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Re: Spark Gap (fwd)





---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 08:50:47 -0700
From: Jim Lux <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
To: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: Spark Gap (fwd)


> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 08:55:04 +0300
> From: Marco Denicolai <marco-at-vistacom.fi>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: Spark Gap
> 
> As a beginner, I have to ask this. When the main spark gap is supposed to
> trigger ?
> 
> 1 - When the tank capacitor is changed at full voltage (1.4 * transformer
VAC)
>       OR
> 2 - When the tank capacitor is changed a suitable voltage LOWER than
that?
> 
> If the correct answer is n.2, so what is the benefit of having a 14 kV
> transformer if the capacitor is discharged always at e.g. 8 kV?
> 
> With my (supposed) 8kV tank I can get 0.37 inch sparks so that using a,
say,
> 0.15 inch gap would reduce my used voltage to about a 40% of the
available...
> 
> More, isn't that shorter gap much more difficult to quench than a wider
gap?

If you trigger at less than Vmax, conceivably you could get several charge,
discharge cycles in a mains half cycle. Although, I haven' t considered
whether the gap would actually shut off quickly enough to allow this. Some
sort of Resonant charging would do this though.