Re: Lightning Arrestors Autopsy

["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>

During a terrible accident a ball-peen hammer came in contact with the end 
of one of the small lightning arrestors, fortunately noone was injured 
because due to a miracle the arrestor was wrapped in a towel at the time of 
impact.

Inside was NOT what I was expecting. I was expecting (thanks to Bert) a 
series static gap and a couple MOVs. What I got was just weird.

Pics will be posted to the website in a day or two (Betsy had the camera 
today doing UET steff), but here is a basic description.

The G (m) A (o) P (v)?

The bottom bolt (copper) feeds through the endcap and terminates in a Cu 
disk about 1.5"dia. Now here's where it gets weird.

There are 8 powdered copper/ceramic? toroids about .25" thick,.25" ring 
thickness, 7/8" hole dia, and 1.5" overall dia. The center of the toroid is 
more ceramic with a band of Cu towards the outer third and a ceramic outer 
shell.

They're very pretty.

I think these are some sort of MOV, but I have absolutly no idea.

The stack of toroids is seperated by a stack of (Finger Cymbals), little 
Brass (I think) bells with a hole (about 1/8") in the middle. There are 8 
bells. There are also 4 plates with dents and a hole in the middle (1/8") 
that fit into the mix somehow but I can't figure out where.

After this contraption is a 4 element (maybe once a single piece but 
shattered in use, doesn't look that way though, the pieces don't line up 
right) MOV. It's a dark green plastic (or ceramic) coated powderd Cu tube 
about 1.5"dia and in 4 sections each about 1.5" long.

There's also a spring, a silver/powdery tube (with end plates and dessicant 
inside) and another terminal.

Ok...the parts are functionally useless outside of the tube.

Now to go get another one, time to get my gaffs out, J/K :)


Christopher A. Boden Geek#1
President / C.E.O. / Alpha Geek
The Geek Group
www.thegeekgroup-dot-org
Because the Geek shall inherit the Earth!


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