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Re:I give up!! I regret building my tesla coil!
----------------------------------------------
Original Message
From: "Tesla list"<tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: I give up!! I regret building my tesla coil!
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 19:52:36 -0600
>Original poster: "Garry F." <garryfre-at-pacbell-dot-net>
>
>I have built tesla coils when I was in high school, in college and
recently. My
>biggest problem was a continual burning out of the NST over and over
because I
>could never understand the hieroglyphics that were presented to me instead
of
>plain english as to how to build a choke to prevent feedback.
>
>Finally I get some plans from
<http://www.sciencefirst-dot-com>www.sciencefirst-dot-com
>and I build according to their plans and it was supposed to produce 18"
sparks
>but produced only one and a half inch sparks. The plate stack cap plans
were
>defective, the dimensions of the coil was 1.5" by 40! This is the WOUND
area!
>
>By fooling with it I eventually got sparks near 8" but the toriod had no
break
>out at all. Well, being broke from buying a brand new NST for this and
tools, I
>had to wait some weeks before I had some more money to spend (Waste).
>
>So, I spend more money and make another secondary and this turns out to be
3"
>by 24" using #29 magnet wire. Better, but not short enough. Still it
produced
>nice 12" sparks easily. I am using a 9kv .2 MA NST and produced 14"
streamers
>off the toroid..
>
>Ever being interested in improving the output, I tried various spark gap
>designs. One suggestion was use two rounded brass doorknobs in an air
cooled
>system. The results were abysmal! Lousy 1" streamers off the toroid that
were
>so sporatic, I could eat a sandwich between streamer appearances.
>
>I built a spark gap that was made of aluminum flashing rooled up at the
ends to
>provide a make shift cooling fin design. This worked pretty well.
>
>Then I stated my design here and they said I almost had a Push-Pull
circuit and
>I could have a true push-pull circuit if I added a grounded electrode in my
>spark gap letting both branches spark into this. I tried this. The results
were
>again dismal. I tried retuning. It was HALF the output I had from the
previous
>design.
>
>Then I tried that J. Quick spark gap design and the output from that was
even
>worse!!
>
>So, I try to revert back to my rolled flashing air cooled design and no
matter
>how much I fiddled, I did not get quite the output I had before I tried the
>push-pull thing.
>
>Then I heard that the electrodes should be absolutely flat and so I built
one
>Thursday night and it was producing better sparks. Not like what I had
before I
>tore it apart for the push-pull design, but close.
>
>The next morning, the spark gap would not fire reliably, so I took it
apart and
>adjusted the gap smaller and I got lousy output of 2" streamers off the
toroid.
>
>So, I buy some 1/4" refrigeration tubing and try another primary. It's
amazing
>how difficult it is to wind this stuff. What a nightmare of kinking and
>tangling the likes of which I've never seen before!
>I finally get it built in a desparate hope that it will solve the lousy
>stinking results I am getting and I put it on and it absolutely stinks!!!
The
>sparks are not steady, the sparks are half the thickness I expected!
>
>Then there are the caps. Mine are not soaked in oil. Maybe I should do
this but
>I don't want to have to haul around two five gallon buckets of oil and a
cap
>inside. That's like having a hearing aid the size of an ice-cream truck!
>
>Well, after trying the tubing, I and looking in disgust at $35 worth of
tubing
>and other stuff that was a waste of money, I realize I could have bought
their
>18" spark model NEW and all built from Information Unlimited for LESS!
Sure it
>would have cost $499 but I've spent more than that already!
>
>I don't have a machine shop! I hadn't been busted financially for years but
>now, I can barely afford a soda! I do programming full time for a company
that
>does financial reports and processes transactions.
>
>I didn't buy the one from information unlimited because I wanted the
feeling of
>accomplishment but after three months of spend spend, all I managed to buy
>myself was weekend after weekend working in a sweaty back room, sick from
not
>eating all day till 11PM because I got to get whatever failed modification
>finished and then when it doesn't give the expected results and I can't
figure
>it out and I've tried everything I can think of I give up and revert only
to
>find LESS results when I revert and wishing I hadn't tried the
modification in
>the first place.
>
>So, here I sit, I possibly have spent $700 bucks and what do I got but a
truck
>load of defeat!!
>
>Sorry for the rant, but I feel the need to warn those out there who are
>considering trying this fine hobby out, you better be prepared to spend
>thousands on tools and have a machine shop to make something that looks
good
>and operates well and loads of money and a whole lot of luck and once you
get
>one that seem to work to your satisfaction DON'T mess with it. Build
another
>coil and keep the one you got. You might like me have to budget your
buying for
>half a year but at least you won't mess up what you have.
>
>I've been working on this it seem forever, and what do I got to show for
it?
>Some gain in knowledge and NO TESLA COIL AT ALL!! Every time I tried to
modify
>it, I was sorry,
>
>I wish I had bought one pre-made from somewhere. Sure I couldn't say "I
built
>it" but at least I'd have something to show instead of something that
makes me
>sick at heart just to look at it!!
>
>Thanks for letting me blow off steam. I hope I got the sense to give up
and not
>continue trying this but I have the feeling that I will just keep on
trying to
>the injury of my wallet and my self respect!
>
>
>
>
Hey i hear ya man. I spent a whole 2 years trying to get a coil running
and probably spent the same amount and i haven't even got any sparks. I'm
only 16 i don't understand half of the things some of these genius people
are talking about and i spend my paycheck every week on it. So let us all
wallow in our failure.
Sorry
Jeremiah
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