RE: [TCML] DIY Tank Capacitor - Plate configuration confusion

["Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>]

Hi Grant,

Your drawings and notations are exactly correct.

I believe that the reason that so many folks (including me!) have had failures in home made rolled and flat plate caps, is that they try to achieve the desired capacitance in too few series stages.  There WILL be corona and dielectric damage if too high a voltage is used across each single layer of dielectric.  Dielectric thickness (within reasonable limits) doesn't matter!  In my failed rolled cap, I constructed two units connected in series, each with .04" polyethylene, and used it with a 15kV NST, and it failed.  Perhaps 3 or four seriesed units may have survived?  But then that gets into a LOT of stuff to build, and is why MMC's are now what most folks use.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> Behalf Of Grant Visser
> Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 1:26 PM
> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [TCML] DIY Tank Capacitor - Plate configuration confusion
>
> Hi all,
>
> I have held off on asking this question for many many MANY hours because I was :
> 1. 98% convinced that my memory of the theory was correct so didn't
> want to embaress myself by seeming just plain stupid.
> 2. 100% convinced that a few seconds research on the net would not
> only confirm my theory but also give me a bunch more ideas to play
> with!
>
> Well, following many many MANY hours of searching the net and reading
> way too many articles/papers/tutorials/etc. on capacitors, my
> conviction regarding my theory has dropped to around 2%, which is low
> enough to be extremely depressing but not low enough to allow me to
> simply give up, so here I am ..... ready to embaress myself! LOL
>
> I have built a few smaller stacked plate caps in the past, have also
> blown a few so no problem there. Am certainly no guru in the field of
> amateur electronics but am also no .... idiot .... or at least I
> didn't think I was until today!
>
> Capacitors can be wired in parallel to increase capacitance or in
> series to decrease capacitance and to spread the voltage load (as in
> an MMC array).
>
> When constructing a stacked plate capacitor the cells are hooked up in
> parallel thus this type of DIY cap is often referred to as a "Parallel
> Plate Capacitor" and bunches of these can be strung together in series
> to build up a tank capacitor suitable for the intended use.
>
> Don't 'think' I have made any mistakes yet so so far so good!
>
> My theory, which I was convinced was ELEMENTARY, is the source of my
> confusion at this stage because I have been completely unable to find
> any reference to it in my hours and hours and HOURS of searching!
>
> ALL I wanted to do was to use a SERIES STACKED PLATE configuration in
> each of my capacitor modules to increase the Voltage Capacity of each
> individual module. I could then wire these modules externally in
> parallel or indeed in any configuration required for my application.
>
> I really didn't think that using a series stack configuration would
> pose any challenges but now I am not so sure!!!
>
> I have put together a diagram simplifying what I wanted to do for clarity.
>
> http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff108/FreeekyG/FreakyTesla/FreakyCaps.jpg
>
> PLEASE, I would be most grateful if you would take a moment and let me
> know if (D4) and (D5) are workable as I thought or if I am indeed ...
> an IDIOT! *grin*
> If my concept of the Series Stacked Plate Capacitor doesn't work or
> has "issues", PLEASE could you explain why or maybe point me to some
> reference material so that I can figure this one out!
>
> Very best regards
> Grant

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