RE: wanted high voltage resistors Marx Generator

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Original poster: "Mccauley, Daniel H" <daniel.h.mccauley-at-lmco-dot-com> 


Although high voltage resistors are best for marx generators, you can
get away with standard carbon composition
or similar resistors.

I currently use 1Meg, 3W Carbon Resistors on my Marx Generator.  They
were surplus and extremely cheap
and practically free.  Sure, i get a failure on the very last far side
(negative side) resistors about every
few hundred fires, but replacing it takes a few seconds at most and the
cost of this replacement is much cheaper
than having to buy or make specialized high voltage resistors.

(However, make sure you have replacements handy.  I was running this a
Richard Hull's this october, the resistor failed
and i didn't have any replacements handy)

The question to really ask is:

Is it more cost effective to simply replace a bad resistor every so
often, or to spend the extra cash (or time) to buy (or build)
specialized high voltage resistors.

Dan