Then what's the topload FOR?

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

Original poster: "Christopher Boden by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <chrisboden-at-hotmail-dot-com>

Been following the AC-DC thread...got to thinking.....

Ok....by definition a Tesla Coil is an air-cored radio frequency RESONANT 
TRANSFORMER...right? good

Now, Resonant and Transformer both seem to indicate an AC thing to me, I 
have yet to see a DC Transformer (though I could REALLY use a few), or 
anything that resonates only one way never crossing a zero point.

Ok....then, what's the toplaod do?

A Topload forms one side of a large air capacitor, cool, now, when the 
capacitor discharges (i.e. a streamer) it does this either into the air, or 
into a grounded object, the instantanious discharge would be DC because 
we're dischargeing a capacitor.

But it's an AC system!???

Ok, now if the topload stores energy until it overcomes the breakdown of the 
air and the maximum charge density allowed for the given curvature of the 
toroid the it has to be storing that energy during several cycles of the 
ringdown.

So...we're trying to charge a DC storage device from an AC supply...wouldn't 
this just result in a net charge of 0V? Think about it....

Each bang in the tank circuit is of opposite polarity to the next. And Once 
the bang occures there is a fast ringdown into the primary coil of a damped 
AC waveform....everything is AC...each Bang is reversed, each cycle of the 
ringdown reverses....how the hell do we get a spark at all?

In theory, at least in my own warped and twisted head meat, we shouldn't 
have more than a few hundred volts, if that, ever seen in a topload.

I know I'm wrong (obviously) I just want to know why.







Christopher "Duck" Boden Geek#1
President / C.E.O. / Alpha Geek
The Geek Group
www.thegeekgroup-dot-org
Because the Geek shall inherit the Earth!



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