Re: Pregnant Caps, and a challenge.

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

Original poster: "Christopher Boden by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <chrisboden-at-hotmail-dot-com>

>Original poster: "Matt Skidmore by way of Terry Fritz 
><twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <fox-at-woozle-dot-org>
>
>HI all,
>ive been running my coil for a while.. specs:
>15/30 nst with a sync gap 4.5x26 inch secondary #24 wire. primary tapped
>around the 18th turn.
>
>the caps i have been using are:
>ASC   I  0024
>SHV 51B
>.02 MFD +- 10%
>15000 VDC
>
>ive been usually using 3 in series to get .006 (if i remember). anyway im
>not even sure what type of caps these are after ive tried looking them up
>
>they seem to be made of black plastic tubelike and wrapped with nylon. 7cm
>long and 2.5 cm in diameter.
>
>i had two of them die tonight. both emmited light from under the nylon and
>afterwards growing a "fat belly". the caps were slightly warm in the spot
>they were glowing. can you guess what type these were?
>

I don't know what type they WERE, but I know what type they ARE.

Toast.

You have experianced dialectric breakdown (sounds like an album title...I'll 
have to write Tesla (the band)) and the caps have burned/arced/fried 
internally.



>i also have some 5kv oil caps rated for .1 mfd. would these be suitable
>for tesla use?

LOTS of caps are in oil, it's the dialectric that matters. If they're Poly-P 
you're set, if they're Mylar, they'll fry. If you don't know, hook them up 
and find out. It should only take a few minutes to see :)



>
>anyway, i think im going to purchase some geek caps, but my main question
>is mixing of caps. could i say, use the oil filled caps, with the geek
>caps and perhaps some of the caps i have that havent died yet?
>
>lengthy and detailed answers appreciated :)
>and no fair telling me "no" just because you want me to buy more geek caps
>Duck! :)


Fox



Ok...here's my opinion (with little or no basis on scientific fact).

Electrically it shouldn't matter at all. If you have decent caps (we'll 
overlook the fact that they're frying) and you get the values right, there 
is no reason you can't mix and match. People have done this several times. 
People mix and match LOTS of things in Tesla duty, even Static and rotary 
gaps.

It's just a question of what's gonna die first, and in this appication ALL 
CAPS WILL DIE IN TIME. Just accept it and move on. If you buy 200 brand new 
Geek caps, they will die after enough run time. There's no way around it. 
Most electronic devices can be left operating indefinately for years on end 
(Unless they're running Windows), and it's a regular occurance. I would 
personally thing the shortest lifespan on any common household device is a 
lightbulb, and under VERY certain conditions, they can last years. Try that 
with your coil. Run a coil for only a week nonstop. It'll never make it, 
something will die.

A Jolt Award to ANYONE, member or not, to be the first to successfully 
operate a Tesla coil, for 24 hours or more, non-stop, producing streamers in 
excess of 24". (This rules out the little toy coils).



Duck
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