it doesn't shield the top of the secondary
>from corona as well as a toroid would.  You may find that you may need
>to bring the woks closer to the top of the secondary to prevent corona
>there.  If flexible drainage pipe is difficult to find, perhaps you can
>go to a store that sells cloths dryers; they should be able to provide
>4" corrugated aluminum dryer duct.

That's a thought! Coronas are invisible, right? So you can't see the charge 
leaking away? Maybe that's why my sparks are so small...

It'll probably be easier to find flexible drain pipe than dryer duct! It's 
a pity Singapore doesn't have Lowe/Home Depot style DIY chains :(

thanks!

Shu