Re: First Light!!! Now, how to tune it?

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

Original poster: "Bill Vanyo by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <vanyo-at-echoes-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>"
<Parpp807-at-aol-dot-com>
> 
> In a message dated 5/12/01 5:46:17 PM Central Daylight Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> writes:
> 
> << Static Spark Gap:  My own invention >>
> 
> Bill,
> 
> Congratulations on your new coil. You have me very interested in your
> adjustable spark gap. Would you please tell us more about it. The only
> arrangement I can see is for the
> copper pipes to be mounted in a staggered -- parallel pattern with the
> sliding rail perpendicular to the fixed rail.Sorta like a T with the pipes
> mounted on the top of the T and the whole thingy able to move towards or away
> from the fixed pipes. Otherwise, with the two rails parallel to eachother, as
> one edge of a pipe moves closer to the adjacent fixed pipe the other edge has
> to move farther from the pipe on the other edge.
> Also, what are the rails mounted on and are the pipes vertical or horizontal?
> 
> I'm probably waaay, waaay off. Sounds like you have a very original design, I
> hope you will tell us more about it.
> 
> Happy day,
> Ralph Zekelman

It's pretty simple.  The nine copper pipes have holes drilled through
near each end, and are bolted to the PVC rails.  Like rungs on a ladder,
except it's a wobbly ladder.  The copper pipes are all parallel, and the
two PVC rails are parallel.  The pipes may be perpendicular to the rails
(with the gap wide open), but when one rail is moved slightly relative
to the other, the pipes are slightly off perpendicular, and are actually
closer together.  So, when you bolt the pipes to the rails, you have a
single piece that you can hold in your hands, and by moving one rail
back and forth relative to the other, the gaps between the pipes change
size.

So:
____________________
 ||  ||  ||  ||  ||
 ||  ||  ||  ||  ||
 ||  ||  ||  ||  ||
--------------------

or:
____________________
 \\  \\  \\  \\  \\
  \\  \\  \\  \\  \\
   \\  \\  \\  \\  \\
   --------------------

In the latter arrangement, the shortest distance between two adjacent
pipes is less than in the first arrangement.

Of course, you don't want to hold it in your hands.

So, the ends of one PVC rail are inside holes in two blocks of wood, one
on each end.  At one end, there is a compression spring in the hole,
which pushes on the rail.  At the other end, there is a bolt which can
be used to push the rail against the spring, compressing the spring or
releasing it.  So by turning the bolt, the rail can be moved slightly
back and forth, but stays fixed in place otherwise (held firm by the
spring that pushes it against the bolt - it's set up so the spring is
always compressed somewhat).

The other rail is mounted so that it is almost fixed.  It is bolted to
blocks, with bolts that are parallel to the copper pipes.  The bolts are
loose, as this rail needs to move very slightly, the direction of
movement being perpendicular to direction of movement of the other
rail.  That is, in the first arrangement depicted above, the rails are
slightly further apart than they are in the latter arrangement.

I'm afraid the description isn't quite clear.  I'll post some pics when
I get a chance.

	- Bill Vanyo