sparks for cheap

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: sparks for cheap
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1998 23:45:45 -0500
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

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From:  Jim Lux [SMTP:James.P.Lux-at-jpl.nasa.gov]
Sent:  Tuesday, August 18, 1998 11:43 AM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: sparks for cheap

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> ----------
> From:  Michael Nolley [SMTP:mhnolley-at-willamette.edu]
> Sent:  Monday, August 17, 1998 2:18 AM
> To:  Tesla List
> Cc:  'Tesla List'
> 
>         I have some interesting information for those of you who would
> like to generate huge sparks for cheap- - - last night I rigged a setup
> which has been familiar to me for the last 2 years in my high voltage
> work- I wired 5 MOT's together in a dual parallel-series arrangement,
> with the primaries in parallel, and the secondaries in series.
> Altogether I was able to generate foot and a half long arcs at 10 kv out of
> the arrangement without the TC assembly. 

A foot and a half? You mean 18 inches or 45 cm? From 10 kV? Perhaps in a
Jacob's ladder or drawing an arc with movable electrodes, but I'd find
it unusual. Needle point breakdown at 10 kV is only going to be a
centimeter or so.  If you could get 18" arcs with 10 kV, then neon sign
transformers would need MUCH better insulation and need to be much
bigger.

Perhaps you mean you got an INCH and half, which is reasonable and
practical with a fairly high current 10 kV supply and a suitable rising
arc gap or needle points.