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Re: SSTC2 - Four Foot Arcs . . . well until . . .



Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>

Hi Dan,

WOW!  Sounds fun :o))

Digikey has those FETs for $50 so maybe save a little money there.  They
are in stock and can ship overnight too ;-))

May want to get a little lexan around the box to help keep thing "in".

One thing I try to do if I think things like explosions may happen is to
set up a video camcorder off in the corner.  It just sits there recording
the "scene" and records any sudden "event" for later study.  Sometimes,
like this, you may be able to go back and see where the smoke "started" and
have a better chance of fixing it before the next $200 of FETs.  Also make
great movies just for general enjoyment ;-)

Sounds like the FETs overheated or the electronics turned them all on at
the same time, but always hard to know...  You PC board is (was...) beutiful!!

We don't often here of solid state coils doing foor foot arcs!!!  Very
impressive!  Sorry about the explosion, but stuff like that does make
things "interesting"...

Cheers,

	Terry


At 10:38 AM 8/6/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>
>
>I had time to fiddle with my SSTC2 (as seen on www.spacecatlighting-dot-com)
>some more while waiting for additional components for my conventional tesla
>coil.
>
>I used a 240VAC, 40A variac to power my 5kVA 120VAC to 480VAC step-up
>transformer to provide power to my full-bridge SSTC circuit.  
>
>Today was the first day I would bring my coil up to full design voltage
>(480VAC) and it was spectacular.  At 480VAC I was getting wickedly thick
>(and thunderous low frequency loud) arcs over four feet in length shooting
>upwards (through my discharge point) on my toroid up to the pipes in my
>basement ceiling.  I've seen conventional coils run at similar arc lengths,
>but nothing as thick and sinister as these things were.  
>
>20 seconds pass . . .
>
>Hmmm . . . whats that smell . . . maybe i should be paying more attention to
>it.  Yeah, but this is too cool.  Let me grab my camera in the other room.
>
>. . . walking the 10 feet i need to other room to get my camera . . .  BANG,
>BANG, BANG,    SCHKLLLAAMMMMMAMMMMM  ! ! ! ! !
>
>"OH F#$-at-!!!!!"  Fire on the carpet, fire on the carpet . . .
>
>Well, too make stories short, all four 1000V FETS (IXFN24N100 type) blew up
>to smithereens.  No, these didn't just crack and blow some smoke, they
>actually blew up and some of the schrapnel had landed on a nearby throw rug
>and set it on fire . . .
>
>Darn, those things were $70.00 each ! ! ! !  
>
>Well, it was spectacular while it lasted . . .
>
>Dan
>