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APPROPRIATE CAP...?

 * Originally By: Klineda-at-univscvm.csd.scar
 * Originally To: Richard Quick
 * Originally Re: APPROPRIATE CAP...?
 * Original Area: UUCPE-Mail
 * Forwarded by : Blue Wave v2.12

Date:         Mon, 30 Jan 95 09:10:24 EST
From: Dan Kline <KLINEDA-at-UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU>
Subject:      Appropriate Cap...?
To: Richard Quick <RICHARD.QUICK-at-SLUG.ST-LOUIS.MO.US>

Dear Richard,

I wanted to ask you this personally, so please excuse me for writing 
uninvited, ok? (I just didn't want to take up Tesla-list bandwidth 
with it)

I don't have the best of memories, but it seems to me that back in '87, 
'88, or '89, someone named Richard Quick sent a letter to Popular Elect-
ronics or Radio Electronics with a picture of what he called "a medium-
sized coil." There was a white band around the secondary that was "used 
for measurement purposes only", and the picture had been taken outside 
and the scenery looked western. If this was you, I think that maybe you 
can give me some advice about whether or not I'm going to have to build 
a capacitor or not.

It seems that the capacitor-bank used on that coil was made up of exactly 
the same type of capacitor I want to use on my next coil. The kind I'm 
"speaking" of had heavy aluminum end-plates, the body is covered with 
brown kraft-type paper, the capacitance was .02 microF, and the voltage 
rating was 120 kV. I got it from Fair Radio Sales a few years ago.

Does this ring a bell? I could very easily have the wrong person. It's so
easy to program one's own memories. I looked all over for that magazine, 
but I couldn't find it.

Anyway, if you are familiar with that particular capacitor, can you tell 
me of the appropriateness of it's use for a Tesla-coil? Will it work ok? 
It has in the past, but only in the old-style configurations. I will be 
doing new style on this next coil, which is why I'm asking about this 
capacitor.

Thanks for any info!

Also while I've got you here, :) I had a very small system that ran on 
270 W, with glass cap bank, and cylindrical primary. The secondary was 
3.5 inches dia. and 12 inches tall. I could get about a 7-8 inch spark 
out of it. Not too bad for a small system. Then I took your advice...

First, I pounded a 5 foot, copper pipe into the ground and connected it 
to the system with 6-gauge stranded wire, rubber covered.

I put 450 W into the system, made a toroid, added turns to the primary, 
retuned and fired it up. I was getting double forked sparks about 16 
inches long! I was totally amazed right up until the secondary burned up! 
:) I had wound on PVC with only polyurethane top-coats, using 24-gauge 
wire. Also, the primary was only 8" in diameter. The next coil will 
incorporate your designs and should be fairly spectacular! You really 
know what you are talking about!

Thanks!

Dan <klineda-at-univscvm.csd.scarolina.edu>

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