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Re: nobody knows whos maggie at fla teslathon?



Original poster: sundog <sundog-at-timeship-dot-net> 

Something to keep in mind,

  is that we didn't intend this to be a magnifier.  It evolved that 
way.  The original reason for it was to get the streamers away from the 
base.  Strikes to the two HV feed lines would put big chunky spikes back 
into the control system, plus strikes to the SRSG and primary aren't a good 
thing.  Another reason for the setup, is to allow us to run such massive 
tank caps without having only 1-2 primary turns.  The RMS current in the 
LTR system is best described as gratuitous, and despite the well-engineered 
capacitors, I wouldn't want them to fail.  Especially at $40 each...

    One of the key sources of loss in the system was the fact that we had 
corona boiling off the transmission line (simple THHN wire run out to the 
base of the tertiary), and that the wooden base itself had corona coming 
off of it.  We found carbonized burns on the concrete under the legs, and 
large scorch marks in the tops of the legs where they attached to the 
base.  At times, we had a nice ring of corona all the way around the edge 
of the wooden disc.  That was certainly burning off power.

  But, you live and learn.  Despite that it *could* have done better, a 16' 
spark is still nothing to sneeze at, especially when you're in the Faraday 
Cage, 8' away from the coil and a streamer as thick as your thumb is 
snarling just inches from your nose ;)

    Rest assured, we'll have a much better setup for the 2004 'Thon, and 
will hopefully have all the problems eliminated.  The low BPS and large 
tank cap really showed it's stuff in the sheer ferocity of the streamers, 
and the magnifier setup did a wonderful job of getting the streamers away 
from the base (SRSG, caps, and HV feed lines.)   It's all a learning curve, 
and efficient or not, an impressive sight to behold :)

Just my firsthand $.02 :)

Shad

At 06:45 PM 9/30/2003, you wrote:
>Original poster: "RMC" <RMC-at-richardcraven.plus-dot-com>
> > It doesn't take a lot of time to realise the magnifier in question isn't
> > much of a very efficient device.
> > Power input 18 kVA and observed max arc lenght of 16 feet.
> > Formula ,frequently mentioned on this list,L(inches)=1.7*SQRT(P) gives 19
> > footers for that power.
>
>That is still 84% of what the empirical formula estimates. Besides, the
>empirical formula I think has been developed to quantify two-coil TCs, not
>magnifiers.
>
>I think to say that the device "isn't ...very efficient" is a bit unfair.
>How much better have other people achieved...or have you achieved?
>
>
>RMC, England
>

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Shad (Sundog)
G-5 #1373
The Geek Group www.thegeekgroup-dot-org
"Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"
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