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Re: More rotary gap questions... (fwd)
Subject: Re: More rotary gap questions... (fwd)
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 20:59:49 -0400
From: "Thomas McGahee" <tom_mcgahee-at-sigmais-dot-com>
To: "Tesla List" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
snip
>
> Hello Dr Resonance, all,
> I just had to ask a question about this
> statement:
>
> <snip>
> > Even though most coilers use copper tubing primarys,
> > good
> > grade caps, etc. they sometimes forget that the most circuit resistance
> > is
> > thru the stainless steel or steel electrodes in their sparkgaps.
>
> Leaving aside the cap and primary inductor, which component apart
> from the ionized air in the gap itself has some 200V across it while
> passing the primary current?
>
> Malcolm
> <snip - points about burning stainless noted>
Malcolm,
The wiring that links the tank circuit together can easily have several
hundreds of volts across it. The voltage drops will be particularly
large
at the junctions unless they are soldered or made with a good
compression
joint that includes lots of connective surface area. The wiring is an
often
overlooked source of energy loss. For some strange reason people can't
get
it though their heads that the primary tank circuit is a CIRCUIT (a
circle)
that includes the inductance of the connecting wires as well as the
inductance of the primary coil. I have seen Tesla circuits in which the
inductive losses due to the twists and turns in the wiring must have
been
substantial... say 10 to 15% as large as the primary inductance. That
affects the tuning too! Use conductors with large surface areas, smooth
surface areas, and as short and straight as possible. Ideally if your
primary is 1/4 inch copper tubing, the entire tank wiring should be at
least as robust. Sometimes you will touch a connection joint after a
long
run and you can feel the difference in temperature between the wiring
and
the junctures. This is especially true at points where the metals are of
different kinds.
Fr. Tom McGahee