RE: pri./sec. tuning

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Daniel A. Kline" <daniel_kline@xxxxxxxxxxx>



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 11:57 AM
> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: pri./sec. tuning
>
>
> Original poster: "Mike Knowlton" <amdx@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Thanks for the info on pri./sec./ tuning.
>   Now my understanding is;
>           When the toroid arcs it causes the capacitance of
> the toroid to
> increase, this higher capacitance lowers the resonant
> frequency of the
> secondary. Thus the primary is tuned lower to match the
> resonant frequency
> of the secondary when it is arcing.
>                                Mike
>

My belief is that, the the capacitance we're compensating for by tuning
slightly lower, is actually the ion cloud that surrounds the discharge
terminal *before* breakout. When the potential of the "charge-cloud" (
or what, I think, Richard Hull called the "isotropic capacitance")
overrides the ability of the air to insulate, we get discharge.

Basically, the charged air around the discharge terminal effectively
increases the "size" of the terminal, thus lowering the operating
frequency. In my opinion, it's not the streamers that do the majority of
terminal-loading.
Dan K.