Re: [TCML] using smaller caps

[Scott Bogard <teslas-intern@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Clive,
   My first OBIT coil used a tiny capacitance and ran for a long time 
(still running, though not very frequently anymore).  Generally it is 
agreed that a larger than resonant cap is best for an NST, but you can 
get away with most values that are not close to resonant.  A resonant 
value is what is particularly damaging to an NST.  As a side note, I 
might add that some people use very small capacitances, much lower than 
resonant and even less than STR, and get great performance.  Look at Ed 
Wingate's Magnifier coil for example, .05 uf, 16 foot sparks, you just 
need to keep the breaks per second high (800+ bps)!  It is pig powered, 
and generally people run .07-.15 on pig coils, so .05 uf is very low.
     Still there are programs to calculate the capacitance of your 
homemade cap, and you can  always add more sheets to get a LTR value.  
Good luck.

Scott Bogard.
 
Clive Hansen wrote:
> Hello All,
>    Is it okay to run a coil with a cap of low capacitance? I am using 
> a 15kv 450va supply and JAVATC says a 5.5nf cap will resonate and a 
> 7.4nf cap would be ideal. I have a cap made from tin foil covering 
> overhead transparency sheets which I do not know the capacitance of. I 
> assume it is quite low, and I know it is good at 30kv. Will running 
> the coil with this small cap risk damaging the nst? I assume the 
> streamers will be much shorter in length, but it is a small coil (3.5 
> inch diameter), and I just want to demonstrate the concept to a 
> friend. Also, I am considering building a party cup cap with HDPE 
> disposable party cups and foil. Does anyone have experience with this 
> or a formula for calculating the capacitance of this type of cap?
>
> Thanks,
> Clive
>


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