Re: New Lab, Family Coil, 1st Light

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

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

In a message dated 5/14/01 1:45:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com 
writes:

> 
>  >Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>"
>  <Mddeming-at-aol-dot-com>
>  <snip>
>  >
>  >Query: If running 2 matched Maxwells in series, is there any 
>  >advantage/disadvantage to putting one on each leg with primary between
>  them? 

Matt, Gary, 

I have tested this equidrive configuration in my coil, and found no difference
in performance, so I agree with Gary's assessment.  A
disadvantage of this arrangement is that one must use a metal
shorting bar to discharge the caps everytime the coil is fired, for safety.

John Freau

>  
>  I've heard strong disagreement to this in the past but I must say what I
>  believe.  You are referring to the so-called equidrive configuration
>  where the two caps are each tied to opposite ends of the primary coil.
>  In both the 60Hz charging phase and the post-bang RF ringdown phase, the
>  primary circuit is a series configuration.  Electrically, a series
>  circuit will behave the same regardless of what order the series
>  elements occur in.  Like a flashlight with two D-cells, a switch, and a
>  bulb, it would work the same if the bulb were between the two D-cells.
>  This is Circuit Analysis 101, and these rules are inviolate and apply
>  equally to AC and DC circuits.  Tesla coils are no exception.
>  
>  There is nothing wrong with this configuration, it does appeal to one's
>  sense of symmetry, and it may or may not physically work out better
>  wire-routing-wise.  But the components and electrons don't care either
>  way.
>  
>  Gary Lau
>  MA, USA