Could also be the coupling too. How close the primary and secondary coil is can cause racing sparks. But if it's just at top try lowering your toroid or adding a small one right at secondary and u can keep the one u got where it is. On spark gap I've never gone past 1/4".
John Cooper
Sent from my Samsung GALAXY S5™, a Cricket 4G LTE smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: Heather & Paul Novotny via Tesla <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 12/29/2015 00:13 (GMT-06:00)
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [TCML] No topload output
Ok spent a little more time with it and I did notice that I am getting a fair amount of corona from the top windings of the secondary coil. Does this mean my toroid is too high?
Also, can someone tell me how much more I can go on my spark gap without damaging the NST? Keep in mind I have a Terry Filter with a safety gap.
Thanks - Paul
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 12/28/15, Heather & Paul Novotny via Tesla <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Subject: Re: [TCML] No topload output
To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, December 28, 2015, 10:06 PM
Well, I added about 4 more turns to
my primary and with the addition of those windings, I am now
seeing streamers off the topload and I did away with the
strike rail.
I am currently at about 9 - 1/8th turns.
I am seeing about 12-15" streamers.They seem to primarily
appear on only one side. Not sure why this would
be. The other thing I noticed is I can hear faint
snaps every once in a while after I shut the coil
down. I tried to hear where they were coming from and
it sounded like "static electricity" and sounded like they
came from the secondary coil. Then I touched the
secondary and got a little bit of a shock :) I suspect
it is due to the bucket cap not having a resistor across
it.
Check out the video here:
https://youtu.be/Cg9OAyG1Qqo
Thanks for the help guys!
Paul
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 12/28/15, Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Subject: Re: [TCML] No topload output
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Monday, December 28, 2015, 8:57 AM
On 12/27/15 7:08 PM, Heather &
Paul Novotny via Tesla wrote:
> Hi Jim,
>
> I do have about a 2" gap in my Strike Rail.
>
> Good idea to run a solid copper wire from ground up
next to the toroid and a having breakout point on the
toroid
to see if anything is happening up there.
>
> I have the coil on the floor of my garage which is a
cement slab poured on earth. My ground is a
copper wire that runs to a metal stake pounded down about
2.5 feet into the earth outside my garage.
>
You want the RF path for the secondary to be short and
direct. Using the
slab floor is good if you're building a BIG coil that sits
on the floor.
In your case, though, the bottom of your coil is sitting a
meter off the
floor. You might try just setting the coil on the
floor (if your
cabling allows that). Careful of strikes to the other
primary components.
> Thanks!
>
> Paul
> --------------------------------------------
> On Sun, 12/27/15, Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: [TCML] No topload output
> To: "Heather & Paul Novotny"
<p_novotny@xxxxxxxxx>,
"Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Sunday, December 27, 2015, 9:02
PM
>
> On 12/27/15 5:29 PM,
> Heather & Paul Novotny via Tesla
wrote:
> >
> Hi guys,
> >
> > I just
> tried my TC for the first time tonight
after COUNTLESS hours
> of work on it. Unfortunately, I
am getting no streamers
> from the topload.
> >
>
> Do you have a breakout point
> on the topload?
> And something to spark to? I
> use a piece of grounded (as in
connected to
> the bottom of the
secondary/counterpoise)
> copper tubing that sticks up
> and I can
> move closer and farther from the
topload.
>
> In your picture, I'd put
> it sticking up from the edge of your
cart,
> until you get things working.
>
>
> Does your
> strike rail have a gap in it? (It
should, or it looks like a
>
> shorted turn)
>
> What's your ground scheme look like?
For a
> coil this size, I'd use
> something like
> a 3-4 foot square piece of chicken
wire or hardware
> cloth, or sheet metal under the
coil. (rule
> of thumb is that "ground"
> should
> have a radius comparable to the height
of the secondary).
> In
> your case, that ground
> screen/counterpoise should be at the
level of the
> top of your cart.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tesla mailing list
> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
>
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