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Re: poor performance
From: Rick Holland[SMTP:rickh-at-ghg-dot-net]
Reply To: rickh-at-ghg-dot-net
Sent: Friday, November 28, 1997 9:07 PM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: poor performance
Tesla List wrote:
>
> From: kevin[SMTP:wawa-at-spectra-dot-net]
<SNIP>
Does it have anything to do with the cold?
No, the outside temperature doesn't affect performance. Humidity can,
but not to the degree you seem to be experiencing.
> Also, after adding some more capacitors, when I turn up my variac
> nothing happens until over half the power. While I'm turning it up I
> can hear a little hum/fizz from my caps.
In my experience there are two or three things that can cause this: a)
your cap(s) are shorted inside, which would be given away by extreme
heating. b) You have too much capacitance for your tank circuit. c) Your
spark gap has deteriorated in some way, causing it to conduct at a much
higher voltage than optimal.
And finally I have a question
> about rolled caps. If you roll up a cap and then put it in PVC and it
> expands a bit is that bad?
No, that's not bad in and of itself. It will change the value of the
cap.
Say you have two caps, both of the same size
> materials. One is rolled tighter than the other to fit in a smaller
> radius, would they essentially be different capacitors?
Yes. The tighter roll will have a higher capacitance than the looser
one. They are essentially different caps.
>
> Thanks
> Kevin Wahila
If your caps are buzzing and making noise, please enclose them in a
strong container if you intend to continue to use them. A capacitor can
explode with the force of a shotgun blast. Please be safe!
--
Rick Holland
The Answer is 42.