Re: Copper Strap as primary circut wiring?

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Copper Strap as primary circut wiring?
From: wysock-at-ttr-dot-com (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
Date: Thu, 01 Jul 1999 19:16:53 -0600
Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

To "Coiler" et.al.

You *can't* do better then using wide copper strip, for all the
primary tank circuit connections, period!  Cross-sectional
"thickness" is not so much the gain as >>>surface area<<<.
Tank circuits comprise a significant part of the series "L"
(inductance) of that circuit.  The more power you can "put" into
the Tesla primary winding, (and not into the connections and
components that drive it,) the more efficient your coil will
be for any given input power rating.  

As for using 1/4-20 hardware, that is fine.  But again, it is
surface area, that you want to keep as consistant as possible,
throughtout the entire tank circuit.  Since you've made your
own capacitor, you can make sure the mounting tabs (terminals)
on the cap, also have a broad surface area, thereby insuring that
some of the energy your cap is storing, is not being lost in the 
connections to that component.  Typically, the most loss of
energy will occur at the spark gap, since most designs being
practiced, have much less surface area through them.

As for your cap, I think the reduction in measured value has
to do with some separation of the foil layers, after immersion
in oil; a known problem.  Some on this list have measured an
increase in value; probably due to a change (chemically) in
the reaction of the main dielectric, after immersion into oil.

Best regards,
Bill Wysock. 

> Date:          Thu, 01 Jul 1999 05:29:59 -0600
> To:            tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:       Copper Strap as primary circuit wiring?
> From:          Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>

> Original Poster: "Coiler" <mycroft-at-access1-dot-net> 
> 
> I just managed to pick up a bunch of copper strap/foil as scrap.
> To wit, about 50ft of 1.25" wide, 1mil thick copper.
> 
> My first thought was to use this as my ground line, but then I remembered
> seeing Terry's various experimental gaps, that all seem to use
> copper foil for the connections.. so the question:
> Would it be reasonable to use this strapping (possibly doubled or tripled)
> as my tank wiring? Especially to buss my capacitors, and to hook the 
> gap into the circuit?
> 
> I use a lot of 1/4-20 brass hardware, so I could just use a hole punch
> to open the mounting hole, and then route the strap as needed.
> 
> Commnets?
> 
> 
> [as a side note, and as a puzzle to those that decree that oil increases
> capacitance.  I just finished my latest plate cap. I calculated that the
> cap should be 6.9 nf. When I assembled the dry core, I measured 7.8nf. After
> submerging in mineral oil, the cap now reads 7.25nf. What up with that? :) ]
> 
> 
> 
___________________________
Tesla Technology Research