RE: [jlnlabs] TESLA COIL REVISED (Litz wire)

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

Original poster: "Lau, Gary" <gary.lau-at-hp-dot-com> 

Re. Litz wire, NO, that's not at all what I
measured/suggested/concluded.  What I measured was that the particular
wire that I tested had a higher AC resistance than several other
conductor types at higher frequencies.  At frequencies below 120 KHz,
the Litz was actually the best conductor that I tested.  And I concluded
that the higher resistances at higher frequencies was due to the
relatively coarse (#30 AWG) stranding of the particular wire that I had
on hand.  I indicated a link to a Litz wire manufacturer's site where
strand size vs. operating frequencies are recommended.  Had I had access
to a thinner stranded wire, I have no doubt that the Litz inductor would
have had the lowest AC resistance of all.

Litz wire is GOOD for use in Tesla coil primaries, although the
difficulties of tapping it are obvious.  The take-home lesson from my
experiment is that the proper strand size for the operating frequency
must be observed.

Gary Lau
MA, USA


Original poster: "RIAA/MPAA's Worst Nightmare"
<mike.marcum-at-zoomtown-dot-com>

Here's a link http://users.rcn-dot-com/laushaus/tesla/primary_resistance.htm
where several different primary inductor topologies and material
combinations were tested for gain/dc resistance/ac resistance, but at
most
TC frequencies copper litz wire is actually one of the worst things to
use
for a conductor and only gets worse as the frequency rises. I have yet
to
reason why since it's meant for RF apps. I wouldn't have believed it if
I
didn't see it.