RE- Wire Guage Sizes

To: tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com
Subject: RE- Wire Guage Sizes
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 01:54:37 -0500
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net
Subject:      RE- Wire Guage Sizes
       Date:  Wed, 28 May 1997 20:53:16 GMT
       From:  robert.michaels-at-online.sme-dot-org (Robert Michaels)
Organization: Society of Manufacturing Engineers
         To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com


T>  From:  Rodney Davies <rgd872-at-anu.edu.au>

T>Hi all,

T>I'm wondering if there is a wire guage to secondary size
T>proportionality.

 [ ... ]

T>Also, I guess it will depend on what amount of power you're using to
T>drive
T>the coil, ie higher energy levels would perhaps require a greater
T>thickness in wire diameter. Perhaps an example would be, say you're
T>using
T>somewhere between 1-2KVA you may want to use #24-#22 guage wire with a
T>secondary diameter of 3"-10".
T>If you're using somewhere between 10-15KVA you may want to use #16-#12
T>guage wire with a secondary diameter of 12" or greater...

 [ ... ]

        The question of wire gauge vis-a-vis power is a veritable
        non-issue.  At the high secondary voltages of a Tesla coil in
        the 10-KVA range, the current in the secondary is minuscule
        (or nearly so):

                               P = I x E    (remember ?)

                     | I admit it's a simplistic formula in   |
                     | this application, but I've been called |
                     | such myself (and worse).  And -- I'm   |
                     | only ball-parking, here.  Okay?        |


                           10,000 = I x 250,000

                                O.040 = I    (that's 40 ma., son)

       Forty milliamperes is scarcely enough to stay awake nights
       worrying about how you're going to get heavy-enough wire
       to carry it.

       ... And 250,000-volts is quite conservative based upon what
       many on this list report as spark lengths obtainable from
       their 10-KVA systems.  (100-Kv = approx. 6" of spark [another
       simplistification] )

T>Then there's secondary self-resonant frequency, inductance,capacitance
T>etc to take into consideration if you want a specific operation range
T>for your coil.

 [ ... ]

        One usually hasn't a lot of wiggle room, here.  Once you
        make one or two choices, the other parameters are perforce
        already decided.

        It's a lot like choosing the gender of your children:  you
        are rather limited in your options.  Elective abortion is
        the only sure-fire method of not winding up with something
        you really don't want.

        In the case of Tesla coils you best cut it up and make a
        coffee-table out of it.

                                   Enjoying my many unique coffee
                                   tables, in -- Detroit, USA

                                   Robert Michaels