Re: secondary question

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

Original poster: "Steve Zeitler" <zeitler-at-verizon-dot-net> 


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 3:10 PM
Subject: Re: secondary question


 > Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br>
 >
 > Tesla list wrote:
 >  >
 >  > Original poster: "Steve Zeitler" <zeitler-at-verizon-dot-net>
 >  >
 >  > I have seen plenty of coils in person and pictures that produce arcs
much
 >  > longer than the length of the secondary coil. What prevents to voltage
from
 >  > the secondary from just arcing down it's own length? Its the shortest
path.
 >
 > The shape of the electric field around the terminal. It is maximum
 > at an almost horizontal direction around a toroidal terminal.
 > Streamers, that start a long arc in a Tesla coil, are very hot, and
 > tend to rise in the air.
 > Possible interaction with the intense magnetic field around the coil,
 > but this is more difficult to evaluate. Most of the magnetic field
 > is vertical around the coil, and tends to move an horizontal arc
 > to the sides, not up or down. The effect is probably smaller than the
 > others.
 >
 > Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz
 >
 >

The responses have been very educational. Another obsevation to add to the
thread... when I run my coil in a darkened room, I can see corona comming
from the top turn of the sec. It angles down a bit. I think the corona is
being repelled downward by the top load efield. I propose the presence of
the topload being bigger than the secondary evens out the efield at the top
of the winding enough that an arc doesn't form. There is certainly enough
ionization &voltage there to get an arc started..
                                                  Steve Z