Re: Weird ideas

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: Weird ideas
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 03:37:26 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	Ted[SMTP:tedric-at-generation-dot-net]
Sent: 	Saturday, November 29, 1997 6:59 PM
To: 	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: 	Weird ideas

Hi all,

Here are some ideas and questions:

1) Earlier this month, we had discussion on using water as a dielectric.
>From Jim Lux's post, we learned that water is a "slow" conductor. Will it be
practical to use water as choke by filling water in poly tube? If not, why not?


2) As the capacitance increases, high frequency current will pass through a
dielectric more easily. So, by putting poly between the primary and the
secondary, instead of insulating the two, will it actually create more problems?


3) I want to do some ball lightning experiment with microwave (I know about
the candle trick, it works!). Similar to what the Corums did, who excited
two resonators will one primary, I am going to put two resonators in a
microwave and excite it with one magnetron. Is microwave tranformer shunted?
Some say yes, but other say no. Who should I trust?


4) Superconductor again! It is a known fact that intense magnetic field will
ruin superconductor. But before the entire "breakdown" happens, the current
that is allowed to pass through the superconductor decreases, yet it still
has zero resistance. The ultimate "breakdown" for a ceramic superconductor
will be becoming an insulator. Read the last sentense again! Either
superconducting or insulating, doesn't that sounds like a perfect switch to
you? I am currently pondering if it is possible (of course it is!) to
replace the spark gap with a magnetically contolled "Superconducting
Switch". One example is by using rare earth magnet to approach the threshold
of the "breakdown", and by putting the superconductor under the (tesla)
coil, when the "switch" fires, the magnetic field from the coil itself
"quenches" the superconductor, a true self-controlled soild state tesla coil!

  Also, you can use superconductor as a current limiting device. (someone
had proposed this before I did!) :(

  BTW, why bother with tubes? Frankly, I found that they are so incredibly
inefficient, think about this for a moment: First, you have to put enough
energy to "boil" enough electrons. Then, you are applying electric field
(energy) to constantly accelerate the electrons, not only did the electrons
did not slow down as they approach the anode, they travel at full speed. At
last, you stop the electrons and most of its energy become heat. Heat is
generated in both the "boiling" and "stopping" process, it sounds to me like
a electron welder.


Any comment are welcome. (I figure out that I better to add this since my
post "Terminal Capacitance" remains unanswered, bother to look at it again?)


Ted