Re: High voltage leads from coax

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Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

At 07:43 AM 3/8/2004 -0700, you wrote:
>Original poster: "Arpit Thomas" <neko4-at-dodo-dot-com.au>
>Hi, I've read peoples advice as to use the centre conductor of a piece of 
>coax cable as high voltage wire. I tried this for myself, first with a 
>thin bit of rg58 coax from an old 10 base t networking setup. THe 
>insulation was thin, transparent, but solid. The sheathing was pretty 
>difficult to stip off, easier than mains cable but harder than rg6 coax. 
>THese seemed to work fine with a 15kv 30ma psu, just as well as some mains 
>rated cable i had lying around . Neithers insulation broke down at 15kv. 
>Just then I tried rg6 coax. THis is the expensive stuff pay tv installers 
>use. Stripping o

<snip>

>So, conclusion - rg58 appears to have solid insulation, use this with 
>care. rg6 coax seems to have foam insulation. when you can pull long bits 
>of sheath off in one go, and your knife slices through the insulation like 
>butter, you have foam. no go.
><snip>





Most RG-59 type and RG-6 type have foam insulation for lower loss at higher 
frequencies.
RG-58 is solid dielectric, and either stranded or solid core (depending on 
if it's RG-58/A or 58/C.. I don't remember which is which)

None of them are good to 15 kV, just based on a dielectric strength of 
polyethylene.

flames are a good conductor, as you have found...