Re: First Attempt at Light goes down in flames!!!!! Whats WRONG!!!!

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

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

In a message dated 10/31/2002 6:59:22 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:


>OK, I am officially bummed!!!!!!
>
>I was sick all weekend and didn't get to work on my coil. So here I am,
>the day before Halloween and it looks like I'll be without coil!!!! :o(
>
>I have been following Greg Hunters Twin MOT design. My Primary is 14
>turns (tapped at 6) of .25 copper tubing 30 degree angle inverted cone.
>Secondary is 940 turns of 22ga. I have a Geek Group MMC, .055 uF. A pair
>of static gaps, one safety and one main. I have the voltage doubler
>board and a pair of MOTs. The top load is a 4" drier duct toroid 27"
>around.
>
>First attempt just set off the Main Gap without any sparks. OK, widen
>the gap a turn.
>
>This time I notice sparks in the MMC. Found an end lead had broken loose
>and was arcing. Right arc, wrong place!!! Fixed that and then tried
>again.
>
>This time there was arcing on the other side of the MMC... AND
>FLAMES!!!!! The last cap had arced to the bolt holding the board down.
>It arced out the side of the cap, blowing a hole in the side!!! Weird!!!
>OK, have extras, replaced it and insulated it.
>
>Try it again. Well, now all it's doing is either buzzing, like a high
>tension line, but no gaps arcing and no sparks, or if I adjust the gaps
>down slightly they arc, but no sparks? What's the deal?
>
>I tried changing the tap point. Not much change, and no sparks. Took off
>the torroid and fan out a wire... No go. All thru this, it either arcs
>the gaps only or buzzes like a high tension line.
>
>I tried no doubler, no ballast cap, narrowed the gaps, widened the gaps.
>ANY combonation I could think of, I tried!!! I finally tried to coax it
>with a grounded wire near the secondary output, but to no avail. What am
>I missing???
>
>I wasn't hoping for much, but nothing is hard to deal with after all
>this effort!!!! And trying to get it ready for tomorrow... I was looking
>forward to that!!!!!
>
>Anyone have a clue for me?? I can supply pics if you think it'll help.
>
>Anything is greatly appreciated.
>
>Darn I was hoping for a show for Halloween... well, theirs always
>Christmas!!!
>
>Ken Stevens
>


IM bummed too I ordered my caps from geekgroup like 3 weeks ago, in hopes 
that I would get them before halloween but no word yet.

Im not a very experienced coiler but I have built 2 cruddy ones but they 
work, I had the same problem with my current coil  I set the gap out as far 
as it would go before it stops arcing then I blew on the arc to see how a 
sucker gap would work and it all fired up upon blowing on it so I just duct 
taped my trusty shop vac hose to my bench and flicked the switches and 
bammo it worked great, but then my nst fried but thats another story heh