[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: toroid sizing and getting a streamer
In a message dated 3/30/00 7:27:22 AM Pacific Standard Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
writes:
>
> Hi all,my coil is 3ich by 15inch wound with 24awg.the frequency is like
> 475khz.im using a 9kv30ma the primary is 11 turns of copper tubing.my
> current
> toroid is 4inch diam.by about 15 inches long still in compressed form.i
cant
>
> get any streamers!i evenswitched over to a 15kv30ma and retuned.still no
> diff.how do i get streamers?should i try and return it and get 2 small
> mixing
> bowls for the coil,or should i cut the ducting to a smaller lenght?key
word
> here is cutting,once cut,no refund! i have very little time left to work
on
> it.what am i to do?
>
Matt,
Well, assuming the coil is tuned, you should get streamers if you
put a bump or metal point on the toroid to permit breakout. Or you
can run the coil with no toroid at all. Just let the sparks emit from the
screw on top of secondary. This will give streamers but they'll be shorter
providing the coil is turned. I assume you're tapping along the primary
to tune the coil. If the capacitor is too small, you may never find a
correct tune point, etc. I assume you've used a TC program to calc
the tune point, etc. ONce you get streamer with no toroid, and have
tapped the primary for best output, then you can put something on
top such as a cover from a cooking pot or something that will easily
give streamers. You'll have to tune outward to maintain proper tune.
You can keep adding metal objects to the top to add capacitance and
longer sparks (maybe), and keep tuning outward to keep the TC in
tune. You may need more turns in the primary once you add the toroid,
etc. Did you improve your gap? A bad gap will make a coil feeble and
weak, and sometimes kill hopes for success.
Cheers,
John Freau