Re: 1st Tesla Coil WONT LIGHT HELP PLEASE!

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

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

one more thing, i am using metal caps for the capcitor bottles, is this why
i get that spark on the terminal that broke the bottle?

Ravi
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: 1st Tesla Coil WONT LIGHT HELP PLEASE!


 > Original poster: DRIEBEN-at-midsouth.rr-dot-com
 >
 > Ravi,
 >
 > It sounds to me a lot like you have a short somewhere. It would just
 > about have to either be somewhere in the primary circuit wiring or the
 > capacitor. I would double check the primary circuit wiring and make
 > sure that everything is wired properly and then check the soda bottle
 > capacitor and make sure that the terminals aren't in some way touching.
 > Take the bottle capacitor out of the circuit and just connect high voltage
 > to it and see if it holds a charge or if it's open circuit or shorted.
 > Also, make sure that the spark gap electrodes' gap is set properly and
 > that the electrodes are in fact not touching each other (shorted toge-
 > ther) or are set so far apart that the available voltage can't jump the
 > gap.
 >
 > David Rieben
 >
 > ----- Original Message -----
 > From: Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > Date: Friday, January 23, 2004 7:02 am
 > Subject: Re: 1st Tesla Coil WONT LIGHT HELP PLEASE!
 >
 >  > 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
 >  >
 >  >
 >  >
 >  >
 >
 >