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Re: long sparks-low watts


From: 	John H. Couture[SMTP:couturejh-at-worldnet.att-dot-net]
Sent: 	Friday, June 20, 1997 1:21 AM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: long sparks-low watts

At 01:23 PM 6/19/97 +0000, you wrote:
>
>
>From: 	richard hull[SMTP:rhull-at-richmond.infi-dot-net]
>Sent: 	Wednesday, June 18, 1997 7:24 PM
>To: 	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: 	long sparks-low watts
>
>All,
>
>I have been gone about 1 week now and came back to a ton of messages.  One
>thing I note is the amazing result Malcolm just posted. Malcolm is to be
>commended for his efforts.
>
>I find all this rather old, but interesting as always.  The folks in our
>group here in Richmond held a fun competition on 1993 to see the smallest
>and the lowest powered with the longest sparks.
>
>The results were,  Myself with 6" -at- 40 watts,  Bill Richards 3.5" with 15
>watts,  Buster Knight with 4" from 32 watts, Ron Beck with 21" from 210
>watts.  We let Bill take the award.  With Ron's system of 21 gaps at 9kv
>getting oohs and ahhs all round.  Most of this is on our tapes.  I published
>some data last year on this list on a small quench gapped system with 7-8"
>from 45 watts.
>
>It is really easy to do this type of thing if you play with small systems
>long enough!! 
>
>I have always been amazed by the new coilers as they appear on this list.
>Many never serve an apprenticeship with many, many small systems as was the
>method of the older group of coilers.  Many are seeking a pole pig for their
>first coil.  Blowing up expensive caps with huge break rates, etc, etc.  It
>is much cheaper and more instructive to blow up small cheap stuff in a lot
>of small systems and move on.  
>
>I have come full circle and am now looking at very small magnifier systems
>in maggey #12.  I can't see many more multi KW systems for myself personally
>down the road.  I think that every one should do as Malcolm and all older
>coilers have down.  Develop techniques and good habits in the under 200W
>class.  Sure, they won't scale up, and the first 2KW system will be a real
>let down even if it performs fabulously (less spark per watt in scaling up)
>
>Small coils are an art too and a lot of bang for the watt is to be had.  I
>am lighting lamps and radiating energy in maggey 12 at ranges equivalent to
>Bill Richards 1KW twin 811A vacuum tube coil with only 70 watts!  The sparks
>are only 5" long compared to his 12" though.  Lots more to investigate and do.
>
>Check out small systems they are cheap, you can built and test 16 per week,
>and get lots of entertainment and gain knowledge rapidly.
>
>Richard Hull, TCBOR
>
>--------------------------------------------------------

  Richard -
  
  Did you have a method of testing to see if these sparks were due to more
than one break/charge per spark giving more watts per spark than estimated?
I have tried to pin this down without success with my tests.  

  Have you compiled data from these tests that would compare Tesla pri
voltage, pri cap size, secondary inductance, etc. This would be interesting
info for new coilers.

  John Couture
>