RE: Counterpoise and MMC demise

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

Original poster: "Lau, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <Gary.Lau-at-hp-dot-com>

As you suggest, there are many factors that will cause a static gap's 
breakdown voltage to vary.  But they all tend to *reduce* the breakdown 
voltage.  I stand by the assertion that a properly set static gap cannot 
allow the cap's voltage to exceed the gap's breakdown voltage.

Gary Lau
MA. USA

 >Original poster: "Stephen Conner by way of Terry Fritz 
<teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" ><steve-at-scopeboy-dot-com>

 >That ain't so... There is a lot of uncertainty in the firing voltage of
 >static gaps, it varies depending on dv/dt, electrode temperature, and
 >whether a cosmic ray or U.V. photon happened to hit the electrodes as the
 >voltage was at its peak. The uncertainty is easily enough to let the cap
 >ring up to voltages that will kill your NST power supply, as several people
 >myself included have found out the hard way :(
 >
 >Steve C.

 >>??  If the gap is set to fire at some voltage it will fire at that
 >>voltage. The cap can't ring up beyond that voltage.