Re: Retuning with bigger cap?

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Retuning with bigger cap?
From: Sam Laur <slaur-at-sekunda.pp.utu.fi> (by way of Terry Fritz <terryf-at-verinet-dot-com>)
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 11:35:38 -0700
Approved: terryf-at-verinet-dot-com

> If I've got the info straight, you've increased your tank capacitance to try
> to increase the primary circuit's frequency.  That is exactly the
opposite of
> what you should do. You should use 1/4 of your original capacitance to
double
> the frequency. Put the four strings of caps in series, not parallel.

I should have thought about it better, but that's what happens when one 
writes things when tired :-)

I was trying to halve the frequency by quadrupling the tank capacitor. Not
double the frequency... But then, it turned out to be unnecessary anyway,
I talked with Mike Hammer on IRC about it; he pointed me to WinTesla, and
it turned out that the resonant frequency wasn't what the Javascript
Tesla Coil Calculator said (about 180 kHz) - but more like 320 kHz. With a
small top load, this seems to match closely the frequency I originally 
measured from the vicinity of the coil. 

So now I seem to be stuck with whatever I have, unless I increase the cap 
and reduce turns in the primary. Or get a higher voltage NST...