What's the concern with primary strikes? I get a ton, with no strike rail, and they've never caused any harm, In fact, in the dark, the brightness lets folks see the coil.
Halloween:
MVI 0394
Shop vac gap isn't as good as my RSG, but in a crunch, it does pretty good. My two toroids are separated by a 5 gallon bucket, with copper strips connecting them. 7' is as far as my garage door will open, limiting my height.
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From: Fritz W. Egli <Fritz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 7:31 AM
Subject: [TCML] PRIMARY STRIKES Toroid – Strikerail
PRIMARY STRIKES Toroid – Strikerail
The below is based on experience with learning … , building various coil systems with different power levels, up to 13 kW (Xanthippe).
To avoid (reduce …) primary strikes I might recommend, summing up the following :
1. Place the toroid as high as possible, but as low as required to avoid breakouts from the top of the secondary coil. Check this careful in the dark.
2. Choose as large a toroid as possible, not only for spitting out the sparks further away from the primary, this generally improves spark performance. I experienced good results with toroid diameters about 10% larger then secondary coil length. Winding length, not coil form length. The bulg, the small toroid diameter has here no influence, its size is related to conform to the secondary voltage, the breakout voltage.
3. Cut not required outside primary turns, to reduce primary coil outside diameter. Leave after final tuning no more then 1.5 turns from tap, for eventual retuning when changes where made, or when coil is operated in a other environment.
4. Place the strike rail in the optimal position, this is 45° up and out from the outer primary coil turn, distance, air gap outer primary turn to strike rail low, but avoiding flashover from primary to the earthed strike rail. 1.5 to 2 inch is a good value.
5. A breakout point at the toroid, pointing far up and out helps as well. But I prefere the spectacle of one or two random jumping out sparks, without a breakout electrode.
With above observed, primary strike problems are effectively minimized.
I like to retain a strike rail, as strikes, direct to the primary, with possible far reaching consequences … scare me. Also a friend, Kurt Schraner and others have omitted the strike rail, by placing a plastic plate over the primary for shielding. This might be a other good solution.
I never worked with double toroid systems, a small one, close to the upper secondary end, for shielding, and the large one spaced higher up. Certainly this is a other solution. However, I like to keep the system simple, as compact as possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14syCW8s6M&feature=plcp
Hello you spark addicts, at the int. Egli Racing motorcycle rally, August this year in Bettwil, we arranged for our bikers a spectacular TC coil fight:
Andy Saile sent his cantankerous SIRIUS Into the combat ring , 6 meters away, in the opposite corner I unchained my brutish, adrenalin steaming XANTHIPPE killer coil.
We bridged the wall contact breakers, called the nuclear power plant, requested them to insert the fuel rods to full depth, then we cranked up our variacs to the overboost, full throttle stop and triggered the power relays, what made the power cables on the floor twitch like a attacking snake ...
I was absolutely convinced, that XANTHIPPE is melting down the chalenger SIRIUS within seconds, in a violent deadly fight, to a sordid smoking heap of b-scrap.
Popp a Valium, say goodbye to your eardrums and see what happened :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faetaK47nog&list=UUkGhxQyREZrATRVAq4md8Ug
Enjoy, Fritz
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