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Re: Question on Variac lighting



Original poster: "JT Bowles" <jasotb@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Shouldnt the sparks actually be brighter and thicker, due to increased amperage in primary & secondary ( when you use too large a capacitor)?


From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Question on Variac lighting
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 20:07:17 -0600

Original poster: "D.C. Cox" <resonance@xxxxxxxxxx>


It also gets heavily into "spark quality" by the viewer. At 1.6 x Cres (overcapped condition) the sparks will be max but also "stringy and singular in nature". Right at Cres they will be multiple and "dance around" a lot. I usually go 1.3 x Cres for a best compromise. I like to see the sparks dancing around a lot not just a long single spark off the toroid. Also using a slightly smaller than "max recommended value" of toroid helps the dancing effect. It's really up to what you like best.

Dr. Resonance



A question on your point Dr R. If you're overcapped for the transformer you have, as with the coiler who posted this question, and there's not enough mA to to charge the cap fast enough to produce sparks at low variac settings, does this condition necessarily hinder top end performance? Or does it just raise the point at which the variac setting initially produces sparks?

In other words, I don't car whether my coil only lights up at 50% variac or even higher, can I still potentially get near peak performance with the variac at or near max with an larger than needed capacitor?