PFC Capacitor Primer

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: PFC Capacitor Primer
From: "Ryan Ries" <spud-at-wf-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
Date: Sat, 06 May 2000 14:46:06 -0600
Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

	I just found a capacitor - 500番 -at- 370VAC, and I was taking some
measurements with it to see if I should use it as a PFC capacitor for my
rediculously large NST bank on my Tesla coil.  I took out a random electric
device, I didn't know the amount of current it pulled but it ran from 120v.
 (The measured voltage in that particular outlet was actually 118v.)  When
I hooked it up with the capacitor in series, the voltage read ~236v, thus
the current pull by the device was cut in half (I guess :-)).
	I took a 12/30 NST from my garage and hooked it up to measure it's current
draw: Exactly 3 Amps.  Then I connected the capacitor in parallel with the
NST's primary like you're supposed to do with PFC caps, and the NST still
worked fine, but I couldn't get an accurate current reading.  Any ideas? 
It would be really nice if I could use this sucker for a PFC cap, because I
am pretty desperate need of one.  Wintesla reports that I need a 308.7番
capacitance for a PFC factor of 75%.

	Thanks,
	    Ryan Ries