Re: Triggered Gaps

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

Original poster: "harvey norris by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <harvich-at-yahoo-dot-com>


--- Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
 > Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz
 > <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
 >
 > One can CERTAINLY build one's own triggered gap..
 > there is ample literature
 > on this list as to how.
 >
 > All spark gaps will self fire at "some" voltage.
 > Typically, one designs a
 > triggered gap so that the gap is long enough that it
 > doesn't fire at the
 > voltage found in your circuit, but will do so when
 > you apply the trigger
 > pulse.
In trying to coordinate that idea as it was initially
demonstrated and made popular by Marc Metlica, the
central firing electrode is not necessarily in the
middle of the arc gap. The electrode that first makes
a preliminary firing from one side of the arc gap to
trigger, then enables that continuation of the arc to
complete itself to the "other side" of the arc gap.

Essentially it seems to be a method whereby the arc
gap is either made to fire easier with lower input
voltage, or additionally it has "encouraged" the arc
to better fire in the correct time period.

If this second aspect were true, it represents an
advancement of making a better arc gap firing time
period, exactly what the rotary arc gap systems
propose to do.

I have seen the performance of Marc Metlica's large
coil  with and without the triggered arc gap, and the
triggered gap makes for a definite improvement in
secondary performance, implying that the performance
of a static gap is improved by the timing, not
necessarily just the decrease of necessary voltage to
accomplish the same.

I actually used the same idea to try and coordinate
voltages made by resonant voltage rise, with that made
by pole pig transformative rise, each from allocation
from 3 phases of 480 hz obtained by an alternator;

3 phase triggered arc gap
http://groups.yahoo-dot-com/group/teslafy/files/ATC/Dsc00269.jpg

The center electrode voltage from a single "source
frequency 480 resonant component"  was evidently
higher than the outside voltages obtained from the
pole pig containing its regulated voltage and amperage
from a current limiting made from a single alternator
phase.

The result of the center electrode containing higher
voltages than the "outside" pole pig electrodes, was
that the the outside influence could be disconnected,
and the gap would still fire efficiently from just the
center electrode, where it could be made to fire on
both sides of the single center electrode by making
delicate adjustments of the spacing.

So the theorizing made as to "why" a triggered
electrode can act falls quite short of the
conventional ideas of "how" it is supposed to act.

We are accustomed to thinking that entails that high
voltage electrode(s) must have two connections to work
and act, but those connections are merely the
beginnings and endings of the primary circuit to be
brought into oscillation.

Sincerely HDN