Re: Current Limiting and Impedence

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Gerald  Reynolds" <gerryreynolds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Mark,

The transformer is a PIG if I remember correctly.  How are you measuring 
the transformer input impedance and what are the transformer's HV load 
conditions during the measurement (HV output shorted or with some other 
load)???   Also, how are you making the resistance measurement of the 
transformer LV input???  What is the HV load conditions during your 
measurements described below???  A simple check of the ballast performance 
is to remove the transformer from the circuit and short the output of the 
ballast inductor to ground.  Bring up the voltage feeding into the ballast 
slowly and measure the current vs voltage, plot it at various points and 
see if it is linear.  I still think the ballast is saturating.  Make sure 
you have proper over current protection upstream of the ballast (like a 
fuse in the variac or a proper sized circuit breaker somewhere in the power 
delivery.  If the ballast starts to saturate, the inductance will go down 
and current could become excessive.  I'm feeling like there are too many 
unknowns and if we keep things simple, we can eliminate some of them.  Also 
measure with a battery powered DVM the voltage out of the variac, the 
voltage across the ballast,  the voltage across the transformer,  and the 
current thru those devices.

Something else to think about.  If you take an ideal ballast that is sized 
to limit the short circuit current to say 20 amps, imagine what kind of 
load on the ballast could result in more than 20 amps.  I'll let you think 
about this for next time.

Gerry R

> Original poster: "Mark Dunn" <mdunn@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Thanks for all your help.  Now if you can bear with me and help me solve
> the original problem with the math(BTW <> is "not equal to")....
>
> I have (2) inductors in series.  My current limiter and my transformer.
> Mains is 120V/60 Hz/1 ph.
>
> The current limiter is 15 mH, X = 5.65 Ohms, R = 0.3 Ohms.
> The transformer is Z = 1.2 Ohms, R = 0.3 Ohms, so X = 1.16 Ohms
>
> So System Impedence Z = 6.82 Ohms
>
> This gives I = 120/6.82 = 17.6 Amps and is near exactly what I am
> getting.
>
> The measured voltage between the inductor and transformer is about 90 to
> 95 volts.  Have gotten as high a 100 volts.  This is the voltage drop
> across the transformer.  This is inconsistent with the above values and
> in fact seems reversed from what the math suggests.  I have double
> checked it.