Re: Racing Spark Prediction

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: dest <dest@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hallo John.

> Original poster: FutureT@xxxxxxx

> There is a TC operation mode that can produce a great number of
> racing sparks all over the secondary.  I don't remember anyone
> mentioning this but they may have.  One time I was testing a
> static series gap under relatively high power.  The gap was not
> cooled so it heated up fairly quickly causing it to either power-arc
> and/or quench poorly.  When the gap was still cool, there were
> no racing sparks.  As soon as the gap heated, a great number
> of racing sparks appeared.

> I would think that the peak capacitor voltage would be lower in this
> (over-heated gap) mode.

another post about the racing sparks at lower than normal voltage:

http://www.pupman.com/listarchives/1998/July/msg00132.html

and your explanation of this:

http://www.pupman.com/listarchives/1998/July/msg00163.html

i`m starting to think, that racing has something to do with the first
notch quenching, probably not exclusively with a fact of quenching
itself, but also with set of conditions that assist in it - more
distance between pri & sec, good streamers loading, e.t.c.
and of coz the fact that secondary after quench may ring freely on
it`s own natural freq only is helping too.

do you remember any racing on first notch in your coils?
can it be such way, that most of D.C.`s coils quench after first
energy transfer, because of relatively low coupling?