Re: Maxwell High Voltage Capacitors.....again

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

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com>

No, the 31xxxx Maxwell Capacitors don't necessarily "suck" - they most
likely will work for tesla coil use, but they may fail prematurely.  The
37xxxx series are rated at 60 PPS which are much
more capable of the repeated charges/discharges of tesla coil use.
Remember, during tesla coil use, typical sychronous operation is 120 PPS at
60Hz power.

You won't notice anything different while running when using a 31xxxx
compared to a 37xxxx, but the 31xxxx might only last a few minutes if you
are real unlucky.  The lifetime of a 37xxxx
capacitor is much much longer than same service using a 31xxxx capacitor for
tesla coil use.  Of course, if you're lucky, the 31xxxx might work with no
problems at all.  I think there are a bunch
of guys on this group that have had luck with the 31xxxx series.  However,
that 0.035uF, 35kV 37xxxx series Maxwell Capacitor which is on ebay now for
about $50.00 or something, is a great capacitor.

$300 for a MMC???  What were you going to use, solid gold capacitors???  For
a 15kV/60mA NST (which I think you said you were using), the LTR capacitor
size for synchronous operation
is about 0.0277uF.  Thats (12) 0.33uF, 2000VDC MMC type capacitors for about
$4.00 each GE.  All wired in series, that will give you 0.0277uF at 24kVDC
which is perfect for a 15kV/60mA
tesla coil (LTR sizing)

I have pictures of this $50.00 MMC I use for a lot of my coils here:

http://www.spacecatlighting-dot-com/images/ctc1_mmc02.jpg

Hope this helps.

The Captain



 > So is the general consensus these 31892 series Maxwell caps (0.03 uf 45kV)
 > suck for Tesla Coils?  Does anybody have actual experience with these same
 > caps?  What effect will 1 PPS be as opposed to 60 PPS?  Will I get less
 > sparks?  And if my coil is tuned well (not "larger than resonant sizing",
 > to compensate) what will the effects be?
 >
 > Why are the 37XXX series so much better?
 >
 > Here's a link to the
 > caps:
 >
<http://cgi.ebay-dot-com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2536648936&category=4662
&rd=1>http://cgi.ebay-dot-com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2536648936&category
=4662&rd=1
 >
 > I bummin 'cause I shelled out nearly $200 for these instead of like $300
to
 > build a MMC.
 >
 > Thanks for the advice.
 > Jack
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >