Re: Zener SSTC?

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

Original poster: Jan Wagner <jwagner-at-cc.hut.fi> 

Hi,

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004, Tesla list wrote:
 > Original poster: Chris Roberts <quezacotl_14000000000000-at-yahoo-dot-com>
 >
 > Hi everybody,
 > We all know that a conventional tesla coil uses a spark gap that fires and
 > switches the current whenever the voltage builds high enough, but has
 > anybody ever thought about using zener diodes to replace the spark gap?
 > Zeners do the exact same thing, but allow you to fire more reliably,
 > (wouldn't have to worry much about misfires) and I would think that they
 > wouldn't have as many losses related to them either.

Zeners don't act as switches. They clamp reverse voltages, so even if the
reverse voltage accross a 12V-Zener tries to go to 15V, the Zener clamps
it to 12V.

  http://www.americanmicrosemi-dot-com/tutorials/zener.htm

A sidac/sidactor or diac comes closer to a spark gap "replacement" - if
there were any real high power diacs around. Silicon fast HV
switches/spark gaps aren't as simple&cheap to build and as indestructible
as standard spark gap...

regards,
  - Jan

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  Helsinki University of Technology
  Dept. of Electrical and Communications Engineering
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