RE: [TCML] Tuning a Tesla Coil with an Oscilloscope

["Phil Tuck" <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,
I think you aimed this part at someone else but as I was to blame for the
video given in the link, I will chime in.
I do not think I really made it clear in the video, but you are looking for
the peak in the 'Y' axis amplitude more than anything else. Setting the
timebase to a figure where the individual sine waves appear as a solid band
across the screen helps to see it. You can then turn the voltage setting so
that the trace fills the whole screen, and then use the 'Y' axis control to
shift the complete trace downwards. This leaves you with just the peaks of
the sine wave as a solid band showing. When you move the whole trace
downwards, it helps to do it enough so that the top of the signal 'band'
aligns with any available  horizontal line of the display, then any movement
in amplitude is easily seen.
I don't use the scope to read the frequency, only to see the peak volts. 

Regards
Phil

www.hvtesla.com

-----Original Message-----
From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Brandon Hendershot
Sent: 05 February 2011 03:14
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Tuning a Tesla Coil with an Oscilloscope

> A lot of low price DVM's have a frequency range. They normally only 
> measure to 1kHz, but that is enough accuracy for what you want. It 
> does not matter if they are actually out a bit either, as long as you 
> use the same actual meter to calibrate the device and then to measure the
coil with.
>

 Yeah, I saw a couple of those on eBay, but there was a good bunch of old
vintage frequency counters for less further up the list. Besides, vintage
test equipment is so much cooler! ;) Thanks Phil.

When you hit the res. freq. of the secondary coil, the amplitude of the
> signal picked up by the scope increases considerably. It "peaks" 
> because on each side of the resonance frequency it drops off rapidly.
>

When you sweep past the resonant frequency of the coil, the "amplitude"
spikes, and the wavelength doesn't seem to change. Is it the voltage that
peaks when you find resonance? Does the wavelength stay still (so it seems)
because the adjustments are so fine, or is there some fancy function that I
don't have that you're using? A bit of a silly question, but I want to make
sure my scope has the ability to perform the task before I buy more
equipment I'll probably only use for the occasion.

Thanks,
Brandon
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