RE: Rf ground

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>

Hi Scott:

Putting anything in line with the RF ground connection will only reduce
the "effectiveness" of the ground.  As you noted, adding your mason jar
cap made no apparent difference.  This is because the benefit to using a
good RF ground is NOT that it improves performance.  A good RF ground
connection is used so that RF currents and transients flow to the earth
rather than through your AC power wiring.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

> Original poster: "Scott Bogard" <teslas-intern@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Hello everybody,
>      Here is a probably silly question.  What would the effect be of
> putting a capacitor or inductor in series, between the bottom of a
> secondary coil, and the earth.  From what I understand of "resonant
> circuits, assuming zero resistance, once it got rolling power would
> jump between the top load (capacitor plate "A") and the secondary
> (inductor), and would return between the earth (capacitor plate "B")
> and and the secondary via the RF ground.  I am not an electrical
> engineering major, so I do the best I can to understand this
> stuff.  I tried putting a capacitor (salt water cap, 1 pint mason
> jar) in my RF ground once, and the output was the same, except it
> needed re-tuning of the primary, but that particular coil would
> almost work without an RF ground as it was very small.  I'm just
> curious, what would happen.
> Thank you much.
> Scott Bogard.