Re: 1st Tesla Coil WONT LIGHT HELP PLEASE!

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

Original poster: "Harold Weiss" <hweiss-at-new.rr-dot-com> 

Hi Ravi,

Sounds like the caps are bad.  Did you use plastic or glass?  If plastic,
they have shorted out.  Try clear beer bottles, or a 1 gallon glass apple
cider jug.  A jug is good for about 2700-3000pF and can handle a 15KV
transformer, so it can easily handle your transformer.  Your gap should be
open no more than about 1/8" max.(guesstimate)  The transformer humming is a
good sign.  A shorted cap will make the tranny hum with no spark in the gap.
I learned that well when I left the shorting lead on my caps when I had
first light on my first coil.

David E Weiss

 > 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
 >
 >
 >
 >