RE: Help with TC

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

Original poster: "Lau, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com>

The biggest problem is that you have no top load.  You are guaranteed to
have poor results without one for a variety of reasons.

Next, spark gap losses are high (efficiency is poor) when you have a low
inductance primary.  As you noted, getting a top load will lower the system
frequency and allow you to use more inductance.

Long cables in the tank circuit will increase losses to an observable
degree, but your biggest gain will be if you get a real top load.

What kind of .05uF/10kV caps did you get?  These sound like Glassmike
units, which have Mylar dielectrics and have been known to be lossy,
overheat, and explode.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

Original poster: "Sean Taylor by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<taylorss-at-rose-hulman.edu>

Hi all,
I have several TCs that I have been working on for quite a while, and
it seems that I can never get arcs nearly as big as people have said
on webpages, on the list, etc. for the same input power.

Currently, I am running a coil with two 9k60 NSTs in parallel, a PE
homemade cap of 35 nF, 3/8 copper tubing for the primary, and 22 AWG
wire for the secondary on a 4" PVC form, about 28" tall.  The primary
is an inverted cone, about 30 degrees, and has about 10 turns (should
be more?). It seems like I can only get it to run somewhat well if the
primary is tapped all the way in at around 2 to 2 1/2 turns, and wont
run well anywhere else.  I don't have an output terminal, and I know
this would lower the operating frequency, and then I would have to tap
it out farther.  Also, do the wire lengths from the cap to the primary
make a huge difference? They are 10AWG, but are about 3 feet long
almost, as my cap is in 4" PVC, a rolled type, so the terminals are
fairly far away. I just bought 12 0.05uF -at- 10KVDC caps for a MMC. 
Will this help a lot? I am using a RQSG, with 9 sections, and a fan to
quench the spark.  What else could be improved, or what more
information is needed?

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Sean Taylor