Well, I added about 4 more turns to my primary and with the addition of those windings, I am now seeing streamers off the topload and I did away with the strike rail.
I am currently at about 9 - 1/8th turns.
I am seeing about 12-15" streamers.They seem to primarily appear on only one side. Not sure why this would be. The other thing I noticed is I can hear faint snaps every once in a while after I shut the coil down. I tried to hear where they were coming from and it sounded like "static electricity" and sounded like they came from the secondary coil. Then I touched the secondary and got a little bit of a shock :) I suspect it is due to the bucket cap not having a resistor across it.
Check out the video here:
https://youtu.be/Cg9OAyG1Qqo
Thanks for the help guys!
Paul
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 12/28/15, Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Subject: Re: [TCML] No topload output
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Monday, December 28, 2015, 8:57 AM
On 12/27/15 7:08 PM, Heather &
Paul Novotny via Tesla wrote:
> Hi Jim,
>
> I do have about a 2" gap in my Strike Rail.
>
> Good idea to run a solid copper wire from ground up
next to the toroid and a having breakout point on the toroid
to see if anything is happening up there.
>
> I have the coil on the floor of my garage which is a
cement slab poured on earth. My ground is a
copper wire that runs to a metal stake pounded down about
2.5 feet into the earth outside my garage.
>
You want the RF path for the secondary to be short and
direct. Using the
slab floor is good if you're building a BIG coil that sits
on the floor.
In your case, though, the bottom of your coil is sitting a
meter off the
floor. You might try just setting the coil on the
floor (if your
cabling allows that). Careful of strikes to the other
primary components.
> Thanks!
>
> Paul
> --------------------------------------------
> On Sun, 12/27/15, Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>
> Subject: Re: [TCML] No topload output
> To: "Heather & Paul Novotny"
<p_novotny@xxxxxxxxx>,
"Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Sunday, December 27, 2015, 9:02
PM
>
> On 12/27/15 5:29 PM,
> Heather & Paul Novotny via Tesla
wrote:
> >
> Hi guys,
> >
> > I just
> tried my TC for the first time tonight
after COUNTLESS hours
> of work on it. Unfortunately, I
am getting no streamers
> from the topload.
> >
>
> Do you have a breakout point
> on the topload?
> And something to spark to? I
> use a piece of grounded (as in
connected to
> the bottom of the
secondary/counterpoise)
> copper tubing that sticks up
> and I can
> move closer and farther from the
topload.
>
> In your picture, I'd put
> it sticking up from the edge of your
cart,
> until you get things working.
>
>
> Does your
> strike rail have a gap in it? (It
should, or it looks like a
>
> shorted turn)
>
> What's your ground scheme look like?
For a
> coil this size, I'd use
> something like
> a 3-4 foot square piece of chicken
wire or hardware
> cloth, or sheet metal under the
coil. (rule
> of thumb is that "ground"
> should
> have a radius comparable to the height
of the secondary).
> In
> your case, that ground
> screen/counterpoise should be at the
level of the
> top of your cart.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tesla mailing list
> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
>
_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla