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Cap specs (help)

All,

I have been besieged by many of you to give a spec. or for info on the 
company I buy from in light of the recent CP business.

First of all I can't really spec for you.  You must realize that each 
system is different and if you first spec a certain break rate, voltage, 
whatever, and then later move up to a higher break rate, voltage, 
whatever then your caps are in danger of failing not because of the 
manufacturer but because of you!  It only takes an inadvertent moment at 
the rotary motor speed variac to over pulse a capacitor.

I use NWL  (National Winding Labs)  and not for any deep or meaningful 
reason either.  To my knowledge they offer all finished capacitors as is 
with not warranty or promise or guarantee whatsoever, other than a normal 
and reasonable "infant mortality clause" due to original manufacturing 
defect discovered at time of installation and first use.

This is how it is in the real world guys!    You supply the spec.  They 
build to your spec.  You place it in service (it is assumed immediately 
upon reciept.)  It works..., it is yours!  If you put it in a closet 
while you build your system and it blows up four months later on first 
trial... well... you might have no leg to stand on as a one time buyer. 

 If you were Dupont Co. and had ordered (20) $1,500 high energy caps and 
two failed in the first year, I am sure the company would bend over 
backwards to assist in repair at no charge.  Because they were ordered 
engineer to engineer!  Specs gotta be good.  Right? 

 When a yahoo calls who is making a tesla coil and stutters and stammers 
as the capacitor manufacturere,s engineer rattles off questions on specs 
for the proposed single unit sale, it doesn't give them a warm and fuzzy 
feeling about the user or his ability to know what he is ordering.  Most 
manufacturers are somewhat sympathetic, but they are just going to make 
1-4 of this units at most and for a highly variable and uncontrolled 
operation to boot!

Don't expect more than you spec'd out or any sort of special treatment 
beyond a sympathetic ear.  It is generally a given in the industry, as a 
whole, that warranty on special impulse caps is a rather loose thing 
between the two engineers of the buyer and seller.  Each able to give and 
take as needed to keep things running smoothly.  Usually, the engineer 
that bungles the deal is the buyers engineer!  The cap manufacturer's guy 
is locked into doing one thing mindlessly every day....Knowing his 
product and all about capacitors only!!

I wouldn't hold any manufacturer to an ironclad warranty in court, unless 
you can have an engineer in charge of your system testify that at no time 
were the specs exceeded.

Now as to general specs.  I have a routine that works for me.

I spec the capacitance to +/- 5-10%,  I state that the capacitor will be 
brutilized in AC operation and will be disruptively shorted or pulsed to 
supply its maximum energy from the reversing 60 hz AC source 1000 times 
per second.  The online operational duty cycle will be under .05%. I 
demand a maximum impulse current rating of 70,000 amps with a normal 
operational design range of 30% duty cycle with 600 amp RMS RF current 
capability in 2 minute bursts separated by 10 minute rest times for 3 
sessions per day.

I choose my AC voltage rating as 3-4 times the AC RMS voltage of my 
transformer. (20KVAC transformer- 60-80 KVAC on cap) I have them place 
VAC after the voltage rating on the capacitor.  No DC rating accepted.  I 
Also, spec that they put 1000 bps or 1khz on the capacitor following the 
voltage.  This is the only proof you have as to their satisfying your 
spec on the cap itself.

I choose a rectangular molded polypropylene case.  I demand female 
5/16" or 3/8" threaded brass recepticles on each end of the monolithic 
capacitor.

You are all alone on this matter gentlemen.  It is a cold and very cruel 
world out there in specialty capacitor land.  They are not out to take 
advantage of  you or rip you off.  They are also not out there to spoon 
feed or wet nurse you.  Your total sales to them in a year won't pay for 
the hotdogs and beer consumed at their company picnic. 

Frankly, I wouldn't build for individuals if I were them!  It is 
probably more hassle than it is worth.  But I'm glad they do.

The CP matter is unfortunate.  Especially now that some parts of it are 
gettin' nasty.  Bad vibes and paranoia will also play a part here too.

I say unfortunate because, to my knowledge, CP has been the only 
manufacturuer who ever courted and embraced the Tesla coil building 
community!  No other manufacturer has ever even issue a catalog sheet 
like CP with Tesla specific caps offered for ready sale.  Some even go 
out of their way to scare off this kind of business!  (no names)

Genuine harm, insult and injury may have taken place, but regardless, we 
may yet be the losers.  If you build 'em, you know what you have.  If you 
buy 'em you are in a trusting relationship with the builder and your 
money is gone.  These capacitors are not "off the shelf" items!  They are 
a literally an energy bomb!  They can be used to store and release  
energy in a controlled and orderly manner (as designed and specified) or 
can explode with the violence of a grenade (if mis-manufactured or taken 
outside of spec.)  This includes the homemade ones!

Richard Hull, TCBOR