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Re: Coil Efficiency
From: Malcolm Watts[SMTP:MALCOLM-at-directorate.wnp.ac.nz]
Sent: Monday, July 28, 1997 3:51 PM
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Coil Efficiency
Hi John,
> Seems to me that if one can quench the gap fast enough, this will
> dim the gap also, even if the Q drop does not result in a critical k
> value?
>
> John Freau
Agree absolutely. I think that being able to do this = nirvana. In a
sense, this is _also_ critical coupling because primary dissipation
is minimized (minimal reflection back from the secondary). I wonder
if this is what the Corums are referring to when they talk, albeit
very hand-wavingly, about "critical" coupling? Not having a gap
system that can quench beyond what the coil dynamics allow means all
the coils I've operated so far have been way overcoupled prior to
spark production. The gaps in these systems quench when the energy
has disappeared from the system.
I would like to propose a two tests for quenching ability (and
you _have_ to use a scope and HV probe):
(a) see whether you can quench a primary alone under single shot
conditions (best of luck). Does your airblast noticeably affect the
number of rings up to quench?
(b) set a system up to quench first notch under single shot conditions
and then progressively tighten coupling to the point where the quench
no longer works to first notch. Compare this setting with that which
you obtain with the air blower switched off. Is it the same for an
attached spark as for an air streamer? What do the results say about
quenching affectiveness (yes, I think I already know the answers :)
Malcolm