Re: Charging inductors for resonant charging

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

Original poster: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com 

In a message dated 1/29/04 8:52:09 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:


>Anybody running a Tesla coil from a ballasted transformer is running
>a resonant charging system, a lot without realizing it I daresay.
>Whether the system is resonant at mains frequency depends on the
>component values of course but unless the system is heavily damped,
>there would undoubtably some degree of resonant charging present.
>In the case of a welder on the primary side of the transformer, its
>mH-range inductance is transformed up to the Henries range on the
>secondary side. Not quite the same thing as putting a discrete Henry-
>range inductor on the secondary side since where the inductor is on
>the primary side, the transformer has to withstand an extra voltage
>burden across both its primary and secondary windings for any degree
>of resonant charging.
>
>Malcolm


Malcolm

I found this out the hard way.  Using a 5 kva pole transformer with an arc 
welder for primary ballast and an asynch rotary gap, I managed to kill a 
Condenser Products cap before I discovered this.  I finally put a spark gap 
across the rotary, set to 5/8", and it fired like crazy with the variac 
cranked up to only about 50%.  Had to get rid of the welder.

Ed Sonderman