Re: Small coil questions?

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

Original poster: "gary weaver" <gary350-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

I have a mini TC too.  Its powered by a 6K 20 ma furnace igniter
transformer.  It has 3 static gaps plus 1 adjustable type gap in series with
the other 3 gaps.  The primary is 7 turns of #12 copper wire flat wound
tapped at turn 5.  The cap is a rolled poly cap in a 1 pint glass jar filled
with HV oil.  The secondary is 1.5" pvc pipe wound with 7" of # 28 enamel
coated copper wire.  The toroid is a round brass door knob.  It will produce
several 3" streamers from the door knob.  The streamers are interesting
because they all rotate around the door knob in the same direction like
water draining in the bath tub and at about the same speed.   I can pull a
strimmer to my finger and get 4" and as much as 6" during very dry weather.

Gary Weaver








 >
 > Tesla list wrote:
 >  > >One thing about tesla coiling is that merely copying someone elses
design
 >  > >doesn't necessarily mean a successful design.
 >  > >Actually, I think you could do better than Gary's secondary.  If i
remember
 >  > >correctly, he used something like 32 to 36 AWG to wind his secondary
 >  > >which may be a bit too thin.  Gary himself stated this as well.  I
think 28
 >  > >to 30 AWG wire would be a good size for a mini-coil.
 >  >
 >  > Dan,
 >  >
 >  > I would have to disagree about 32 AWG being too thin.  Though I use a
 >  > slightly higher voltage(7.5kV) on our 2.5" small coil, it is wound with
32
 >  > AWG and produces similiar results.
 >  >
 >  > Mark Stolz
 >  > Pearland, TX
 >  >
 >  > >I also have a mini-coil design that has been lately putting out 13" to
14"
 >  > >streamers to a strike target.  I use the same exact transformer as
Gary's
 >  > >with almost identical
 >  > >output current (half-shunts removed)
 >  > >You can get information on my mini-coil at:
 >  > >
 >  > >http://www.spacecatlighting-dot-com/teslacoil4.htm
 >  > >
 >  > >Dan
 >
 > You should add to that "if you're man enough and patient enough to wind
 > it"!  I have a 1-7/8 OD X 6 coil wound with #36 and I was barely man
 > enough - took a couple of hours turning the form by hand and feeding the
 > wire on with my thumb providing both tensioning and keeping the turns
 > snug against each other.
 >
 > Ed
 >
 >