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T-coil discharge
From: Wysock, William C. [SMTP:Wysock-at-courier8.aero-dot-org]
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 1997 7:58 AM
To: 'Kevin Wahila'
Cc: Tesla List; ttr
Subject: T-coil discharge
Kevin---
I read with interest, your description of the discharge from your coil
sometimes forming a long slowly moving single tendril. I once built
a small coil (back about 1962) that used a 9 KV 30 ma. neon xformer
with two 0.01 mfd 8 KV mica caps in series connection with a 6 segment
stationary series gap. The Tesla primary was 12 gauge wire in the
form of a helix 3" o.d. with about 4 turns in circuit. The secondary was
a phenolic tube 1.5" o.d. x 20". On top, I origionally had a 1" o.d. brass
ball. I came across a pair of old brass telephone ringer bells (each
one looks like 1/2 of a toroid with a center disc and mounting hole.)
Putting these two back-to-back, formed a toroid ~ 3" o.d. x 3/4" in
cross-section. When I placed this toroid on top of the 1" brass ball,
and added about 1/4 turn inductance on the primary, (I had to adjust
the spacing on the series gap a little,) I observed the same peculiar
discharge phenomena as you have observed. What I got was
(about 70% of the time,) a single corona streamer that was typically
nearly a straight line (close observation showed a bright purplish
core with a fainter sheath glow around the core over the entire length
of the discharge, which was about 6".) The other 30% of the time,
there would be numerous fainter sparks darting out from the toroid.
Then the single long "serpent-like" streamer would form again, and
persist with very little animated movement. I found this phenomena
most curious and interesting! The only other coil I've ever worked with
that would occasionally produce this same effect, was an early version
of my Model 5 coil, back in 1975. That coil had a 5" o.d. x 24" secondary
with a 20" o.d. x 5" toroid on top and was powered with a quenched gap
of my own design, and a plate transformer running at about 2 Kva input.
You can see an image of this coil (Model 5,) on my web site: www.ttr-dot-com.
Best Regards,
Bill Wysock
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Tesla Technology Research