Re: sparkless rotary spark gap (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2007 22:01:05 -0500
From: resonance <resonance@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: sparkless rotary spark gap (fwd)


The air turbulence of a RSG helps significantly to provide proper quenching, 
ie, disconnecting in the primary circuit to allow the sec coil to "ring" at 
its resonant frequency.  It also keeps the electrode tips cool --- something 
an opening and closing mechanical gap could not do properly.

To charge a cap you need the contacts apart, then they close to discharge 
the cap.  If the contacts stay closed the power transformer is directly 
shorted and no current flows into the cap --- it just loops around back to 
the xmfr.  It would be difficult to mechanically open and close the spark 
gap --- a rotary motion makes the process much easier especially with high 
power coils.

Modern coil design is beginning to totally eliminate the spark gap and all 
it's high heat/light losses.  IGBT switching is the wave of future coils. 
At present we are working on a project using a microprocesser to provide 
complete control over all switching elements, ie, pulse width, pulse 
duration, power level, etc.  EE Steve Ward is working on the initial design 
of this system.

Regards,

Dr. Resonance
Resonance Research Corp.
www.resonanceresearch.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2007 8:33 PM
Subject: sparkless rotary spark gap (fwd)


>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:58:02 +0000
> From: ameen_ghavam@xxxxxxxxxxx
> To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: sparkless rotary spark gap
>
>            Alright, I'm no exptert, but I can't seem to see why it's
> absolutely necessary to have a rotary gap spark as suppose to just
> touching electrodes. If your electrodes touched, there would be no worries
> about quenching or overheating, but the capacitor still discharges. This
> does mean, however, that the circuit resonates a lot longer and gives the
> capacitor less charging time. But it could be a fair tradeoff considering
> that more energy overall is transfered into the secondary. The efficiency
> may not improve, but no quenching or overheating worries, just physical
> erosion to the electrode.
>                       Does anyone see a reason why that wouldn't be a
> good idea?
>                                          Ameen Ghavam
>
>
>