Blown Capacitor!!

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Roderick Maxwell by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <maxz-at-netdoor-dot-com>

 
 
   I am wiping the tears from my eyes as I type this message. I have fried the
first capacitor I made for Tesla service......
 
 
   Sad but true.
 
I was trying out my new homebuilt pig. The coil was performing poorly and I was
attempting to bring it into tune since I also wound a new secondary for the
coil. (did I tell you I also smoked one of my older 6" secondaries? That's
another story.) The coil was in tune but still wimpy discharges. It dawned on
me that impedance needed matching ( I have lots of inductive ballast in the
primary of the pig to choke down the current). So I shorted both MOTs. this
increased the available current but it also increased the voltage to about
14kv.... Now sparks were a bit better but the horn gaps across the secondary of
the pigs began to fire constantly. 
 
 Now I knew I should have switched the supply voltage to 120vac but I was
feeling a bit lazy.          So... I took a short cut. 
 
I opened the horn gap up a bit.
 
  When I next applied power the the sparks were a bit better but the suddenly
started to decrease (uh oh). I took a peek under the deck and there was this
bright glow coming through the Plexiglas top of my capacitor. When you look in
the top of the cap it looks like someone poured ink into the oil.
 
I guess you all know how this story ends.
 
Signed,
A still crying 
Frankenstein's Helper