First Tesla Coil hints?

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: First Tesla Coil hints?
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 1998 23:44:18 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

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From:  D.C. Cox [SMTP:DR.RESONANCE-at-next-wave-dot-net]
Sent:  Saturday, February 21, 1998 8:20 PM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: First Tesla Coil hints?

to: Scott

A good idea to "pass" on the doorknob type caps.  They are designed as DC
storage and filter caps and will usually blow rather quickly with the high
voltage reversal rates encountered in a Tesla oscillator.  Mica
transmitting caps work good as well as hi-Q factor, low inductance pulse
discharge caps. It's time to go surplus house shopping and visiting some of
the big hamfests in your area.

DR.RESONANCE-at-next-wave-dot-net
 

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> From: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> To: 'Tesla List' <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> Subject: First Tesla Coil hints?
> Date: Saturday, February 21, 1998 3:36 PM
> 
> 
> ----------
> From:  Scott Cutler [SMTP:spcutler-at-ucdavis.edu]
> Sent:  Saturday, February 21, 1998 7:34 AM
> To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:  First Tesla Coil hints?
> 
> >>4" x 14" secondary, 24 gauge wire
> 
> >Not by any means long enough.  Go for a 4"x20" at least, 22"
> >or so preferable.
> 
> You're probably right, but I read in several places that I should keep
the
> diameter to length ratio under 4:1.  Actually, though, the real reason
> it's not longer is because I ran out of wire.  BTW, sewing machines make
> great winding machines for small coils. 
> 
> >>Standard spark gap, 2 1" metal spheres (metal drawer knobs)
> 
> >As you probably know, multiple gaps help ALOT, I can't emphasize
> >exactly HOW much they help.
> 
> Interesting.  I'll put that on my "to-do" list.
> 
> >>Bottle capacitors (read on)  6 turns 1/4" copper tube conical primary
> 
> >Most of my coils have at least 15 turns on the primary, although if
> >you are going to use a 14" secondary, this would probably be ok.
> 
> Yes, that's about what I figured.  My next coil will probably be about
36"
> and have about 15 primary turns.
> 
> >I'm 18, and you? :-)
> 19.  I go to the University of California, Davis, but you probably
already
> figured that out.  I actually started this in high school, but have put
it
> off until now for financial and time reasons.
> 
> >I have personally found inclined to be the best as well.  I currently
use
> a
> >15 degree primary for my 6", but 20 degrees is great too, better in fact
> >I would think.
> 
> Cool.  I made the form by bending acrylic; boy, was that a mistake.
> Took hours and hours.  Next time I'll use something else.
> 
> 
> >As for the cap, don't worry.  I used the EXACT same plans when building 
> >my first salt water capacitors.  They work well, although they will fail
> >eventually
> >like any other capacitor if you leave out the oil.  I ran my bottle caps
> >for about
> >20 minutes nonstop once and they kept going.
> 
> Ok.  I found some 40 kv 2.7 uF doorknob capacitors for $16 each.  Two of
> these would do the trick.  Would these do well?  Is the price decent?
> 
> >You want to put your capacitors in series with the primary, and have the
> >spark gap in parrallel with the transformer.  This is safest on your
neon
> >transformers.  As you've probably heard, they aren't really made with
> >Tesla coil use in mind.
> 
> Yes, that seems to be the consensus nowadays.
> 
> >Well good luck!
> 
> Thanks!
>