Getting back into coiling

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Russell L Thornton <Russell.L.Thornton@xxxxxxxx>


HI All,
I have been collecting transformers and tubes and stuff in hopes of getting 
back into building a coil.
I have also been reading through my copies of John Coulter's books which 
now seem to be a little out dated.
I have a couple of questions, to start out with, that I have not been able 
to find adequate explanations in text
or on the web and I hope one of you could give me a site or an 
explanation.  Although I have two degrees in EE I and
work with high powered radar systems, I have embarrassing little knowledge 
in Tesla theory.

1) My first and only coil was a simple spark gap.  I have been reading 
about the rotaries but am slightly confused.
Are these just used for pole pigs?  I have read implications that they are 
used with NSTs. If so does the motor have
to be synchronous?  I would assume so or is it the capacitor that just 
stores the energy within each cycle.  If this is all
still good then does the motor have to be timed so that the breaks occur at 
the optimum point within each cycle?

2) Could someone explain in simpler terms the relationship between the 
length of the spark gap and how it effects the coil tuning and
ultimately the bolt emissions?

3) Is there a good site that explains the process of tuning the primary and 
secondary circuits?  I have read that, at least for the primary, tuning is
done unpowered.  That is as much as I know.

I apologize for the sophomoric questions but I would like to start my next 
coil with as information as I can gather.