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Second change for longer sparks (fwd)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 08:41:19 +0300
From: Marco Denicolai <marco-at-vistacom.fi>
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Second change for longer sparks

After using a bigger toroid and getting improvements:

air streamers from 20" to 31"
streamers to grounded point from 20" to 24"

I have reduced my RQ spark gap gaps from 0.0275" to about 0.007". This was
mechanically not so easy and I ended up with a clearance between 0.005" and
0.01" (about) different between different sections. Not good...

Before I was using two series of 0.0275" gaps in parallel. Now I could use
a single series of 10 gaps and have the safety gap strike intermittently. I
tested with this setup and I didn't notice any improvement (or worsening) of
the streamers. Spark gap sound was intermittent as with the old gaps.

Then I started reducing the number of gaps until I was using 5 gaps. The spark
gap sound was then almost continuous and I got longer streamers! About 35" to a
grounded point and over 40" into air.

My problems:

- the gap gets extremely hot very quickly
- some of the gap sections get filled with some black stuff (cupper oxide?)
- I don't quite understand what is going on!

Please, help me to figure out what I am doing...

- I suppose I have just increased the spark gap breakout repetition rate as well
as I have fed the primary with less voltage. Higher discharge rate seems to be
better for longer sparks than higher voltage. Am I right?

- Higher repetition rate stresses more the spark gap that gets really hot. Is
that the way it should work or what should I do?

- My ideas (also after reading the list mails) about the relation between:

   - spark lenght
   - primary voltage at gap breakout
   - breakout repetition rate (60 Hz, 120 Hz, more?)
   - spark gap quenching

are VERY confused. Could please someone give a brief (or long if he can)
explanation about the above factor interaction?

P.S. We also noticed a water leak. That means all the entrance parket floor
stripped away and 4 weeks of blowing warm air against the concrete floor to
dry it. Well, this is not Tesla, but it DOES affect my TC development, as you
may guess :)




________________________________________________________________________

 Marco Denicolai                   Vista Communication Instruments, Inc.
 Hardware Development Manager      www.vistacom.fi   

 marco-at-vistacom.fi                 Kaisaniemenkatu 13 A
 fax:    +358-9-622-5610           SF-00100 HELSINKI
 phone:  +358-9-622-623-15         Finland

   Remember, Murphy was an optimist! I am not...
________________________________________________________________________