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Re: [TCML] sucker / blower gap

Gary Lau posted about his sucker/blower gap designs many years ago.  I haven't checked the archive, but I'm sure it's in there.  See:

http://www.laushaus.com/tesla/onegap.htm

and:

http://www.laushaus.com/tesla/vortexgap.htm

He also made some useful measurements with regards to quenching, etc.

Based on his work, I've built several similar gaps over the years including a multi-kilowatt unit for my 5KVA pole transformer coiling:

http://myweb.cableone.net/grcarhunter/vacgap.htm

I've also built 3 or 4 smaller units like this one for NST and MOT-based coils:

http://myweb.cableone.net/grcarhunter/spgap.html

and:

http://myweb.cableone.net/grcarhunter/Inside.htm

On the plus side, T've never overheated a sucker gap.  The large mass of copper and the large volume of moving air seem to sink & remove heat faster than it can accumulate.  Also, the raw materials are cheap & available at any hardware store.  One would expect the soft copper electrodes to erode away quickly, but this has not been my experience at all.  Likewise, my vacuum cleaner motors were liberated from discarded vacuum cleaners left curbside for trash pickup.  I have a junkbox full.

My little blower-type gap worked well too, but it couldn't handle as much power as the sucker style.  I have dismantled my blower gap, but I would have no issues with building one again for an NST-based coil under 2KVA.

Cheers,

Gregory R. Hunter

--- On Sat, 11/6/10, DC Cox <resonance@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: DC Cox <resonance@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [TCML] sucker / blower gap
> To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Saturday, November 6, 2010, 3:38 AM
> Someone (perhaps Gary Lau) from the
> southern US posted a unique gap design
> that used a va. cleaner blower and either sucked or blown
> thru a small set
> of copper pipes.
> 
> Anyone recall who it was as I wish to contact them
> regarding their PVC tube
> design, clearancesd, etc?
> 
> Dr. Resonance
> _______________________________________________
> Tesla mailing list
> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
> 


      
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