RE: tuning a coil, guess and check?

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

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jim-at-jlproduction-dot-com>

Hi
You can guess and check but there are some tips to get you in the right
direction.
Place a nail or small pointed object atop the coil for a breakout point.
Tape that florescent bulb to a stick, stick it toward the breakout
point, and watch the intensity of the glow. Start tuning in full turn
increments and then 1/2 and 1/4 turns till it’s the brightest. You
SHOULD also hear the spark gap come to life as you get closer, mine gets
much louder as it gets close to tune.
KEEP IN MIND TO ALWAYS UNPLUG THE COIL AND SHORT THE CAP BEFORE ANY/ALL
ADJUSTMENTS ARE MADE!!!!!!!!!

A dead guy at the Children's museum is no fun for the AM crew to find,
and less fun for you....

Jim
http://www.jlproduction-dot-com/Tesla.html


-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 7:12 PM
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: tuning a coil, guess and check?

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Beans45601-at-aol-dot-com>

I work at a children's museum and lately they did some repairs on the
Tesla
Coil we have. I don't know any of the specs on the coil, so would tuning
it
just be a guess and check? All I know is that it is a flat coil, the
primary is
6 turns of 1/2 copper pipe and 300-500 turns of what looks like
insulated lamp
wire, I am not sure what the exact size of it is. What we use it for is
sending
electricity through the air and someone holds the florescent bulb in
front of
it. We don't have a top load on it, we have a very stiff wire pointing
towards
the person with the bulb so that the bulb will light up better (is this
true,
or would it light up just as much if it was a round top load?). So, back
to my
original question, when I go there, am I just going to guess and check,
or does
anyone know of a general spot where I can start (they have it not at the
spot
closest to the secondar! y coil)?
Thanks
Adam