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Re: Yet another newcomer, and from Sweden this time
From: Felix[SMTP:73374.1547-at-CompuServe.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 1997 8:30 PM
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Yet another newcomer, and from Sweden this time
Your long message is very interesting. Perhaps you set a record for the
most northerly tesla coiler. I'm near Huntsville, Alabama, USA. From my
limited experience, I've found US neon transformers to be very easily
burnt out by high voltage spikes; I recommend not only chokes, which
you have, but bypass capcacitors (from each HV line to ground), and a
safety spark gap set just high enough to prevent arcing at the normal
output voltage of the neons. More experienced coilers tell me 5 millihenry
inductance per choke and 500 picofarads each side of the bypass capacitor.
But I believe the safety spark gap, although the simplest precaution,
is the most important.
I've also been advised to tune the Tesla coil first, with the main
spark gap set small (low output), before opening the gap up for
maximum output. Out-of-tune conditions create more voltage spikes.
Finally, many coilers use a 'variac' (autotransformer) to allow gradual
rather than abrupt switch-on of the supply voltage.
I look forward to hearing more about Arctic Circle coiling.