Re: Attn: Rich, Bert & Terry- Growing large arcs?

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: Re: Attn: Rich, Bert & Terry- Growing large arcs?
• From: Greg Leyh <lod-at-pacbell-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <terryf-at-verinet-dot-com>)
• Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 15:26:38 -0700
• Approved: terryf-at-verinet-dot-com

> Original Poster: Bert Hickman <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com>
 
> One way that might be physically realizable for the advance coiler who
> also wanted to live [die?] extremely dangerously(!) would be to
> AC-couple the base the resonator in a 2-coil system to ground using a
> comparatively high-valued HV capacitor charged to a high positive DC
> potential. This would permit the top of the secondary to have a high
> superimposed DC voltage in addition to the normal high RF voltage.
[snip]  
> BTW, I believe that both Bill Wysock and Greg Leyh have done this type
> of thing on occasion, but I don't remember the DC potentials and base
> capacitance involved. I also seem to remember that Bill's system created
> a massive EMP pulse during a ground strike that was also quite
> destructive to nearby electronics... :^)

I've tried it a few times, with 3 different cap banks:
  20kJ at 20kV (100uF)
  85kJ at 110kV (14uF)
  80kJ at 20kV (400uF)

The most fun was had with the 80kJ bank.  This was in
Austin when Bert Pool and Wild Bill came to visit. The
bank discharge path was thru the secondary, the output 
arc, and then back thru a set of nearby 2x4 towers, clad 
in fluorescent tubes.  The inductance of the secondary coil
(0.051H) limits the arc discharge current to about 1700A. 
The result was a few bright initial flashes from the tube towers, 
followed by catastrophic failure of the glass tube envelopes,
and ultimately of the integrity of the 2x4's themselves.
-- 


-GL
www.lod-dot-org

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