[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: shower liner (fwd)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 18:17:43 -0500
From: "Robert W. Stephens" <rwstephens-at-headwaters-dot-com>
To: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: shower liner (fwd)

> Date:          Thu, 23 Apr 1998 10:05:09 -0600 (MDT)
> To:            tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:       Re: shower liner (fwd)
> From:          Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>

> 
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 07:21:49 EDT
> From: Hollmike <Hollmike-at-aol-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: shower liner (fwd)
> 
> Ray,
>    You will probably get at least ten other letters from people telling you
> not to use PVC as a dielectric.   I suffers from high losses in TC
> applications.   It might work ok for a DC capacitor since the voltage reversal
> would not be there, but not for TC caps, which see very fast voltage
> reversals.  Polyethylene and polypropylene are about the two best choices for
> dielectrics.
>    Hope this helps.
> Mike Hollingsworth
> 
> 
Ray,

Rather than listen to all the naysayers I'd recommend that since as 
you pointed out the experiment will not cost much, it is worth doing.
I don't think it will be as bad as using melted beach sand as many 
beginners do for capacitor dielectric, and that certainly works, although poorly.

I made a 150 kV cap rated at 330 pF once from placing thick aluminum 
foil on both the inside and outside surfaces of a thick wall 
watermain type PVC pipe.  This cap operated between the HV output 
terminal of a neon xfmer powered tabletop Tesla coil and ground. 
With a sharpening gap in series with a plasma cell load it raised the peak
discharge current enormously.   This PVC dielectric cap held up well and I
don't recall feeling heat in it after a run.

Have fun,

Robert W. Stephens
Director
Lindsay Scientific Co.
RR1 Shelburne, ON Canada L0N-1S5
Tel: 1-519-925-1771   Fax: 
*Custom built Tesla coils, etc., for museum display 
 and special effects work.
*Canada's largest publicly accessible wall-to-wall
 indoor lightning show...by appointment.
*Future home of Electric Science World, 
 educational/entertaining Theatre of Electricity.
*Antique TV Museum...in search and acquire mode now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inquiries welcomed! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~