Re: Non-copper components (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:58:42 +0930
From: Frosty <frosty90@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Non-copper components (fwd)

I beg to differ on that. My first tesla coil was a 4inch coil powered by two
mots, with a copper tube primary. all of the wireing was copper to, except
the primary tap and a couple of nuts/bolts used for connections. everything
that was not copper would get quite hot and even the innerfew turns of the
copper tube (1/4 inch) primary would get quite hot.

On 6/16/07, Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 23:20:35 -0400
> From: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>
> To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: RE: Non-copper components
>
> The answer depends a great deal on the nature of your coil and the power
> level you're using.  Solid-state IGBT-based coils are the bleeding edge
> of coiling technology, and run with extremely high primary currents.  If
> a steel bolt is used in one of these as a main conductor path, it may
> indeed get hot.  But in a conventional spark gap coil using an NST power
> supply, I think we often tend to overkill on conductor sizes.  Are you
> using an NST, or a pole pig?
>
> As far as avoiding steel near the tank due to being ferromagnetic - I
> believe steel has been over-vilified.  A couple bits of steel hardware
> are not going to make any observable difference in performance.
>
> All of the MMC caps I've seen do not have steel leads.
>
> The primary tap however is something that I WOULD try to use copper,
> brass, or bronze on, for oxidation as well as resistance reasons.
>
> Regards, Gary Lau
> MA, USA
>
>
> > Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:46:55 +0100
> > From: Tom Trevethan <t.trevethan@xxxxxxxxx>
> > To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I've been 'lurking' on the list for a while now - soaking up lots of
> useful
> > information. Now I have a question to ask: how critical to performance
> are the
> > materials that make the tank circuit? I've read that steel is best
> avoided (due
> > to it being ferromagnetic) - but it is dificult and expensive to
> construct the
> > circuit entirely out of copper and tungsten. In my coil I use thick
> copper
> > cable (8 awg) with copper pipe lugs and I've tried to use brass bolts
> where
> > possible (but I use steel nuts and bolts in some places). My primary
> tap is
> > made of steel and I also recently found out that the 'brass' bolts I
> am using
> > for stationary electrodes in my rotaty gap are actually brass plated
> steel. Am
> > I likely to see significant improvements in performance if I go to the
> effort
> > of replacing these parts? After all, it seems overkill when the wires
> leaving
> > the capacitors of my (and everybody elses) MMC are made of (thin)
> steel.
> >
> > Thanks in adavance for any advice.
> >
> > Tom
>
>
>
>


-- 
Frosty