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Re: Paralleled SGs (was VICTOREEN SGCA)
Steve's analysis is correct. If you are just trying to limit the power
dissipation, and you've got the voltage to breakdown more gaps in series,
then put more in series. Although an arc is nonlinear, it is still a
positive resistance, so if you put more in series, the voltage drop across
each one will be reduced for a given current. Since the power dissipation
is I*E, you'll get less dissipation.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Date: Thursday, June 03, 1999 4:23 AM
Subject: Re: Paralleled SGs (was VICTOREEN SGCA)
>Original Poster: "Steve Young" <youngs-at-konnections-dot-com>
>
>
><SNIP>
>> I have ordered 20 of them from all electronics to try and torture them to
>> death. well near death anyway. One problem might be that if they are
>> designed for low duty cycle use ie surge protection, they might not last
>> long in a coil tank circuit. What I am planning to do is try and sort
>them
>> into voltage breakdown categories of say 1 or 2 % and run them in
>parallel
>> to try and keep the current density down. Anybody see anything I might
>have
>> missed?.
><SNIP>
>> regards
>>
>> bob golding
>>
>>
>Bob and all,
>
>Every now and then, the idea of putting spark gaps in parallel to share the
>high currents is proposed on this list. It seems to me in general this
>won't work. I think that no matter how many gaps are directly paralleled,
>one gap will always fire slightly before the other(s). Once this happens,
>the firing gap's impedance drops far below the others, the voltage
>therefore also immediately drops, and the other(s) will probably not fire
>at all. Thus only one of the paralleled gaps will take the full current
>and punishment. On succeeding bangs, this one is likely to again fire
>first because of residual metal ions, higher temp, etc.
>
>An analogy would be paralleled neon bulbs, with just one current limiting
>resistor for the two or more paralleled bulbs. I think the probability of
>more than one of the neon bulbs lighting is very small.
>
>I have no practical experience with paralleled spark gaps, so I encourage
>other list member's wisdom for this subject.
>
>--Steve
>
>
>
>