Re: Ace Hardware grinder Sync conversion? Slot depth opinions

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: FutureT@xxxxxxx 

In a message dated 7/20/05 8:46:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
tesla@xxxxxxxxxx writes:


> Hi, John.  I have read this before, but I am baffled at the mechanism by
> which this is achieved.  I do use your phase controller to control the
> timing of the gap presentation with respect to the AC waveform, but how can
> this also be used to change a 240 BPS rotor into a 120 BPS rotor without
> removing electrodes?


Jon,

At one presentation of the electrodes they fire, but at the next
they don't.  This is because the phase is set such that
when the non-firing presentation takes place, there isn't
enough voltage on the capacitor to fire across the rotary
gaps that are lined up.  By adjusting the phase at 240 bps,
either bang (of the two that occur per half cycle) can be
made smaller or larger.  By continuing to shift the phase,
one bang will get smaller and smaller until the gap fails
to fire due to insufficient voltage, and only one gap firing
then occurs per 60 Hz half-cycle.

Cheers,
John