RE: Experimental tesla coil using Radfio Shack Megacable Speaker wire as primary

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

Original poster: "Steve Conner" <steve.conner-at-optosci-dot-com> 

 >Particularly the
 >bothersome project of creating a tesla coil with the
 >meager power available from my AC converted car
 >alternator.

Hi Harvey,

Your set-up using resonant rise to boost the voltage from an alternator
sounds like it would work perfectly well. However I don't think you need to
bother adding a third 0.12nF cap as your Tesla coil tank capacitor.

I reckon all you need to do is connect the Tesla primary coil (with series
spark gap) across the 1nF capacitor that you use to resonate the induction
coil. When the 1nF cap rings up to a high enough voltage it will fire the
spark gap and act as the TC tank cap. Once the energy is dissipated the gap
will quench and the cap will recharge by resonant rise at 480Hz.

I have seen a similar set-up in one of Tesla's patent applications.


 >I can create two of these voltage rises in near
 >opposite phasings

In this case can't you arrange things so the two 1nF resonating caps are
connected together at a midpoint? Then you could connect the TC primary
across the two caps in series to get an effective 500pF 20kV tank cap.


Steve C.