Re: dying neons

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: dying neons
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 22:32:12 -0500
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	corr[SMTP:corr-at-fullnet-dot-net]
Sent: 	Sunday, August 31, 1997 9:39 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: dying neons

>also began to warm.  My safety gap would fire occasionally.  What
>exactly is happening in the system that causes it to fire anyway?  I

Try placing your spark gap distances closer or your safety gap farther
apart.  

>have two chokes, but perhaps they aren't good enough.  They're 8" of 2"
>diam. pvc wound with regular (not magnet wire) 22 awg insulated wire.  I
>recall some one suggesting that you use the same wire used for the
>secondary, what's the story on that?  I don't have any capacitors from

As for chokes.  Gary Weaver has never lost a neon without using a choke, and
I have since stopped using them.  At the levels I am using (9kv, 30ma) they
don't
seem to be that important.  If you are using 60ma or higher, they may be
recommended, but again, I don't use them.

>my neon to ground either.  Would that make a difference?

Caps from neon to ground?  I don't either.

>I'm not able to come across neons very readily so I want to protect what
>I got.  Sure, I could always set my spark gap smaller and not turn up
>the voltage all the way, but what fun would that be? :)  

I don't think that 10-20 second run times would run your neon.  I have run mine
for 13 minutes nonstop before.  You might want to check the eletrodes on your
spark gap.  If they are too coroded, it is easier for sparks to go across
the safety.