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RE: [TCML] First TC firing
A plastic bottle cap with a dielectric puncture WOULD render the coil completely non-functional.
Does the spark gap fire? If it does not fire, the possible causes are 1) dead OBIT, 2) wiring error, 3) shorted cap (dielectric puncture), 4) too-wide gap.
If the gap does fire, it's likely that the primary/secondary tuning is way off. How do you know that you are correctly tuned? One cannot simply wind a bunch of heavy wire for the primary, make a cap out of whatever bottles are available, wind a bunch more thinner wire for the secondary, put an arbitrary lump of metal on top for a top load, and expect the primary and secondary frequencies to match.
Gary Lau
MA, USA
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> Behalf Of Matt
> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 3:14 AM
> To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [TCML] First TC firing
>
> I am aware the coke bottles will not last long (temporary measure for the
> moment). However at the moment the coil is completely non-functional. Does
> anyone have any ideas where I'm going wrong?
>
> Here's an ASCii diagram of my current layout;
>
> O--o--O
> (
> (
> |---------|-------|-----o o-----| (
> | | | SG | (
> | | - | (
> OBIT GAP CAP ) (
> | | - ) (
> | | | L1 ) ( L2
> |---------|-------|-------------| |
> RF
> GND
>
> On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 3:35 AM, Lau, Gary <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > The amount of RF that your xfmr is exposed to is less if you swap the
> > positions of your main gap and the cap. Performance is the same, but
> > placing the main gap across the xfmr effectively shorts out most of the RF
> > energy from going back to the xfmr.
> >
> > If you are using plastic coke bottles, they're not likely to last very long
> > :-(
> >
> > You give no specifics (a few turns, don't know exact gauge, vague copper
> > vase topload...) that would allow one to calculate if you are properly
> > tuned, so I'll leave that to you.
> >
> > Regards, Gary Lau
> > MA, USA
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> > > Behalf Of Matt
> > > Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 4:21 PM
> > > To: Coil Mailing List
> > > Subject: [TCML] First TC firing
> > >
> > > Hello everyone, thanks for your help so far.
> > >
> > > I am about to test my coil and would like some input to make sure things
> > > won't go drastically wrong.
> > >
> > > I have my transformer (2x 7.5kv outputs at 40ma Danfoss OBIT) wired to
> > the
> > > mains. From there it is wired in parallel to first my safety gap, then my
> > > capacitor bank (two 2l coke bottles, wrapped in foil and filled with
> > water
> > > saturated with table salt). In series to that I have my spark gap, and
> > then
> > > my primary coil (a few turns of thick enamelled wire)
> > >
> > > The primary is at the base of the secondary (1000+ turns of very thin
> > magnet
> > > wire - I don't know the exact gauge, but it was the second thinnest I
> > could
> > > get from Maplins, and is thin enough to snap under force applied by me).
> > The
> > > secondary is grounded to a square sheet of chicken wire, and the topload
> > is
> > > the bottom of a copper vase.
> > >
> > > I include a VERY simple circuit diagram.
> > >
> > > Some feedback would be MUCH appreciated soon as I am about to turn it on
> > and
> > > could do with some reassurance that I'm not going to destroy something...
> > >
> > > Thanks a lot,
> > >
> > > Matt
> > _______________________________________________
> > Tesla mailing list
> > Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
> >
> _______________________________________________
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