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Re: Measuring coil performance

Hi Gary,

At 03:57 PM 9/17/98 EDT, you wrote:
SNIP.........>
>I agree that it's unlikely that any two people measuring power input vs
>spark output would arrive at the same measurements, due to the
>complexities of the power measurement.  Wouldn't it be easier to use the
>basic power supply parameters, i.e. a 15KV/60mA NST, as the basis for
>comparison?  For small to medium current-limited power supplies, I think
>this makes sense.  If one wishes to push it hard and use resonant
>charging, then more power to you, make the most of what you have!  If two
>coilers both use 15KV/60mA NST's and one uses resonant charging and gets
>60 inches and the other doesn't and only get 30 inches, then #1 wins.
>Wasn't that the point of the original post that started this thread - How
>much spark is possible from a given NST?
>
>Gary Lau
>Waltham, MA USA
>
>

Actually, the power measurement may not be that hard.  One can get power
transducers that would do all the work for you.  These are simple canned
devices that you apply voltage and current (perhaps through a current
transformer) into and they output a signal proportional to the power.  Such
a device can be found in many places but there is a description of one at:

www.ayainstruments-dot-com/acdcwatt.htm

These do all that nasty real time non-sinusoidal RMS stuff for you.  Their
accuracy is very good (0.5% or 0.2%).  I remember them costing $100 to $200
dollars new.  Such a device should give an almost perfect input power
measurement for relatively little money and hassle.

	Terry Fritz