Re: Ballast

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "C. Sibley" <a37chevy@xxxxxxxxx>

Chip,

My advice, put the welder in series with the 220V input to the 
pig.  Put some wires on the HV bushings and make a jacobs ladder.

Short out the welding leads.  Make sure you get a good contact.  I 
cut the wires and clamped the end together.

Start out with the welder switched to the lowest setting and fire the 
jacob's ladder.  Record the input current to the pig with a clip on amp meter.

Keep repeating this test but each time switch the welder to the next 
higher setting.  Each time the current will increase.  Eventually you 
will either run out of taps and have max power, or you will blow your 
breaker.  If you blow your breaker back off one setting and you have 
about the max for your setup.

I'n my old house I only have 25A in my garage.  I ballasted to 22A 
and have made 7' sparks with my coil.

Curt.

www.wackorama.com/tesla







Original poster: "Chip Ford" <chipford@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

O.K. I have found a pic of a ballast diagram. I can see in this
diagram that it is wired in series with (1) leg of the 240 ac feeding
the input transformer. Is this the normal configuration? Or should
one ballast both legs? Also what is the talk about running the welder
leads in the open curcuit. I guess that shorting these leads will
increase the ballasting effects of the transformer. I have welded
quite a bit with a buzz box. I can remember the change in the sound
of the transformer when an arc was present compared to when it was
not. So I am lead to believe that when you ballast with a
transformer, You only use one set of the windings. the secondary
leads can be left open, shorted, or have a load connected between
them. A resistor perhaps??? Am I correct. I can't quite wrap my head
around what it will take for me to determine the amount of ballast I
will require...Let's keep talking...

http://hot-streamer.com/temp/Ballast.JPG

Chip