Re: Why we build these things Was: Re: Tesla Coil Dream

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

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

 > I had thoughts of pulling out one of my older
 > coils and running it in the driveway to see if
 > I could tempt one of the REAL streamers to it :)
 >
 > Then I decided that living is better...
 >
 > Supposing one could protect a coil from the
 > affects of pouring rain and wind, wouldn't the
 > large ion field around the toroid be a nice target
 > for lightning?


Actually, under normal weather - sea level (if there is such as thing), the
breakdown strength of air is about 30kV/cm.  However, during stormy weather,
the number of ions present in the air is greatly increased thereby
decreasing the breakdown strength of air.  This would likely decrease the
amount of voltage
necessary to propogate a streamer from a toroid thereby possibly reducing
streamer length slightly.  Also, streamer length may improve as well since
an ionization path
through the air would be enhanced due to the increase in ions.











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 > --- Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
 >  > Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz
 >  > <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>"
 >  > <dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com>
 >  >
 >  >  > But for me now it's the tinkering. And putting in
 >  > SO much time and money
 >  >  > into something that has no "practical" everyday
 >  > use what-so-ever. I get,
 >  >  > "Well? What's it for?" I've been telling them it
 >  > keeps the pigeons off the
 >  >  > porch. :)
 >  >
 >  > Exactly.  If I get one more person asking me, "Whats
 >  > it good for?" or "Is
 >  > that all it does?" or "Does it do anything useful",
 >  > i'll probably shove them
 >  > right into my primary circuit.  "Whats it good for?"
 >  >   HOW ABOUT COOKING
 >  > FLESH!
 >  >
 >  > The Captain
 >  >
 >