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RE: cap/spark gap



Original poster: "Qndre Qndre" <qndre_encrypt@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Michael.

If you put the cap across the supply transformer the transformer sees the full voltage of the capacitor of your LC circuit while the circuit is oscillating. Since this is RF it won't do your transformer any good. However the RF may be filtered by a Terry filter.

If you put the gap across the supply transformer, it will probably see less RF. Since the ionized gas in the gap is a good conductor after it has fired the voltage drop across the gap will usually not be too high. Furthermore the gap is not storing (much) energy so current through the gap and voltage across the gap are (almost) in phase so the impedance of the gap is (mostly) resistive. Last but not least the conducting gap will almost short your supply transformer out while the circuit is oscillating so it cannot interfere with the resonant circuit.

Regards, Q.

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: cap/spark gap
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:35:17 -0600


Original poster: "Michael Ong" <omenowner725@xxxxxxxxxxx>

hello, i just had a quick question that i hoped someone could answer out there. i have view many tesla coil schematics and it seems like there are two ways of hooking the capacitor and spark gap. some schematics show that the spark gap is in parallel with the transformer and then the cap is hooked in series with the transformer and primary coil. others show the cap being in parallel with the transformer and the spark gap being in series with the transformer and primary coil. i was wondering what the difference in performance was. is one way (spark gap in parallel with the transformer) for center tapped transformers while the other way is for non ceter tapped ones? or does it really not matter? thanks again for all your help, with it i have gotten my first coil to shoot some 14" sparks and am making an tcbor gap so hopefully will get even better.