Re: 10 Questions to help me construct my first TC

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

Original poster: "BunnyKiller by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <bigfoo39-at-telocity-dot-com>


major snippage...

answers after each question...


>1. Secondary wire gauge?

considering that your hi volt supply is 7.5KV   I would opt for  22 to 26 
GA wire...  the really thin stuff breaks to easily when winding the 
secondary.      try to purchase double "Formvar" wire


>2. Secondary diameter?

3 - 5 inches    I used a 4" with a 12KV 30mA unit and worked fairly well 
for visual effects ( streamer length) and basically safe for science fair 
applications. ( with at least 4 foot radii clearence factor)     4" PVC 
white sewer drain pipe is a nice choice. Use polyureathane to seal the tube 
and to seal the windings...


>3. Secondary turns?

the general rule of thumb is 1000 turns...  but with additional info over 
the last few yrs, 1500 is a very functional number  ( several people have 
reported excellent results with this number of turns)..   I used 1200 turns 
on my 4" coil with 22GA. wire


>4. Primary wire gauge?

1/4" soft copper tubing ( the kind used to run water to the ice maker on 
the fridge)  looks nice and forms easily since it is already " wound" ...


>5. Primary coil ( flat, helix or inverted cone(angle?))?

easiest design is the flat configuration   I prefer a conical/flat 
combo  conical ( 45 degree angle) near the secondary for 7-9 turns then 
flat for easy tuning and increased coupling..  avoid using plexiglass as a 
primary support  use lexan if you can find it..  cuts and drills much nicer 
than plexiglass..


>6. Toroid cord diameter?

I have found that the diameter of the secondary and the dia of the "tube" 
used to make the toroid be the same ...
e.g.  4" secondary and 4" aluminum dryer duct...


>7. Toroid diameter (please specify OD or center to center)?

once again ...  a relationship exists here too   the overall outside dia of 
the toroid = the length of the wound section of the secondary coil...


>8. Tank capacitor value (should I trust the software?)?

yes...   once you have decided upon all of the other physical dimentions of 
the coil ...  ( toroid size, secondary size, power supply size)


>9. Primary turns (should I trust the software)?

depends on the software...  normally I find the software is 1/2 - 1 turn 
too shy


>10. Static gap ( gap space and number of gaps)?

depends on quenching technique...  with a forced air quench, less gaps can 
be used. A non forced air quench should use at least 6 spark points.

for some more info goto

http://members.telocity-dot-com/~bigfoo39/



Scot D