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Re: [TCML] Variable Ballast



Bud,
This sounds like a very interesting coil being created! What size minor dia'
toroid are you using and is it SRSG or ARSG, 120/240 bps?
Don't forget to post a YouTube link


Regards
Phil Tuck

www.hvtesla.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Buds tape mail
Sent: 31 July 2015 13:22
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Variable Ballast

Hi Phil and others,  I have been reading thru your web site and Richie's 
very thoroughly.  I have built  a 12" X 51" secondary #18 wire and have 
finished a 56" toroid and will have this thing ready to go very soon.  I 
have a rotary spark gap (copy of Ed's in Rochester) and a 14kv pole pig.  I 
have been reading extensively about primary inductive ballast.  I do have 
two 225 amp buzz boxes I could use in parallel as ballast like others have 
done.  I understand the principle series on the primary side limiting the 
power to the pig.

I saw how and why you wound your own ballast.  My question is 
this........can we just use a very large welding transformer........say 400 
amp unit as the ballast while shorting the secondary or should we just bite 
the bullet and wind a huge ballast from an older transformer with a huge 
iron core?  I have my own machine shop.......... www.tape-inc.com 
..........and can do almost anything once I know what it is I need to do.  I

think most of us do not know the how and whys of ballast design.....you know

the core size min/max and wire size min/max for a pig of this size.

Bud Mohrman

-----Original Message----- 
From: Phil
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2015 5:16 AM
To: 'Yurtle Turtle' ; 'Tesla Coil Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [TCML] Variable Ballast

Jon,
The modern cheap import ones you see knocking about are generally not up to 
the job for a pole pig, without getting pretty hot during use. I melted and 
shorted the windings of one a while back while running @ 10.5kv / 400mA - 
(hardly pig output) simply because I left it running for several minutes 
(they normally have a thermal cutout to disconnect the mains input during 
normal use)
Their duty cycle is very low sometimes, especially as Yurtle mentions, if 
Alu' conductor is used; also the resulting voltage drop from lossy windings 
gets multiplied up by the pig, so you could potentially be losing 0.5kv at 
the worst case.
Winding your own ballast is a better option.


Regards
Phil Tuck

www.hvtesla.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Yurtle Turtle via

Tesla
Sent: 30 July 2015 20:52
To: GENE GARRAGE; Tesla Coil Mailing List; Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Variable Ballast

I got a 225 amp Lincoln welder at a garage sale.It was old enough to have 
copper windings. I chose to short the welding leads internally, and 
eliminate the cables.

      From: GENE GARRAGE via Tesla <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 6:53 PM
Subject: Re: [TCML] Variable Ballast


      From: Jon Danniken <danniken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, July 2, 2015 2:28 PM
Subject: Re: [TCML] Variable Ballast

On 07/01/2015 11:14 AM, Miles Mauldin wrote:
> Do I need to find an old welder, or will an inexpensive new one work
> just as well. Read many posts about shorting the secondary and using
> the primary in line with a pole pig. Thoughts, ideas or suggestions
> all wanted for a variable ballast.

You can get an old 220V arc welder for cheap on craigslist if you are
patient,  less cheap if you are not patient.  As a bonus, you also get a
welder.

Jon
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