Re: [TCML] TC Newbie

[STEVEN COOK <steven219@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One of the key problems I found when I tried using plastic bottles as dielectric, is that they are not uniform throughout the material. This means that some parts will be subjected to higher stress than others. The wall thickness is one problem, it is nowhere near constant due to the manufacturing process. I found that there were some points that were at least five times the thickness of other areas, Additionally the blowing process means that some areas are highly physically stressed compared with others, this probably modifies the properties of the material. Most plastics for a variety of practical reasons are also not "pure", various other substances such as plasticisers are added to modify the properties of the plastic. How they affect the dielectric properties I'm not sure. I am certain there are people out there who are more qualified than I to comment on this.

For the dielectric of a capacitor you need something of precisely known properties. That's why I used mil-spec copper clad glass-fibre PCB boards for my capacitors before going over to MMCs. Their specifications are very precisely known. I was going to suggest visiting my old site for an explanation, but its been deleted!
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