Re: Capacitor Help

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "James Zimmerschied" <zimtesla@xxxxxxx>

Malcomb,
I suggest you try a multiple main gap. Five or six copper cylinder 
gaps in a line with a total gap spacing less than 1/4". Use your fan 
to help quench.

The only two pole gap that I used on a system your size that worked 
well was a sucker gap - see Gary Lau's web site. I am now using a six 
gap design using washers stacked up with rubber spacers. This gap was 
designed by Bob Svangren and currently gives me 30-32" streamers with 
a 12 kV x 30 mA NST. This may be too much of a project for you right 
now but Terry posted some photos (http://hot-streamer.com/temp/z-1 
thru z-4.jpg) if you are interested.

Another fine point, it looks like you are taking the top wind of the 
secondary inside the tube then up to the toroid. If that is the case 
you may get a burn down the tube like I reported in a previous post. 
If you have baffles this would help in your current configuration. I 
have found it best to wind the last few turns in increasing spacing 
until it gets above the top of the tube then air line it to the 
bottom of the toroid center disc. There are a lot of ways people do 
this, however so there is no only way. My experience has been to keep 
the hot wire out of the tube to avoid carbon arcs inside it.

Jim Zimmerschied
----- Original Message -----
From: Tesla list
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 12:04 AM
Subject: Fw: Capacitor Help

Original poster: "MalcolmTesla" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

I forgot to includes these two links with the message below... because
sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

http://www.v8-ranger.com/temp/tesla/28.jpg
http://www.v8-ranger.com/temp/tesla/29.jpg

Thanks

----- Original Message -----
From: "MalcolmTesla" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 12:07 AM
Subject: Re: Capacitor Help


 > Well I finished the tesla coil tonight.  Something's not right.  If I put
 > the tap on coil 10 of the primary I get no output.  I then moved it in a
 > little with no change.  I then moved it out and when I got to turn 14 ~ 15
I
 > got some output but the safety gap also started firing like crazy.  Man
that
 > safety gap is loud.  Well actually so is the regular spark gap now that
the
 > capacitors are hooked up.  Anyhow the output from the toroid was only
about
 > 5" max from the center steel pole in my garage which I used as RF ground.
 >
 > My NST chassis, center terminal on the safety gap, strike ring, and
 > secondary ground all went to the RF ground.
 >
 > What should I do from here?
 >
 > Thanks
 > Malcolm - KC
 >