Re: [TCML] Spark Gap Ajusting

[Gary Lau <glau1024@xxxxxxxxx>]

Indeed, it is a very bad idea to run with the spark gap too wide to fire, or
even just significantly wider than it "should" be, even if it appears to be
firing correctly.  It's debatable whether the damage will be to the MMC or
NST, but both will be exposed to voltages far in excess of what they're
designed for if the gap is set too wide.  It's not intuitive, but the
voltage developed in the NST/cap/gap circuit can easily far exceed the open
circuit NST voltage if the gap is set too wide.  How much higher depends
upon the particular cap and NST specs, but it's always a bad idea.

The spark gap should be set to a width such that it just fires, with only
the NST (no cap) applied to it.  Anything wider will overstress the cap and
NST.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

On Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 8:42 PM, John Contovasilis <jlcontovasilis@xxxxxxxxx
> wrote:

> I was wondering if  it is ok to turn on a tesla coil while the main spark
> gap is too far apart to fire. Will it blow up th MMC array?
>
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