Re: long sparks-low watts

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: long sparks-low watts
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 18:59:22 -0500
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	richard hull[SMTP:rhull-at-richmond.infi-dot-net]
Sent: 	Sunday, June 22, 1997 8:06 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: long sparks-low watts

At 09:39 AM 6/22/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>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
>>
>
>
>
>John,

Most all of our good systems in the small class had as many as 3-5 firings
per half cycle with multiple gaps.  Needless to say, the transformer's peak
voltage was almost never utilized in the sparking scenario as the gaps were
set to fire at about 1/2 the peak voltage.  In small systems, the continuous
ionization of the local air is more desirable than high energy pulses of
infrequent occurance.  All coils in this "shoot out" had primaries which
were fairly lightly coupled .03-.1 to the secondary.  The resonators were
all wound with #30 wire or smaller.  The largest capacitor was Ron Beck's
big spark system with a .009ufd.  Bill Richards' tiny coil used a .0018ufd
capacitor.  This weekend I used the smallest capacitor ever with a 4.5Mhz
system which threw out a 1.5" arc with 355pf of tank capacitance.  Took
about 60 watts, but this system was not meant to be efficient. (it was a
pancake primary/sec Ala Tesla.  I was un-impressesed.

Richard Hull, TCBOR