Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)
From: Richard Hull <hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com>
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 11:47:46 -0800
Tesla List wrote:
> 
> > Subject: Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)
> 
> >From harris-at-parkave-dot-net Tue Dec 10 13:54:05 1996
> Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1996 21:36:31 -0400
> From: Ed Harris <harris-at-parkave-dot-net>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)
> 
>     [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set]
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> 
> > From rwall-at-ix-dot-netcom-dot-com Sun Dec  8 22:55:26 1996
> > Date: Sun, 8 Dec 1996 08:41:11 -0800
> > From: Richard Wayne Wall <rwall-at-ix-dot-netcom-dot-com>
> > To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> > Subject: Re: TC Electrostatics (fwd)
> >
> > You wrote:
> >
> > snip
> >
> > >
> > >Another possible experiment would be to directly measure the DC
> > >component of the current at the base of the tesla coil. Unfortunately,
> > >I'd guess that DC current component would be about the order of a
> > >small Van De Graf --- maybe 10-100 microamps.
> > >
> > >-Ed Harris
> > >
> >
> > I have recently performed a series of experiments measuring TC base
> > currents using a Weston Thermo-galvanometer.  These preliminary
> > experiments indicate that the major currents in TC output are
> > electrostatic in nature.  Currents appear to be about three orders of
> > magnitude larger than above -- about 10-100 milliamps in the low power
> > experimental range selected.
> > RWW
> >
> Snip
> 
> Well that's great! But I have a question: How does your meter seperate
> the AC and DC components? Are you sure that the majority of the
> current in the TC secondary output is DC --- NOT AC? It seems
> unlikely that the "rectified" currents swamp the AC currents which
> produce them.
> 
> -Ed Harris

Guys,

I've been following this thread for a few posts and must jump in.  I 
really believe that the bulk of the base current is purely resonant AC 
energy.  To increase the DC component would imply a DC related load and 
circuit path.  I think that the AC top load which creates a very low base 
impedance for the resonator system is the predominate energy sink, which 
is paralleled by the air load.  This latter is highly variable in nature 
and is capacitve, resistive and even inductive in nature, especially 
with sparking occuring.  I would imagine the energy producing DC 
component is realted to ion production only by the electrical working of 
the air load in the spark emissive mode.  While peak AC base currents 
might tend to be in the tens of amps the peak dc current would, I think, 
tend to be far less.  I have not yet observed a time variant DC component 
from the terminal of the system. (but then I haven't looked for it close 
in to the system where it would seem logical to exist)

Richard Hull, TCBOR