negative resistance....Re: DC Spark gap coils, why not current limit on the LV AC side?

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

Original poster: "dave pierson" <davep-at-quik-dot-com> 


>You might also try hooking a 500 pF 40 kV ceramic style cap directly across
>the spark gap.  Early wireless pioneers used this method to obtain a
>"negative resistance" in the sparkgap.

    Any arc or spark is inhernetly negative resitance over much of
    its range.

>The cap is charged and fires to
>ionize the plasma thus saving the tank caps energy to provide the resonance
>without losses.  Poulson used these techniques and others to make the spark
>gaps more efficient.

    Poulson also used arcs as oscillators, using the negative resistance
     charactereistic.  I'm unfamiliar with his using _spark_ techniques,
     that may be just me....

    (has anyone tackled an _arc_ CW Tesla Coil?  8)>>)

    best
      dwp