Re: Blowing dimmers in triggers, gap behavior

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

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <FutureT-at-aol-dot-com>

In a message dated 8/1/01 2:46:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com 
writes:

> Initially I was having trouble adjusting the gap so that the trigger could
>  start the arcs, but the NST couldn't start arcing unaided. The tolerances
>  were very close, and I couldn't get it adjusted to fire reliably. I decided
>  that my ordinary IC wasn't arcing far enough, so I went and got a HEIC. Now
>  my problem is that the trigger arc jumps my safeties, and initiates an arc
>  there. Stopped messing with it, as the cold medicine I was taking was
>  making me dopey. I found myself reaching for a hot wire. HV and cold
>  medicine don't
>  mix!
>  
>  Thanks,
>  
>  Jonathan Peakall

Jonathon,

The dimmer is needed rather than a variac because a dimmer
actually controls input power by delaying the  AC  turn-on (it
behaves as a phase control).
But you could put the variac before the dimmer to
tone down the output from the heic.

John Freau

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