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Re: [TCML] Greetings from new coiler in Australia
Hi Dave,
My experience with safety gaps has shown me that it does need to be
opened up wider than setting it across the transformer. If it is set the
same as the main gap (same breakdown voltage), the two gaps will toggle
and the hotter gap (safety gap) will start firing more and more often.
It does need to be set wider. How wide is difficult to say and a
judgment call. If the cap is undersized for the transformer and running
an rsg of some type, the cap may be charging to a higher voltage at
breakdown. If say with a static gap the cap is sized for resonant
charging, then again the voltage (may) be higher as determined by the
main gap breakdown voltage. You can of course open the gap up until it
stops, but if you go too far, then it's prevented from protecting the
components. The margin of adjustment and protection is based on the main
gaps breakdown voltage.
What your doing is normal and a couple mm should be fine. Think of it
this way, if your main gap breaks down at 20kV and your transformer will
not tolerate beyond 21kV, you then have only 1kV margin or less with the
safety gap. But say main gap breakdown is 15kV, your safety gap margin
and adjustment has increased. The problem is knowing the transformers
actual death voltage or even the breakdown voltage of the gaps. So in
the end, open it up as little as needed. It's a judgment call.
Take care,
Bart
David Nelson wrote:
Bart,
Thanks for your interest. I have removed half a turn from the inside
of the primary and moved the earth point on the strike rail to a
position further away from the secondary. I am now no longer having
problems with primrary sparking. The sporadic sparks at the end is
partly me having fun with my three year old (shouting in the
background) and partly because the safety gap was cutting in. I am
currently working on getting longer continuous runs. Some small issues
with the safety gap. I have reduced the number of gaps used in my RQSG
fromk 9 to 8 x 0.8mm with better results but I think the geometry of
the safety gap is letting me down - the center electrode is not
spherical, rather a flat brass bar with square edges. I will modify
this soon.
It seems that when I set the safety gap without load, I need to open
it up much more (another 2 or 3mm) when the primary/secondary are
connected. Does this seem correct to you?
Dave Nelson
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