Re: [TCML] toroid discharge

["DC Cox" <resonance@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

on dry days, if you run your hand up the coil you can usually feel some
static charge --- mostly due to the insulation covering the coil's winding.
your hand becomes one plate of a capacitor with the wire's insulation the
dielectric, and the inner plate is the copper winding.

oddly enough, with the base of the sec coil grounded, you would assume the
charge would immediately dissipate, but not always.  this resembles the
physics experiment with the "dissectible Leyden jar".  The jar is charged,
disassembled with a plastic hook, then the plates touched together to short
them out.  the cap is reassembled and it delivers a nice fat spark.  the
energy remains in the dielectric.

with a Tesla coil, the several layers of insulation covering the sec
windings can also act as a dielectric.   fortunately the charge amount is
small and will not give a powerful shock.

Dr. Resonance




On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 4:55 PM, Chris Swinson <
list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>
> I know that the toroid is a capacitor, so does it hold a charge after I
>> turn the coil off?  Will it discharge when I touch it?
>>
>>
>
> Normally it does not hold a charge. However I have had toroids and
> secondary coils hold a static charge after turn off on several occasions. I
> wound a lot of experimental coils and changed them about a lot, so got
> zapped from static from the coils a fair few times.. So my advice always
> assume there is a charge there and always treat highvoltage equipment with
> respect and never leave anything to chance no matter how unlikely it may be.
>
> Chris
>
>
>
>
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