Strange Spark Phenomena

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Strange Spark Phenomena
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 15:08:13 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

----------
From:  richard hull [SMTP:rhull-at-richmond.infi-dot-net]
Sent:  Saturday, January 31, 1998 6:41 PM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: Strange Spark Phenomena


>This is very interesting.  All 4 observations sound logical. I think these
>strange sparks are telling us something but I don't know yet what it is.  2
>out of 4 people have observed these strange sparks change appearence when
>tuning the coil.  Maybe it has something to do with having the coil tuned
>correctly.  Maybe its something different like having the capacacitor value
>sized correctly for the total system.  Or maybe its something else and maybe
>its not even important. I noticed one time on another coil a 12" spark was
>made up of 5 sections and had 2 hot spots spaced about 3" apart.  Could this
>strange spark have something to do with how the spark gap fires or how many
>times the gap fires during the length of one discharge spark from the toroid.  
>
>Does anyone know how may times a spark gap will fire compaired to the number
>of discharge sparks from the toroid?  Is there one discharge spark from the
>toroid for each time the spark gap fires or does the spark gap fire several
>times for each discharge spark?  
>
>A variable capacitor could be put in parallel with the fixed capacitor.  The
>cap could be adjusted to see the effects of the discharge spark.  Moving the
>primary coil tap a little at a time should show the exact same results.  But
>this would not be true if the primary coil and capacitor have to be sized
>correctly with respect to each other.
>
>Gary Weaver 
>

I just posted my thoughts and our groups collective thoughts in response to
John Freau's comments in an earlier post.

I would say 100% of all Tesla coilers who are really paying attention have
seen this phenomenon.

In very high frequency coils with almost zero loading, the spark out is
almost one spark for one discharge, but could easily extend over 3 gap
firings.  In large, heavily loaded, low freq. systems, the gap will fire up
to 300 times from streamer inception to streamer death! (I have video proof
of this).  Naturally, the channel is zero current during a large portion of
this time. (spark dwell)  The eye and camera see it as a single long term
event though.  The air is ionized and the recombination of the ions keep it
glowing during the dead times.

Your idea of tuning on the fly is a nice one.  We and John Freau have done
this and, yes, you see the stuff change.  The trouble is you are changing a
whole gang of parameters no matter what you fiddle with.

Richard Hull, TCBOR