Re: Question about ballasting and VA

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: Re: Question about ballasting and VA
• From: "Jeff W. Parisse" <jparisse-at-teslacoil-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
• Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 17:16:09 -0700
• Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
• Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

Ross,

> The current limiting variac certainly doesn't behave as a big Tesla Coil
> "dimmer".  There is a definite "sweet spot" on the variac that seems
almost
> magical

This is very true. I'm not an engineer, but I play one on TV. I've run coils
in
the 10 - 20kVA range all over the US and in every case, the sweet spot
you describe falls in a different place. And, as you describe, a little turn
of
the variable inductor EITHER DIRECTION will send the ammeter skyward.

I believe the variable inductor is canceling or balancing other reactance
in the primary circuit (capacitative, inductive & resistive) and not
limiting
current at all. A pole transformer doesn't spit out massive amounts of
current at will, it has to be "asked". It seems to me that the pig just
feeds
the current demands of the load (bigger tank cap, bigger load - I use .1uf
and .2uf and I notice the difference). No need to "limit" current at all...

HOWEVER, this may only apply to salient pole synchronous spark gap
coils... I don't know because that's the only type I use. The double "E"
bunch can jump in here at any time ...

Jeff Parisse
www.teslacoil-dot-com

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