Re: All pain no gain

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

Original poster: "Bert Hickman by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-net>

Nate,

Did you use any design tools (WinTesla, JHCTES, etc.) to aid you in the
calculations/design of your coil? If you have a small coil (~500 VA or
less), you can get by with using the power line ground (although its
really not recommended). There are many reasons why you may not be
seeing breakout, but in order to figure out what to do more information
is needed about your system. Please provide the information below and we
should be able to suggest some fixes. The fact that your gap is firing
loudly is a good sign - it appears that your HV source and tank cap are
operational. 

Some possible reasons for failure to break out can include:
1. Tank cap is too small (energy/bang too small)
2. Toroid radius of curvature too large
3. Coil is severely mistuned
4. Secondary is internally shorting
5. Coupling coefficient is too low
6. Primary circuit miswired

In the interim, try forcing your secondary to break out by using a short
piece of wire sitting on your top terminal, and tune for best (longest)
spark. If you can't get breakout even using a breakout aid, you may have
a wiring error in the primary circuit - double check your wiring.

1. Power Source:
Voltage:
Current:
Type (NST, Oil Burner Transformer, MOT, etc...)
Are you using a variac to control voltage to the HV transformer?

2. Tank Capacitor:
Type:
If type salt water cap, type of bottles and how many?
If MMC, capacitance and voltage/cap
If MMC, number of caps/string, and number of strings:
Estimated tank Capacitance:

3. Primary:
Style: (i.e., flat, helical, inverse conical)
If inverse conical, angle of rise?
Inner diameter:
Turn-turn spacing:
Material used for winding:
Wire gauge or tubing diameter
Estimated inductance:
Tapping point point (Number of turns) for best performance:

4. Spark Gap:
Brief description of the type of gap:
electrode materials used:
Number of Gaps
Spacing/Gap
Do you use forced air cooling, and if so how?

5. Secondary:
Form material:
Diameter:
Winding Length:
AWG and type of wire:
Height of bottom turn of secondary versus versus innermost primary turn:

6. Topload:
Type of topload (i.e., sphere, toroid)
Type of construction if home-built
Physical dimension(s):

Safe coilin' to you!

-- Bert --
-- 
Bert Hickman
Stoneridge Engineering
Email:    bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-net
Web Site: http://www.teslamania-dot-com

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Nathan Morris by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <themfam-at-home-dot-com>
> 
> I need some help figuring out why my TC is not breaking out.  After months of
> planning and building I am afraid that this thing is a lemon.  Ground is
ground
> right? Isn't earth ground the same as an RF ground?  Shouldn't I be able
to tie
> the bottom of my secondary to ground via an extension cord and wall outlet?
> How close to tuned (number of turns) does the primary tap have to be before I
> will see breakout.  Maybe I was in the wrong neighborhood.  My primary is 23
> turns.  I will add another 2 turns. How often should the safety gap
across the
> cap fire?  I adjusted the gap distance from loud blue light to none at all.
> This had no effect.
> 
> --Nate