Re: Smokin' gate drive chips on DRSSTC-2 board - Kick the habbit!

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Daniel McCauley" <dhmccauley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

> Tantalum capacitors are not supposed to be RF coupling
> capacitors. They are made for DC and are polarised. I am sure that I put
> them in the right way, but even if you do put them in right, they will be
> in backwards 100,000 times a second (or whatever your resonance happens to
> be)!

If you look at the components most of us use for tesla coiling, many
components are being used for applications above and beyond
of what they were designed for.  Take those IGBTs for instance.  They were
never meant to take the peak currents we are pushing
through them.  The tantalums were used simply for convenience and size.  The
parts list is simply a guideline.  Use whatever parts you
feel is necessary in your particular design.  I used tantalums because that
is what i had available and through many hours of testing, they
have neither felt warm, nor failed - so i kept them as is.

Dan