[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

We Did It!!!!

 * Original msg to: Tahoetom-at-best-dot-com
 * Carbons sent to: usa-tesla-at-usa-dot-net

Quoting tahoetom-at-best-dot-com (tom renko):

> Richard; Today, Barry and I threw the switch on our B&L Coil.
> It was a thrill. Lots of noise, but our sparks from the sphere
> were only about 4"-6". The 20 Corona beer bottles created a 
> much more spectacular display. There was a lot of arcing 
> between the bottles. Some of the oil even spitted out onto the
> floor. 

It helps if the bottles are very clean outside. Any salt water
that slops up the sides of the glass allows for corona loss,
leakage, and arcing. You can get a pump sprayer full of distilled
water and gently spray away any salt spillage and slop. Make sure
the sides of the glass bottles are dry before firing.

> Our safety gap kept igniting, so we kept moving it out more. I
> think by doing this, we were defeating the concept of 
> protecting the neon xfmr. 

No doubt. The safety gap will fire during flashovers on the
capacitors, but there will also be activity in this gap if the
coil is not in tune. If the safety gap is set much over 1/2 inch
between each electrode and ground you are going in the wrong
direction.

> I think,despite the show, that the beer bottle cap is using up
> a lot of our energy.

There is no doubt these capacitors are very lossy. But they did
get you up and firing, and they did it cheap.

> We are not quite sure what kind of cap to build next?

Plastic film, aluminum, covered in mineral or transformer oil.

Richard Quick


... If all else fails... Throw another megavolt across it!
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12