Re[2]: Need Help With School Project

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Sebastiaan Draaisma <sebas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>




Chiang Mai, Thursday, March 10, 2005


In reply to: Need Help With School Project

Posted on: Thursday, March 10, 2005


Hello Paul,

I don't know where you live, but in Sweden we only have polypropylene 
bottles for soda as they are easier to recycle. It might be possible that 
they are available in your country?


Best regards,

Sebastiaan Draaisma


Tesla> Original poster: "Lau, Gary" <<mailto:gary.lau@xxxxxx>gary.lau@xxxxxx>


Tesla> The material used to make plastic soda bottles is a poor choice for a

Tesla> cap dielectric.  This is not because it cannot hold off the voltage, but

Tesla> because it is a lossy dielectric.  This means it will heat up under high

Tesla> frequency current, and melt, and then puncture.  Since the plastic is

Tesla> thinner than glass, you'd get more capacitance per bottle, but it would

Tesla> be short lived.  Glass is better, though nowhere near as good as

Tesla> polypropylene.


Tesla> Regards, Gary Lau

Tesla> MA, USA


 >> Original poster: "Paul B. Brodie" 
<<mailto:pbbrodie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>pbbrodie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


 >> The reference to salt water caps instigated this query. Can salt water

Tesla> caps

 >> be built with 20 oz. plastic soft drink bottles instead of glass?

Tesla> Would the

 >> thickness of the plastic be enough to withstand the voltages? How much

 >> difference would it make in the overall capacitance? Is this a totally

 >> stupid idea?

 >> Paul Brodie (I noticed that there is another PaulB on here)