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Re: another ballast consideration



In a message dated 11/13/98 1:31:23 AM Pacific Standard Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
writes:

<< 
 I am still new to pig - powered systems and just thought of a strange 
 thing that worries me.  Ok, the pig has two hot wires and a ground wire 
 (240VAC). Can you place the ballast in just one hot wire? Or do you need 
 equal ballasts on both leads? With just one, I would think that only 
 that hot-ground combination is protected and the other can still short 
 out? For that matter couldnt you run the thing and open up one hot wire 
 and wouldnt the other side still be conducting?
 
 10kVA sparks soon to come...(hopefully)
 Tristan Stewart, KC2EBM
  >>
Tristan,

Your pole transformer should have two high voltage bushings which are inputs
in the normal way these are used by the power company.  The outputs are three
terminals which they run to your house. You will get 240 v across the two
outside terminals and 120 v between either outside terminal and the center
terminal.  When used for a Tesla coil power supply, we input 240 v into the
low voltage side by using the two outside terminals (the normal 240 v output
terminals from this transformer) and connect nothing to the center terminal.
Thus, your ballast can be placed in either leg of the input power and wil work
just fine.

Ed Sonderman