Re: MOT doubler

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

Original poster: "Chris the great" <downnessisgoingup-at-hotmail-dot-com> 

What was the variac set at when the caps blew?  I know that these probably 
won't take much over voltage (I have fried one before, and I only have 
played around with them a few times.).
I have blown a cap just from putting the electrodes in water, so perhaps 
they are built to fail after a certain time so you buy more microwaves (I 
wouldn't doupt it nowadays!).


          Chris Rempel



>From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: MOT doubler
>Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 18:07:41 -0700
>
>Original poster: "Mudford, Chris" <chris.mudford-at-agresearch.co.nz>
>
>Hi All
>
>I've been playing with a two seriesed MOT with voltage doubler
>arrangement (0.86 uF mot cap in each HV leg, 2 series mot diodes between
>legs), but, had it fail last night.  I had two electrodes placed a short
>distance apart on the final output and ramped the variac up until an arc
>formed, this did not occur for long (3-4 seconds) before something
>failed.  Initially I thought that one of the caps had come in contact
>with the frame of the MOT it is on the output of.  But, there are no arc
>marks and in the MOV the MOT and case of the cap are common with the
>oven chassis.  But, both my caps are shorted (0.4 ohms).
>
>Can anyone enlighten me as to what may have occurred?  Should I have had
>some series resistance?  I thought I'd seen this arrangement used in a
>jacobs ladder.
>
>Look forward to peoples replies, even if they are scalding my ignorance.
>I'm finding the more I learn the less I know.
>
>Cheers, Chris (NZ).
>==========================================================