Re: Plate Capacitor in parallel with Tesla Coil output (fwd)

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:46:27 +0000
From: Jeff Behary <jeff_behary@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Plate Capacitor in parallel with Tesla Coil output (fwd)

Hello,

Its a reproduction I made of a cool 1920's spark gap.  Photos of the 
components are here:
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2006/NewOsbornStyleGap/index.htm

Its made from laser cut aluminum, 1/8" tungsten rod, some brass-anodized 
alumimum I found, 1/2" oak dowel rods, PVC painted to look like bakelite, 
and black UHMW and brass rod for the discharger.

Solidworks CAD rendering drawings are here:
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2006/TPReproGap/index.htm

As you slide the rod in and out you short the sections of the gap, which are 
set to about .030" or so each if I remember in the one I made.  Its a neat 
little gap for low currents.  Originally it was used for Diathermy Machines 
and as a wireless telegraphy spark gap.

The original was invented by Howard Osborn of the HG Fischer Company.  His 
original was more elegant than mine.  He was a brilliant engineer of 
Tesla-related items in general.  Many of his spark gaps were designed to run 
continuously.

http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/_PatentLibrary/_OsbornThompsonPlasterSparkGap/index.htm

Once in a blue moon one an original shows up on Ebay and normally sells for 
$150 - $250 or more.
They were a standard gap used on the "Thompson Plaster" machines.

I just thought it was neat!  If you look up spark gaps at the patent office, 
you'll be amazed by the number of patents...

The machine by itself  is here:
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2006/NeonPancake/index.htm

A weird experiment with this coil and a piece of wood is shown here, with a 
movie:
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2006/WoodPlate1/index.htm

Jeff Behary, c/o
The Turn Of The Century Electrotherapy Museum
http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com

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