RE: Tesla Coil toroid Size

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: RE: Tesla Coil toroid Size
From: "Payne, Will E" <will.e.payne-at-lmco-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <terryf-at-verinet-dot-com>)
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 17:36:18 -0600
Approved: terryf-at-verinet-dot-com

FWIW, my first coil had very similar behavior.  Increasing top capacitance
DOES reduce Vtop, 
that is why we use top-hat capacitance in antennas where the physical size
is much smaller 
than the wavelength.  Tesla coil wavelengths are typically several km, where
the physical size 
is on the order of meters.  

However, improving EFFICIENCY is typically a mitigating factor.  In your and
my case efficiency
is very low anyway, so we do not realize the performance gain most other
folks would.

I think this is the correct explanation, however, I will defer to the more
experienced coilers.

> > Bart, i do believe that if a toroid is too large that it will 
> > absorb the discharges into it's capacitance, hindering output.  
> > i have tried this with my 60 mA coil and it holds true.  i am 
> > using a cheap salt water cap that gloes like  a light when operating... 
> > which is my major loss factor of my system. this in effect limits 
> > my discharge length to about 15". put a toroid on top, and
> > spark length is about 4" at most.
> > 
> > cabbott
> 
>