[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [TCML] "Means for increasing the intensity of electricaloscillations" The Tesla Superconductor of 1901



On 4/13/11 7:26 AM, Carl Noggle wrote:
Excellent work on the vortex gap. Mine is pretty similar, but I don't think it has a vortex. I couldn't find a blower better than a vacuum cleaner motor either.

Your waveform has saved me an experiment (mixed feelings). The first part of the WF shows an exponential decrease, which we would expect if the loss was caused by resistance, but it then becomes linear, which means that the gap voltage drops are determining the loss. The quasi-exponential part is then probably caused by a combination of resistance plus gap voltage drop.

I simulated this in MicroCap using 1N4007 diodes back-to-back to represent the gap and charging the cap to a voltage which gave a waveform very similar to yours, which turned out to be 40 volts. (C=50nF and L=70uH, with a charging voltage of 10k.) This would tend to indicate that the gap voltage drop (cathode plus anode) is of the order of 175 volts, and is pretty constant with current. If you send me your voltage, L and C I'll run it for your coil and get a better result.

There's a spice model of a spark gap out there somewhere (look back in the archives, maybe 10 years). It was published on one of the mfr websites (Linear technology, I'm thinking). Much the same as you have.. perfect diodes for the cathode drop and a resistor.

In reality, the IR drop part goes as the square root of current. (Goncz equation..check out the literature on flash tubes, particularly from the 60s) There's a wealth of information: test data, analysis, etc. on RLC circuits with a spark gap.

There's also a good summary of spark characteristics in a IEEE Proceedings paper from the 70s.

Currently, the tome of choice on spark physics would be "Spark Discharge" by Bazelyan and Raizer from CRC press, but "Gaseous Conductors" by Cobine is a good work that covers most of the information prior to the 40s, and is substantially cheaper (Dover Press edition, perhaps Lindsay books even). Cobine doesn't cover the high speed aspects, though, and is more useful for "steady state" effects. Edgerton's book Electronic Flash, Strobe, is also worth getting.
_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla