FW: RE: Proper spark gap for a small coil design

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Original poster: "Rich" <rdjmgmt-at-socket-dot-net> 



Subject: RE: Proper spark gap for a small coil design

Gee that's too bad because it works fine during my first test. I don't have 
any 1/2 tungsten but I have a lot of 5/32 and 3/16 rods, I am trying to use 
stuff I have laying around. I will save the 9 gaps for later after I work 
the bugs out of my first coil.  I have a 13Kv, .150ma std transformer but I 
was afraid to start with it that's why I started with the NST. I thought I 
had a 15Kv 60ma NST but it has a bad secondary. It will pull a spark in 
open air but when feed with 6v on the primary one side of the secondary is 
dead.

Rich

-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 7:26 PM
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Proper sparkgap for a small coil design

Original poster: "Dr. Resonance" <resonance-at-jvlnet-dot-com>


With a 15 kV 30 mA xmfr, 9 spark gaps would be severe overkill.  The 
heatlosses and light losses from all those sparkgaps will "steal" power 
that you want to translate into the sec coil.  Ionizing each of all these 
sparkgaps takes power which translates into energy lost.

With either 12 kV or 15 kV, 60 mA xmfrs, we use two gaps of 1/2 inch dia. 
tungsten electrodes fitted into 1.25 x 1.25 brass block to aid cooling & 
quenching.  With a 30 mA xmfr a single gap with a large surface area (hence 
the 1/2 inch dia.) will cool and quenching properly.

Dr. Resonance

  >
  > I am new to this and just added a note about the clamps I use and 
your  > reply brings up a question. I just started to make parts for my 
first  > coil. The power will be from a 15Kv 30ma NST . I just completed my 
spark  > gap and it is 9 tubes about 4.5 long spaced, .030 . The material 
is 7/8  > dia 6al4v Ti ( left over from BMX bike stuff). Was this a bad 
choice for  > material ?? I thought it would hold up well.  >  > Rich