Re: Ignition coil tesla (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:50:32 -0700
From: Ed Phillips <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Ignition coil tesla (fwd)

Hi guys,

I am new to this tesla building fun and have just finished construction my
first coil.  However I have a problem.  I am using an ignition coil to drive
the MMC and coil but I cant seem to get it to work properly.  The voltage is
not stepping up at all from the input voltage. This is the coil I have built
and everything looks fine from what I can see apart from the HV section.  My
ignition coil only has one terminal on the output so I cannot connect it
across the power supply in series with the MMC array.  Could someone please
help me I am desperate to get sparking!

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/hv/ss-tesla/ss-tesla.html

Thanks for your help in advance

Simon"

	Do you get sparks on the secondary of the transformer without the capacitor connected?  Note that your capacitor really is connected in parallel with the primary via your C3.  I've used a similar setup to drive a coil with 0.0047 ufd as the primary capacitor and found it dropped the transformer voltage down a lot but it would still jump a short gap [~3/32" as I recall] and I did get 4" streamers from it.

	What is the spacing of your gap?  The idea of using a small wire for one side isn't right, not sure where it came from.

	By the way, Tesla never lit any lamps at 25 miles.  Pure popular myth.  According to his Colorado Springs Notes he did light a "small" lamp connected to a coil in a field a short distance [200'?]from his primary.  He did light more lamps than that when the coil was in the middle of the primary.  Normal coupling [inductive and/or capacitive] would produce those results.