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Seagate Quench Gap

 * Originally By: Bob Schumann <tesla-at-AMERICA.COM> 
 * Originally To: Richard Quick
 * Originally Re: Seagate Quench Gap


One thing I like about my projects is that I can switch between components
construction and not have to focus on just one. I am building 2 Tesla coils
in parallel projects. The one project has to wait for funds but I did buy
the pole pig which was an advancement. The other project is a small coil
I can use in my house. Even at work I still think of how I want it to be.
Some one I know who unfortunately is not on this list (no computer) has
shared an idea with me and I wish to pick it up and make my own version.
I have named it the Seagate Quench Gap.

Whoever thought that the existance of old Seagate hard drives would be
useful after their terminating 'Read Error on Drive C: Abort, Retry, Fail ?'

I called and went to various computer shops around town and asked if I
could get the hard drives they were throwing away. They of course thought
this a weird request but agreed to saving them for me. I dismantled a number
of 3.5 and 5.25 hard drives and got the platters. (BTW I have gotten the time
of removing platters from ST-225 down to under 2 minutes!). I found that the
platters with the orange colored recording film were easily cleaned with
just a light steel wool and that the ones with the dark golden brown film
were tough and required 320 sand paper to remove. I am very fortunate to
have a dad with a huge garage and he has a double ended polishing lathe.
One end for coarse polishing (smoothing scratches) and the other end for
fine polishing. The platters I have already finished are beautifully polished
aluminum and I can see myself like a mirror in them. I did ruin a couple of
platters when the polishing wheel yanked them out of my hand and hurled them
into the wall bending them.

Here is the concept:

                                   |    | threaded nylon or teflon rod
                                   |    |
                       --------------------------------  3.5 platter
               ------------------------------------------------ 5.25 platter
                (    ) -------------------------------- (    )
                (    )             |    |               (    )  5" rubber o-rin
g
                (    } -------------------------------- (    )
               ------------------------------------------------
                       ---------------------------------
                                   |    |
                            (more platters as needed)

Each 5.25 platter has a 3.5 platter attached dead center on both sides.
I will call this a spark layer.
Each spark layer (except the end ones) are separated and made air tight by
have a 5" diameter thin o-ring between spark layers.
The spark layers are placed on a threaded teflon or nylon rod so that teflon
or nylon nuts be screwed on both ends to both lock out air and squish
the spark layers closer together as needed for adjustment. I will have extra
spark layers on hand to add and to accomodate more voltage input should I
choose to do so.

At this point in construction, I have a couple of questions to throw out to
the group for feedback.

        1) Soldering the polished aluminum is futile. I am thinking of
           alternative ways. Someone suggested heli-arc. In my minds eye
           this didn't work because the bead of the weld would exceed the
           height of the platter therfore causing the shortest distance for
           spark to be at the weld bead. The next idea sounds promising but
           here is were I need feedback. Someone told me of conductive epoxy.
           Do you think this would be a wise choice or would I have any loss
           using this ? (It would make for a great seal between platters)

        2) What and where on the end platters would I use for my connection
           terminals? A ring between the nut and the platter perhaps? Or if
           the conductive epoxy is fine then maybe a glued terminal? You
           would not believe the ideas for this problem that have passed
           through my head.

I really do not want to give up this mini-project of the quech gap because
I believe it would be great for my in-house neon sign transformer Tesla
coil.   I anxiously await the groups comments :)
Thanks.....................Bob Schumann
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* If you understand, things are just as they are.        *
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