Re: Parallel

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Parallel
From: Richard Hull <hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com>
Date: Thu, 06 Jun 1996 12:06:07 -0700
Tesla List wrote:
> 
> > Subject: Parallel
> 
> >From chip-at-poodle.pupman-dot-comTue Jun  4 21:38:58 1996
> Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 21:24:59 -0600 (MDT)
> From: Chip Atkinson <chip-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
> To: Tesla List <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
> Subject: Re: Parallel
> 
> The only problems that I have had are phasing, which can be surprisingly
> tricky.  I had a bank of 4 or 5 transformers that had one out of phase.
> It was kind of hard to detect, except that the power wasn't as great as
> it should have been.  Once I thoroughly went through the bank, I found
> the one that was out of phase and everything was swell.
> 
> Chip
> 
> On Tue, 4 Jun 1996, Tesla List wrote:
> 
> > >From chadwick-at-defiant.flash-dot-netTue Jun  4 07:06:21 1996
> > Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 23:03:03 -0500
> > From: "Chad A. Madison" <chadwick-at-defiant.flash-dot-net>
> > To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> > Subject: Parallel
> >
> > Has anyone ever experienced any trouble when ganging two or more neon
> > transformers in parallel?
> >                                        \/   \     /
> >  Chad Alan Madison                      \   /     \

Chip, Chad, All,

To phase a bank of transformers:

Make sure all are the same voltage and hopefully the same current rating. 
 Note that you can't phase power factor corrected units!

Next, Take a red marker and tag one HV knob by coloring its screw end 
red.  Also, tag one 120 volt input screw terminal end red.  This is now a 
reference unit!

Wire a hard and fast power cord to the 120 terminals and power it by a 
variac.

Add a spark gap across the knobs of this reference transformer.  
Adjust the gap to allow spark to jump when the variac is about 3/4 of the 
 way up the dial.  80Volts.

Take your first transformer to be phased and set it next to the reference 
unit in a manner that is pretty and pleasing for later hookup.  (120volt 
terminals on same end).

Mark the end knob of the unknown with red to match the end with the 
reference unit.  (all HV lines must run parallel down the line).

Now connect the 120 leads clip leads between the reference and the 
unknown.  Bring up the variac.  If spark doesn't break out at the 3/4 
point of very near it, then reverse the leads to the unknown's 120volt 
terminals.  Bring up the variac again.  This time the spark breaks out 
OK. ( it better!).

Now follow the clip lead off of the red terminal of the reference unit 
over to the unknown.  Mark the end of this screw red!  (this may or 
may not be a flip over of the reference unit's 120v connection).

Finally remove the unknown (now a known) and set it aside and repeat the 
above for all the unknowns.

You will wind up with color coded, phased transformers which, when 
connected red to red all the way down the string, will perform as one 
unit.

See!  It no more trouble than having a couple of wisdom teeth extracted!

Richard Hull, TCBOR