RE: Terry's Test - Two Manifestations of Charge

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Terry Fritz <teslalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Dave,

At 01:41 PM 7/8/2005, you wrote:
> Hi Terry,
>
> I just got to this post.
>
> > Just a plain arc is about 80 amps.  With the rod the bright
> > one is 110 amps.
>
> This is good information.  Thanks.  If the potential remains
> about 20KV, then each spark is releasing 2950 hp.  Tesla
> commented on this several times.  It's pretty amazing that the
> copper pipe picks up 805 hp per break.

Not that those are peak instantaneous power levels.  May coil is not 2.2MW 
rated ;-))  Joules is the usual energy measure, but maybe peak instant 
power is a bit nicer in this case.


> > They fire once on every firing of the coil.
>
> That's pretty clear, now.

Maybe not...  The coil has many high voltage peaks during each cycle.  It 
is possible the rod is charged at the"cycle to cycle" level instead of the 
"break to break" level  The rod to ground hit is definitely a "one time" 
big hit.  But there might be many streamer hits leading up to that between 
the toroid and rod...  But the toroid is AC too so it should null out to 
zero...  But the sharp point to big surface makes a sort of rectifier 
too...  It could get very messy ;-))


> > I note that just a single arc case is "middle" bright.
> > Note how dim the toroid to ground arc is in this picture:
> > http://hot-streamer.com/temp/DaveTest-56.jpg
>
> It is also interesting that a 38% increase in current makes the
> ground spark seem much brighter.  I wonder if the luminosity of
> the spark increases only by 38%, or if it is much higher?

It might be a current squared function.  In that case the spark would be 
90% brighter.  But I am not sure the current to brightness curve is linear 
especially if we are going from the purple to white transition region.


> > So It appears that the arc with the rod has higher current
> > than just a plain arc.  The arc from the toroid to the rod
> > seems dimmest of all.  The rod seems to be picking up some
> > added current that seems to be significantly greater greater
> > than the toroid to rod current.
>
> Well, it can't be "significantly" greater.  It is only 38%
> greater.  We still don't have a measurement for the potentials to
> know whether they are equal or not.

The rod to ground gap and arc voltage should be almost DC, that is fairly 
easy .  Goodness only knows what the leader Tesla arc from the toroid to 
the rod is.  But if there are sparks going on nearby with High Frequency 
noise, those voltages could be bumped to far lower values...


> It would seem to me that since the spark appears much brighter
> than a 38% increase that some of the potential coming from the
> topload to tube might be converted to current between the tube
> and ground.

The spark from the rod to the ground is also "super" fast!!  But the arc 
from the toroid to rod may be stretched out over a greater amount of 
time.  So the "arc time duration" may be indeed a significant factor...

Messy it is getting now :o)))

I'll see if I can figure anything out here...

Cheers,

        Terry


> Dave