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[TCML] Re: Jacobs ladder
Out of boredom a few weeks ago at work, I pulled out a solid state OBIT to
experiment with trying to make a Jacobs ladder. This OBIT I had found early on
was unsuitable for tesla coil use because it runs at a very high frequency,
although I don’t remember exactly how high- it was pretty extreme. But what
attracted me to try the Jacobs ladder use was the power output- 17.5 Kv and
45mA. Pretty impressive for something weighing only a few ounces.
What I worked out was 2 pieces of stripped 10 gauge copper wire, about 18
inches long. I made a loop on one end to attach to the posts of the OBIT
directly, and facing towards each other. When they were about 3/4 inch apart I
made a bend up and made an angle where the electrodes gradually increased in
distance to the top. At the top I found that making another small loop towards
the outside of the gap allowed the arc to “hang” for a few moments and make a
great looking arch at the top before breaking off. At this point the cycle would
start again at the small bottom gap. By varying the angle, you can also somewhat
control the speed of the arc up the electrodes. Once the maximum arc distance
is established, I believe I could make electrodes virtually any length, as long
as the maximum gap isn’t exceeded.
The only drawbacks I had is that the copper wire has to be as straight
as possible, and the angle has to be consistent. Also the wire gets very hot
during a run, so the terminals to the OBIT get hot as well. I also found
sometimes on longer electrodes, you can see a vibration probably due to the
frequency, and some flexing due to heat. But if you want something for your
table top to make a great looking display, this can’t get any easier
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