Re: crazy secondary coil arcs

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Harold Weiss" <hweiss@xxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Thomas,

Sounds like your coupling is too high.  The sparks you are seeing are called
racing sparks.  Raise your secondary up to reduce coupling until the racing
stops.

Your coilform seems strange for PVC, and I would be ready to try a different
type of pipe.  Look for the solid white PVC pipe and not foamcore.  Also it
helps to add a pair of  1/4" acyrlic disks secured into the pipe with
silicone, each about 3" in from the ends of the windings.

David E Weiss

> Original poster: Thomas DeGregorio <tommacs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I just finished my 6" dia tesla coil, which is in a 1:4 ratio, but it's
> exhibiting rather an odd behavior in which the secondary is internal
arcing
> and is arcing to itself. My secondary coil when running is arcing to the
> base of my coil's table. It's arcing from the bottom of the secondary coil
> to it's self higher above, the arcs are travel along the surface of the
> secondary coil. Most of all it's arcing internally. I can literally hear
it
> arcing inside the coil.
>
> Now after careful examination of my secondary I noticed that it's surface
> is bumpy.
> The PVC pipe I'm using is two layers. A black inner layer and a white
outer
> layer. Now some of the bumps on the coil appear to suggest that the inner
> and outer layer have separated a bit, much like it has a air pocket
> in-between the two layers.
>
> When my top-load is removed, arcs from the top winding of my coil arc to
> the top or the PVC pipe and the straight down it, hitting the black
> plastic. Regardless of end an end cap. They arc down with a toroid as
well.
>
> The arcing from the bottom of the coil to the base has left burn marks
that
> lay right under the section in which the black plastic is in contact with.
> Plus i think the toroid is arcing down ward into the coil regardless of
end
> cap :(
>
> Is the black inner layer of my secondary conductive? I'm going to buy a
> different PVC pipe, but I just want to hear from someone else before I do
so.
>
> Thanks,
> -Tom
>
>
>