Re: primary tap construction

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

Original poster: "Gregory Hunter by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <ghunter31014-at-yahoo-dot-com>

Atlanta coiler Adam Minchey showed me a pretty neat
trick.  He uses a buss fuse holder as a primary clip. 
It is just the right size and tension to snap over
1/4" copper tube.  I also made a tap from a short
chunk of copper tube. I flattened one end of it in a
vice and then used a hammer to form it around a 1/4"
drill bit.  This made a stiff, flat hook that fit
snugly over the tube.  I used a sheet metal screw to
clamp it in place.  Of course, it is harder to move
than the fuse clip, but it's OK for a semi-permanent
connection that doesn't get moved very often.

I tried using 1/4" Cu tube for all my connections on
my 4" x 24" coil, and found it rather inconvenient for
experimenting.  The rigid leads make it tough to swap
gaps, caps, etc..  Again, if you plan on leaving the
coil as-is for a few months at a time, it's an
excellent option.  One good thing about Cu tube wiring
is that it doesn't move around.  It stays where you
put it, reducing the risk of accidental short
circuits.

Regards,

Greg
http://hot-streamer-dot-com/greg

--- Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
> Original poster: "Bill Vanyo by way of Terry Fritz
> <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <vanyo-at-echoes-dot-net>
> 
> I can't seem to figure out a way to build a good
> solid primary tap
> connection that isn't so bulky as to nearly short
> the 1/4" gap between
> turns.  How heavy does the tap need to be?  It seems
> silly (to my
> limited intuition - this is my first coil) to have
> some skimpy clip
> device on such a heavy coil (1/4" tubing).  Also,
> how heavy should the
> wire that leads to the tap be?  If possible, would
> it be OK to just use
> 1/4" copper tubing for the whole circuit, i.e.
> primary to cap, cap to
> spark gap, and spark gap to primary tap, all the
> same 1/4" tubing?
> 
> 
> 	Thanks,
> 	Bill
> 
> 
> 


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