Re: Measuring static-gap break rate

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

Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Scott Hanson by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <huil888-at-surfside-dot-net>
> 
> What are the options for measuring the actual operating break rate of a
static
> gap? What simple, straightforward techniques have proven useful? I need to
> measure the actual breakrate on a small coil that is using a much smaller
than
> usual tank cap.
> 
> I was considering using a small "spotting" telescope, a photo diode and a
Fluke
> multimeter with frequency counter function. Mount the photo diode in the
bottom
> of an opaque plastic 35mm film can, aim the telescope at the static gap,
attach
> the film can to the eyepiece of the telescope, and monitor the output of the
> photodiode with the frequency counter. Everything could be 10 feet or
more from
> the coil, so EMI/RFI might be not be a problem.

It would be simpler to look at what appears in an oscilloscope with the
probes put in the vicinity of the coil (even many meters away...).
The telescope idea is nice, and something that I would like to try, but
also with an oscilloscope. Once I tried to look at the light from a
spark using a phototransistor, but without a telescope I got only
electromagnetic interference.

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz