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Re: Straight Spark

Subject:  Re: Straight Spark
  Date:   Tue, 20 May 1997 10:58:03 -0400 (EDT)
  From:   FutureT-at-aol-dot-com
    To:   tesla-at-pupman-dot-com


>snip>
<< The one spark had absolutely no branches. The spark was
> perfectly straight and the only movement was at the very
> end of the spark which had a small whip-like movement at
> the very end. The spark stayed in place on the doorknob
> for about 10 seconds and then broke back into the scattered
> discharges running around the doorknob as previous. Has
> anybody ever seen this effect? Why was the spark straight ?
 
> I am going to see if I can re-create this at will (sorry Will)
> and take some pics.
 
 >Bob Schumann
  >>

Bob,

The most impressive display of this effect that I witnessed was at one
of
Richard Hull's Teslathons a few years ago when he ran one of his early
magnifiers with a 1 foot sphere on top.  At a certain rotary break-rate,
the
spark took on this single straight spark characteristic.  the spark also
became much brighter and thicker when this happened.  The effect was
attributed to a rotary speed that phased in with the 60 Hz AC creating a
sort
of temporary synchronous operation.  It must be a combo of the sphere
and the
synchronous operation.  I speculate that it also has something to do
with
heat in the spark rising and promoting the effect, since this effect
seems to
occur only in vertical sparks.  I've also seen the effect in small neon
coils
using a spherical electrode, as you noted.  I've never seen this using a
toroid.

I demonstrated a similar effect using a pulsed tube coil at another of
Richard Hull's Teslathons.  With careful adjustment of the pulse
controls,
one straight swordlike wavering spark is formed while a bizarre
staccato-like
sound is produced.  In these coils, it is important (for producing this
effect) that the oscillator starts up slowly and gradually at the
beginning
of each AC cycle.  If the oscillator starts at other than the zero point
on
the 60  Hz AC cycle, then the spark breaks up in the normal fashion.  In
the
tube coil case, it may also have something to do with oscillator
stability on
start-up, ie  a too sudden start-up may not permit the effect to occur.
I
assume that rising heat helps to lengthen the spark.  But these
questions are
unanswered as of yet.  So there are plenty of mysteries to explore.  The
tuning of the tube coil can also help to promote the effect as you noted
in
your (disruptive TC) work.  Since you're using (I believe) a static
spark
gap, it would tend to fire at the same point during each AC cycle and
tend to
simulate sync-gap operation esp. when the system is running "smoothly". 

John Freau