RE: First Light Great, Second Time Not So Great...

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

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

What you described is a classic case of over coupling between the
primary and secondary coils, resulting in what's referred to as "racing
sparks".  If you can reduce the coupling - by slightly raising the
secondary or lowering the primary - and if the sparks didn't damage the
secondary, you should be all right.

Please note that you don't have a toroid.  The thing on top of the
secondary coil is functionally referred to as a "top load".  If it is
donut-shaped, the shape is a torus, or toroid.  Your top load is a
sphere, which does not control the E-field as well as a toroid would,
and may also be why the streamers came from the top of the winding.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA


> Original poster: "Daniel Koll" <dk_spl_audio@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I finally finished my first coil.  It is a 12/30  16" X 3.5" coil.  I
ran
> it on Friday and it was great, I just guessed on the tunning by
looking at
> the spark output.  Then on Saturday I was going to run it for some
friends
> and family.  I plugged it in beforehand and something happened.  It
started
> arcing from the middle of the secondary (24 AWG coated many times with
> polyurethane) to the bottom of the secondary (didn't arc to primary
> though).  Also, streamers were coming out of the top winding on the
> secondary, not just the toroid (6" steel ball).  I tried lowering the
top
> load but it didn't help.  It was more humid on Saturday than Friday,
not
> sure if that matters.  Any ideas?  Thanks
>
>