visible and audible feedback from HV transformer sparks

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

Original poster: "Alfred Erpel by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <alfred-at-erpel-dot-com>

Hello all,
 
 
    I am slowly throwing together all the components for a low power (200-300
VA) desktop tesla coil. I have different ways of generating power in this
range. When I am drawing a spark (.150-.250 length), depending on what
transformer I am using and how I am powering it, I get two different types of
sparks, to wit:
 
1) a very bright white (actinic) spark which appears crisp and sharply crackles

 
2) a fuzzy appearing, much less bright, slightly colored, and fuzzy sounding
spark
 
 
The "fuzzy" spark will initially jump the same gap to start that the "sharp"
spark will. However I can then "draw out" the fuzzy spark longer than the sharp
spark. I have no way to check this, but I am guessing that the fuzzy spark has
it's current out of phase with its voltage and never really turns off because
of the ionized pathway. Accordingly, I also assume that the actinic spark has
it's voltage and current in phase.
    Are these assumptions correct? What if anything can be inferred by viewing
the physical characteristics of 10,000 to 20,000 volt sparks? Also, I assume
that the resonant primary tank circuit will function best when fed power with
it's voltage and current in phase. Comments please? Thank you.
 
 
Regards,
Al Erpel