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Re: [TCML] Low voltage tesla coil

Mark,

It's the start of the tig arc that may employ what some term as tesla
technology.  Unless you scratch start, the initial tig arc is started
with a high frequency arc across the gap to create the path for the
lower lower frequency tig arc.

Most of what I've read on the subject shows shows some sort of High
voltage circuit with a resonant coupling to deliver the start.  One
person that took apart one of those buzz box conversion kits found the
following:

http://tinyurl.com/38ps9m

"I have partly dissected one of those cheap TIG "converters" a few years
ago. What I found was a high voltage transformer, probably 1500 or 2500 volt
secondary, I don't remember which. This fed a resonant tuned circuit with a
pair of spark gaps. The setup was not unlike a tesla coil. The coil part of
the tuned circuit was large coil of maybe 10 turns. The HV flowed through
that coil. That was wraped with an equal number of turns of insulated
welding cable, forming a 1 to 1 ratio, air core transformer. The welding
cable carried the high welding current, with the hi-freq, high voltage
superimposed on top of it. I think the peak output was about 3500 VAC, at
100 to 200 KHZ. "

On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 11:59 PM, Mark R Dunn <teslamark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>  Reuben:
>
>
>
>  TIG welders (formal name GTAW - Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) operate at 20 to
>  80 Volts and typically 10 to 150 Amps.  Large units can go to 600 Amps and
>  higher.  The power supplies are Constant Current and operate in both DC and
>  AC modes - DC for ferrous metals and AC for Aluminum, Magnesium, etc.  Since
>  the process requires low voltage and high current a Tesla Coil is not really
>  applicable for this application.
>
>
>
>  See the TIG handbook for more info and block diagrams of the power supply:
>
>
>
>  http://www.millerwelds.com/education/TIGhandbook/pdf/TIGBook_Chpt3.pdf
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