Re: triggered gap update and question

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

Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>

whether it is continuous or not shouldn't make any difference.  Here's a
question, though... how close is the trigger electrode to the gap?  If it
is a significant fraction (or multiple) of the gap distance away, then it's
not going to distort the field very much. Every field distortion gap that I
have seen has the trigger electrode actually IN the gap, or very close to
it. In the former case, a short pin in the middle of the gap, or in the
middle of one of the electrodes.  In the latter case, the trigger was a
disk with a hole (about 0.5 cm diameter) in the middle, in between two
electrodes spaced about 0.25 cm apart.  The electrodes were hemispheres
about 1 cm diamter, in the middle of a disk about 10 cm in diameter.  The
entire assembly is packaged as a stack in a series of rings and disks of
polycarbonate, and designed to be pressurized to 4-6 atmospheres.

The field distortion gaps also seem to have a fairly small radius of
curvature on the triggering surface of the electrode (i.e. end of a wire, a
small diameter wire, or the edge of sheet metal).


Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Metlicka Marc by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <mystuffs-at-orwell-dot-net>
> 
> all,
> i have been trying to get my triggered gap that is setup inside the
> pyrex tube to fire by field distortion, i'm using the setup posted by
> bert hickman and i'm using the 1/2" wide hard copper strip from the back
> of a CRT of a television for the trigger electrode.
> the strip is wound around the outside of the tube, 1 1/8"dia in a spiral
> and i haven't had any luck getting it to fire regularly.
> my question is: should i solder the ends together making a closed ring?
> or should i just use an open ring, like a C?
> is the ford coil to low of voltage or current for this or is the
> distance from the gap to great?
> one thing, for the blocking capacitor, i am using one of my 50kv 100nf
> NWL capacitors, could this be a problem?
> any suggestions or help, as always, is greatly appreciated
> marc m.