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Re: [TCML] Spark Gap Help



Your total gap spacing sounds roughly in the ballpark.  BUT - any static
spark gap should be set not by some formulaic calculation or lookup table,
but by experimentally adjusting the gap (or number of gap segments), so
that with only the gap across the NST at maximum Variac, the gap *just*
starts to fire.

The problem with any other method is that gap breakdown voltage is
dependant on many unconsidered variables.  Air pressure, gap surface
texture and geometry, number of gap segments (two 0.10" gaps will breakdown
at a different voltage than one 0.20" gap), probably other things as well.

It wasn't clear from your post what your capacitor value was - 0.0176
or 0.0265 uF.  0.0176uF would be the mains-resonant value.  If you're using
that, you will be particularly vulnerable to over-volting the NST should
the gap be set too wide.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 10:49 PM, Jim <electrical@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hello Friends,
>
> I built a tesla coil about 6 - years ago and would like to disassemble,
> clean and regap the spark gaps. The trouble is I am not sure what the
> gap should be. According to the Javatcv.10 software I used when I  built
> it the total gap should be 0.015" which would break down to 0.003" per
> gap times 5 gaps. My measurements now are 0.025" per gap times 5 gives
> me a 0.125" total gap. Does this sound right? my coil parameters are 9kv
> 60ma neon sign transformer input.
>
> Here is a video of the coil.
>
>  http://www.youtube.com/watch?**v=ewP4leT_C1I<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewP4leT_C1I>
>
> Here are some more specs on the coil.
>
> 0.0176 = PRIMARY CAP UF - RESONANT STATIC GAP LTR 0.0265UF
>
> PRIMARY COIL INPUTS
> 12 TURNS
> 4 AWG WIRE
>
> SECONDARY COIL INPUTS
> 1142 TURNS OF 26AWG WIRE
>
> Thanks for all of the great help over the years.
>
> Jim
>
> --
>
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>
>
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