Re: Connecting secondary

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

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

In a message dated 10/20/02 9:05:33 PM Pacific Daylight Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
writes:


>
> What is the best way to secure the wire on the secondary? Should I drill a
> small hole in the top and bottom and feed the wire through and secure it from
> the back and connect the two ends to the toroid and ground?  Also how do I
> connect the toroid to the secondary (both physically and electrically)?



Matt,

Most coilers put some type of coating over the wire once the winding is
completed.  Varnish, shellac, epoxy, etc.  This holds the wire in place
nicely.  Conventional wisdom is to not run the wire into the center of the
form.  I wrap tape around the top 5 turns or so before coating the wire.  Now I
loop this wire up on top of the secondary and wrap it around a 1/4" nylon bolt
that protrudes up from the plastic plug that is fastened into the top end of
the secondary form.  The end one inch or so has the insulation removed.  The
toroid has a 1/4" hole in the center of the metal mounting disc and it sits
down over the nylon bolt.  A nylon washer and nylon wing nut hold it in place.

I actually use a pvc end cap that has been flattened off on the bottom and
glued to the top of the plastic plug in the secondary - open end facing up. 
Now I have a piece of pvc plastic pipe (cut to length to adjust the desired
mounting height of the toroid) inserted in the end cap.  Another end cap now
fits over the top of the pvc pipe.  This end cap also has the bottom surface
flattened and a 1/4" nylon bolt protruding up through it which has been epoxied
to it from the inside.

On the bottom of the coil, I use a piece of round 1/4' acrylic cut to be about
three inches wider than the outside diameter of the secondary.  Fastened to the
center of this is a disc of plastic maybe one inch thick that goes up into the
secondary form and is held in place with glue and #10 nylon screws.  The base
is fastened to the mounting platform with two 1/4" nylon bolts and one 1/4"
brass bolt.  The bottom wire on the secondary has a lug on it that the brass
bolt goes through.  The main RF ground wire attaches to the brass bolt under
the mounting platform.

Ed Sonderman