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Anorher Test
From: Chuck Curran[SMTP:ccurran-at-execpc-dot-com]
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 1997 10:23 PM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Anorher Test
Hello All:
Tonight I was able to set up my repaired coil and fire it up again and
things seem to be back on the right track. I had shorted the turns in
the secondary and now I have successfully repaired them. This is in the
15 1/4" diameter secondary that I built this winter. I was able to run
it up four times and ran it for about one minute on each run, I still am
trying to make sure I don't miss anything that could cause a failure! I
was getting sparks that started at the breakout bump I'd put on the
toroid but they started to break out all over tonight. The system drew
far less power, right now I'm not sure why. The meter was hanging at
about 40-45 amps while three weeks ago it was at about 60 amps and the
sparks were the same. I had four friends over that really got a kick
out of it with the sparks running 11-12 feet.
I did notice several moments when the spark gap simply stopped firing
for 1-2 seconds, which hasn't ever happened before during the variac
settings I was at, which was around 250 VAC output. I will now need to
examine the system and see if something was loose or if I might have too
much gap---
The good news is that the repairs to both my secondary and the vacuum
gap were O.K. tonight and I hope they are O.K. for the next couple of
months! Now I will start to search out the best resistance/welder
combination settings and also start to tweak the primary tap around
again, looking for the best tune. I will also need to examine the
condition of the acrylic plastic that supports the electrodes in the
vacuum gap. The acrylic was not a good choice based on the amount of
deformation that occurred from the heated electrodes. The electrodes
now have a .25" long relief on either end .030" deep to prevent the arc
from taking place right next to the plastic which really tore it up the
last time! Tomorrow in the light I will check that part out and see
what happened. Time for bed.
Chuck Curran
Cedarburg, WI