Re: 1st Tesla Coil WONT LIGHT HELP PLEASE!

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

Original poster: "Nightmare" <nightmare-at-bak.rr-dot-com> 



Hi, this is ravi, i just made my first TC and it wont light, i wired 
everything up right but it still wont light! It was grounded and 
everything. I plug it in and nothing happens. I tested the transformer by 
plugging it in and the terminals arc to each other like a jacobs ladder and 
it works, but nothing happens when i plug it in! All i hear is the humming 
of the transformer Please help. I  ve experimented and done all i can . I 
need this done by next Friday for science fair so please help. The spark 
gap doesnt fire either, ive tried 2 different transformers and the same 
thing. Please email me off group for picctures since it doesnt support 
attatchments. Here are my coil specs:
Secondary: 22inx3in 18in windings
Primary: ~7-8 turns of 1/4in copper tubing with various adjusted taps with 
clip.
Caps: 4 soda bottles covered in foil wrapped in elec. tape. filled with 
salt water. all connected with ring terminals
Spark gap: 2 1.25in dia copper pipes 3.25in long
Transformer: 1st is 7.5kV 30mA 60Hz 2nd one i tried is 4.0-4.5kV 30mA 50/60Hz
Toroid, 3in air cond duct with 2 pie plates like this >--< in center to 
hold in place 9 in inner dia 15 in outer dia.
Everything is conected with ring terminals and 600V hardware wire, and 
gator clips for primary.
I used the schematics on deepfriedneon-dot-com exept with diff. gap and bottle 
caps instead of MMC's. Please help me I've done all i can. Again, if you 
need pics please email me seperately and i will send them. Thank A LOT!!!!


A desperate 8th Grader,

Ravi


  Thanks A LOT for the help.            Thanks A LOT again

Ravi