Re: Static Gap Spacing

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <Parpp807-at-aol-dot-com>

In a message dated 12/3/01 6:17:20 PM Central Standard Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com 
writes:

> Hi,
>  I'm making a static gap out of 12 3" peices of 1" copper pipe all screwd 
> into
>  lexon/lucite

Hi Erik,

I assume you are going to lay the copper tubes down flat on the plastic. 
Uh uh. The plastic will melt, or at least get mushy. I have a copper tube gap 
 
but the tubes are on G-10 and fastened with 8-32 screws and lock washers. If 
all you do is lay the tubes down flat and screw them in place, you won't be 
able to adjust the gap.
Another variation is a sandwiched stagger gap where the spacing is adjusted 
by varying the distance between the two layers of tubing. This is basically 
the Scott D gap. Probably my best static gap is made from 5 one-inch copper 
pipe couplings. These are mounted vertically on five 8-32 brass screws around 
4 inches long, carefully lined up on a piece of G-10. Use hex nuts and pieces 
of brass for shelves to hold the couplings around an inch above the G-10 slab.
I put the couplings in a vise to carefully "ovalize" them. Gap spacing is 
easily adjusted simply by rotating the couplings to bring them closer or 
farther apart.

I had best not comment on your gap spacing as I don't have that much 
experience.  Twelve pieces sounds like at least double what it should be. 
Much too lossy.
In a multigap, the total spacing is the sum of the indvidual gaps. I would 
start out
with  something totalling around 0.20 nches and increase the gap from there. 

Happy day,
Ralph Zekelman