RE: Magnifier Primary Capacitors - EQUIDRIVE vs. STANDARD (bleeder resistors)

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

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

Encasing the string in PVC may keep fingers out of harm's way, but there is 
also the issue of capacitor health.  If a slow DC bias develops across a 
cap - let's say it works its way up to 1000V, and the power supply begins 
to charge the string up to its rated potential, adding 1600V to each cap, 
then that cap will see a final charge of 2600V.  That's a serious 
overstressing of its rating.  Granted, these numbers were pulled from the 
air and experimenting to determine the actual behavior would make an 
interesting study, but you get the idea.  Overall, bleeder resistors are 
cheap and would seem to be a good idea on several fronts.

Gary Lau
MA, USA


Original poster: "Mccauley, Daniel H" <daniel.h.mccauley-at-lmco-dot-com>


What I do now with my MMCs is to build them and put them inside a piece
of PVC pipe.  I attach screw terminals
to end caps on each end of the small PVC pipe and have a nice capacitor
which is insulated from the ground its
laying on.  Also, since the internal portion of the capacitor isn't
really accessible (unless you took it apart),
risk from shock from internally charge capacitors is minimum.

Dan


  > I could remove the resistors, short to two ends of the MMC to
  > ground, and
  > charge the center to 15kV.... and then send it to you to test
  > yourself  >:o))))   I could also send you one just like it with the
  > resistors in place.  You see the difference?  ;-))  The real
  > problem is
  > that the inside of the MMC can be touched too where goodness
  > only knows
  > what charges may be waiting!
  >
  > Cheers,
  >
  >          Terry
  >
  >
  >