Re: new cap, sucker gap :))

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

Original poster: "robert heidlebaugh by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <rheidlebaugh-at-desertgate-dot-com>

Steve: I'm glad for your sucess. I use .25 uF 1000V capacitors in my coils
with good sucess. To answer your question about DC. Any time a point
electrode is near a larger electrode electrons tend to be emmitted off the
point and collect on the larger surface. This causes a DC charge to form.
This is an ion rectifier.  Spherical cup shaped electrodes and a sharp point
can make a good Hi voltage rectifier for low current use. Gas tube
rectifiers were made using a fine wire inside a pipe with reduced pressure
and an inert gas. A trace of halide compound like carbon Tetrachloride was
aded to increace current. A building with a lightning rod NOT grounded can
develop a very large charge in a thunder storm.
  Robert  H  

> From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 19:00:04 -0600
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: new cap, sucker gap :))
> Resent-From: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Resent-Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 19:04:20 -0600
> 
> Original poster: "Steven Ward by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
> <srward16-at-hotmail-dot-com>
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I was tho guy who had all of that trouble awhile ago with the GE42l caps.  I
> now have some CD caps(1600v .22uf).  Im using 1 string of 15 with a 12/60
> PSU.  These caps are tough!  I also gave the Gary Lau sucker gap another
> shot.  I had actually built it for my large 2000w coil, but i was testing it
> on this coil.  This gap is grrrreat! Im gettin 36" sparks from my small
> coil, and the safety never fires!  With my RQ gap i could only get about 32"
> and the safety would fire.  But the sucker performs flawlessly.  I did try
> it as a blower gap, but i had some problems with a power arc forming and
> loosing lots of performance.  The sucker now uses a dimmer to control it, i
> was amazed that it worked!  I have it set to about 70% for best arcs.
> 
> I also have a little interesting topic to bring up.  While using a breakout
> point pointed at a un-grounded sphere, a good charge will be left on the
> sphere after i turn off the coil!  I was thinking some kind of rectification
> was going on?  The sphere is on a pair of buckets so its well away from
> ground.  So what is going on here?  This seems to support the idea of DC in
> the output of the coil.  I dont know too much about all of this so thats why
> im interested.  Ive also had a metal lawn chair give me a really bad zap
> after running my large coil, letting it arc to it.  I think the thick paint
> gave it more capacitance? So whats the deal? is this anything new or just
> old news?
> 
> Steve Ward.
>