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First Light!!!
From: Robert W. Stephens[SMTP:rwstephens-at-headwaters-dot-com]
Reply To: rwstephens-at-headwaters-dot-com
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 1997 1:46 PM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: First Light!!!
>
> From: Richard Staron[SMTP:rstaron-at-widow.aracnet-dot-net]
> Sent: Monday, September 22, 1997 8:25 PM
> To: Tesla List
> Subject: First Light!!!
>
> I DID IT!!!!
>
> Well I finally got first light on my first coil. Always wanted to build
> one and now its working. Gotta thank Robert W. Stephens for being a
> good mentor during the building stage. Thanks Robert!
>
> I am getting about 18" streamers from the toroid and still experimenting
> with different toroids sizes and shapes. This coil looks like it needs
> a lot of capacitance on top.
>
> SPECS:
>
> Primary: 1/4" copper tubing, spaced 1/4" apart
> ID: 6" OD: 20" approx 15 turns
> Tapered primary at 30 degrees
> Tapped at about 9-10 turns from center
>
> Secondary: 18" long x 4-3/16" white drain pipe
> 22 gauge wire inductance approx 12 mh.
> Coil can be moved up and down within the primary.
>
> Next coil has been wound with #26 wire 21"long x 4 3/16"
> inductance approx 30 mh. (waiting for varathane to dry :) )
>
> XFMR: 15kv-at-30ma neon.
>
> Capacitor: .005 ufd -at- 50KV
>
> Chokes: 2 1 in each leg of xfmr
> 3.8" od x 1" id x .5 wide homemade plexiglass bobbin.
> #26 wire wound randomly until filled.
>
> Toroids: 17" Diam x 4" stacked over 12" diam x 3"
> (more toroids I stacked, the more spark I got!)
> Still playing around here.
>
> Spark gap: 2 gaps -at- .080" wide using 3/4" ball bearings as electrodes.
> No air over gap (yet!)
> Safety gap: 1 gap -at- .5" using 3/4" ball bearings as electrodes
>
> Ground: 3/4" copper braid to cold water pipe in basement.
>
> Results so far: 2-3 Streamers breaking away to a distance of about 18"
> Stacking toroids seems to increase streamer length.
> Safety gap fires about 5% of the time.
> A lot of ozone!!!
> Trembling knees :)
>
> Future enhancements: Insert new secondary coil
> Build a new multi gap spart gap.
> Find an old vacuum cleaner motor!
> Take a bunch of pictures.
>
>
Richard,
Welcome to the club of people that have built and proudly own their
own working Tesla coils!
Your proposed future enhancements, especially replacing the ~10 mH
secondary with the new 30 mH one, and a better system spark gap
should make a noticeable further improvement.
I look forward to seeing this *cabinet maker's coil* as I've seen
other examples of the superb craftsmanship you apply to your
projects.
Cheers,
rwstephens