Re: first coil issues (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:49:40 -0500
From: Drake Schutt <drake89@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: first coil issues (fwd)

nobody responded the first time, maybe i can get some replies this time?

On 8/16/07, Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:07:17 -0500
> From: Drake Schutt <drake89@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: first coil issues
>
> Hi All,
> I've been tinkering with my coil off and on for the past few days and just
> when i thought i had everything set, i'm having more troubles.  The first
> issue was the vaccum motor broke off its mounts, then the spark gap
> electrodes broke off and now my MMC is broken.  I mounted it on i think
> 1/8"
> thick plexiglass which i can now tell you cracks very easily.  I
> desoldered
> the caps and tried configuring them on a cutting board from walmart.  The
> leads were too short to thread through the board so they are literally
> soldered together (rather haphazardly) in strings sort of like this:
>
>
> ====|
> ====|
> ====|
>
> the strings all terminate in about the same spot and i'm using some bare
> Cu
> (maybe 6 awg) grounding wire a nice fella at home depot gave me for free.
> The trouble now is when I turn the varic up to about 60V the MMC bank
> starts
> sparking noisily.  I cannot spot anywhere where the caps have failed or
> carbon tracking on the PE mounting board.  I tried insulating the "bus
> bars"
> with some PE tubing which helped a bit.  I am thinking about putting them
> in
> a container filled with oil to keep it from shorting out.  What do you
> think
> would be a good short term solution as I am sort of nearing a deadline
> with
> a project for school.
>
> Also- I was using I/O gauge wire in my tank circuit but it was just too
> hard
> to work with.  I'm now using #6 stranded wire.  Can I go smaller?
>
> What would be a good primary tap (1/4 Cu tubing)? as the one i'm using now
> was sort of lashed together
>
> Thanks a million
> drake schutt
>
> p.s.- dave do you remember it ever being sooo hot here?  I can hardly
> stand
> just going outside.  I sort of feel guilty for watering my grounding rod
> during a drought ^_^
>
> pps-  coil specs:
>
> xfrmr- 12kv/90ma
> cap- 0.028uf@32kv
> primary- 1/4 cu tubing, 8.5in ID, 21in OD
> secondary- 6.5" OD-  30" of #22
> top load- 6"x24" ducting/pizza pan/Al tape (slightly dented, w/6" copper
> breakout point)
>
>
>