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Re: Tesla and Measurement

In reply to Richard Quick's reply....

MW> >    Questions : (a) Did Tesla measure the Q's of his primary 
MW> > coils in isolation (including spark gaps)? (b) If so, what 
MW> > technique did he use to measure them (I imagine there weren't 
MW> > too many o'scopes around at the time :)  (c) Also if so, what 
MW> > results did he get?  (d) Finally, what conclusions did he reach
MW> > about his results?
> 
> There should be little doubt that Richard Hull or Mark Barton
> would be the resources to directly tap on these questions.

Thanks. Any info guys?
 
> With this out of the way I will stick my neck out, knowing full
> well that the above referenced people are likely to cut it off:
> 
> Tesla typically measured Q factors by simple measurement of DC
> resistance. A woefully inaccurate method, but perhaps better than
> no method at all?
> 
> Think about it. With his experience winding and firing coils,
> plus his extremely gifted intuition, DC resistance of a winding
> probably told him a lot: considering he knew the wire type, con-
> struction of the form, and the physical winding dimensions.

Please understand I am in NO way casting aspersions on the master.
But I do realize that he didn't have the luxury of the kind of gear 
we're fortunate enough to have access to. I think you can see why the 
questions I asked are important in the light of what I said recently.
I wanted as much background as possible so I could nip in the bud any 
erroneous thinking on my part. I was keenly interested to know what
his thinking on the characteristics of spark discharges was since
it appears to matter a great deal.

Thanks for the info you provided.

Regards,
Malcolm