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Re: Spark Gap Losses And Thoughts...and more Thoughts...



Jeff wrote:

>It has always interested me in the dozens of gap designs from the old
>medical machines.

Yea me too.  Interesting thinking about people being PAID to fool with this 
stuff! :)

>The early English style Tesla Coils used an annoying method of mica
>washers/copper discs as series stationary gaps.

The original Quenched gap.  Popular for early radio.  Not sure if they 
worked well for high er power levels like we use.

>The english style machines that did use regular adjustable gaps often had 
>them enclosed in a container, with coal gas or spirits replacing the air in 
>the gap.  I've never tried this, but literally dozens of [European] styles 
>of machines used this method.  Wasn't the greatest method, but perhaps 
>could be improved upon...

Interesting.  My readings have only indicated the use of spirits or acetone 
filled gaps for use in either the Poulsen or Duddel (?sp) arc oscillator 
application.  Apparently this sort of thing was used to drive early tesla 
coils to some extent.

Properly applied - using a nonlinear arc oscillator should work, as out 
ancient predecessors were able to construct CW units of 100KW delivered 
power using only the most primitive equipment! :)

At one time I'd started a Poulsen arc page, which is at:
http://www.geocities-dot-com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/6160/poulsen/

Might make for some interesting reading, if nothing else.  This topic has 
come up before - search the archives.

There is a guy in New Jersey who has constructed a working carbon-arc 
oscillator.

-Bill


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