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Re: Idea for a ground..

                     

 NTAC> From rob-at-atitech.ca Fri Mar  3 14:15 MST 1995
 >Received: from cicerone.uunet.ca by csn-dot-net with SMTP id AB22145
 NTAC> (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for <tesla-at-grendel.objinc-dot-com>); Fri, 3 Mar 1995
 NTAC> 13:27:31 -0700
 NTAC> Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 15:26:49 -0500
 NTAC> From: rob-at-atitech.ca (Rob Bicevskis)
 NTAC> To: tesla-at-grendel.objinc-dot-com
 NTAC> Subject: Re: Idea for a ground..

 NTAC> Since a Tesla coil can be thought of as an antenna (?),  - or more 
 NTAC> specifically as a 1/4 wave vertical - wouldn't  it be almost as
 NTAC> effective to just use a metal sheet under the coil as a ground plane?

 MG> I would'nt exactly call it an antenna...........
 
 NTAC> One could approximate this with just radial wires - or use a mat of
 NTAC> link fence or 'chicken' fence.

 MG> Well, radials work well mainly if they are VERY long, something on the 
 order of about 2000 feet, and you have them placed evenly around the base
 at about 5 degree increments. What you are in effect doing is making a
 artificial ground. This would acually be better than the typical couple
 of ground rods, but not very practical.

 
 NTAC> By the way, I have never connected the 'bottom' of my secondary to 
 NTAC> earth ground - just to the bottom of the primary - which goes directly
 NTAC> to one side of the transformer - so it is 'floating.'  Any comments
 NTAC> on this practice???  (This is a 2 KVA system - (secondary is a 4" diam
 NTAC> by 1 meter long coil.) currently throwing 1 meter long sparks.)

 MG> You are VERY VERY lucky you haven't killed your drive transformer!!!
 Take the secondary off the transformer and connect it to the transformer
 case (center tap) and then ground the transformer case to a good earth
 ground. I run my primaries with the inside turn connected to ground, and
 the secondary grounded there also, but that can't be done with neon
 transformers unless you only use half the neons secondary.  In your
 system the secondary is looking for ground THROUGH the neon transformer
 secondary, NOT VERY SAFE INDEED!!!


 
                                Mark Graalman
                                mark.graalman-at-mediccom.norden1-dot-com











... Alias, Mark the spark    
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