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Re: Got two more
Tesla List wrote:
>
> Original Poster: RWB355-at-aol-dot-com
>
> Hi All,
>
> Thanks for the multitude of answers to my last questions. Now, I got two
more.
> Here they are:
>
> 1.) Building poly caps: Would it be sensible (worthwhile) to add a thin
layer
> of paper (like Xerox paper only longer and wider) between each layer of poly
> and the next. The paper would really soak up oil und contribute to good
> insulation. The thickness of the paper shouldnīt reduce the total
capacitance
> too much. The additional thickness will improve flashover characteristic
(not
> much, tho).
This should work - and it's a trick used by commercial capacitor
manufacturers to "wet" the space between sheets of plastic dielectric.
>
> 2.) Do I really need to ground my secondary coil ? I havenīt gotten
around to
> finishing my new RF ground (4 pieces of 4 ft 35mm wide zinc coated T-iron
> rammed aprox. 3 ft apart into soft earth and interconnected with AWG 1)
for my
> big tc. Iīm runnning my small tc (3.4" secondary) the following way (for the
> moment):
>
> There is no connection between primary and secondary (for obvious safety
> reasons).
> I simply run a well insulated wire from the bottom of my secondary to a
strike
> rod (placed on insulated containers) and principally let the arcs fly
from the
> top of the secondary to the bottom (strike rod).
>
> Will this reduce my max spark length /any other problems, etc ?
A good RF ground is essential for the base of the secondary, since this
"completes" the secondary's tuned LC circuit! The "other end" of the
toroid and secondary's self Capacitance is Earth. The base of the
secondary should be connected to a good ground for proper operation. Not
grounding the base can result in a secondary-to-primary flashover and
subsequent damage to your tank cap, HV transformer, etc as the secondary
attempts to "connect" itself to an earth any way it can...
<SNIP>
> Thanks for the info on this great list,
> Coiler greets from germany,
>
> Reinhard