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Re: wire selection / basic construction questions

Original poster: Terry Fritz <teslalist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Ian,

At 05:57 PM 6/29/2005, you wrote: 
Hey,

Thanks for all the help, BTW.

> >What I have currently available to me are several neon sign
> >transformers to choose from for the power supply, two matched Maxwell
> >0.47uF 35KV pulse capacitors, most of the hardware necessary, and
> >several gauges of magnet wire.
>
> 0.47uF is a very high value. If they were 0.047 you could put them in
> series to get about the capacitance you need. Here is a NST vs cap size chart:

I am mistaken, the actual cap rating is 0.047 uF.  These capacitors
are rather large, and I have noticed some people seem to be getting
away with much smaller capacitors of a variety of types --> which
leads me to ask if anyone knows if certain types of capacitors are
better for this application?

Great! I was thinking they were probably 0.047 since that is a common value for them.


Are the 'doorknob' capacitors that are seemingly the most readily
available suitable for larger Tesla coils?

Not really. If you use a lot in parallel they will share the current ok, but they will normally dissipate too much heat and fail.


Are certain capacitor arrangements better than others IE: series vs
parallel, does it matter if the overall values are the same?


We series and parallel caps to reach certain voltage and current values.


Finally, is the capacitor voltage all that important so long as it is
greater than the transformer (or power supply) voltage?

It does not matter if the voltage is far higher. It is when it is not high enough that is the problem ;-)

Cheers,

        Terry



--
Ian "Foci" Swentek

TTFN