Re: Safety FAQ-discharge classification

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Safety FAQ-discharge classification
From: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 18:48:44 -0400
In a message dated 96-08-22 01:06:04 EDT, you write:

-Big Snip-
<< 
 If we place a small "bump" on the toroid (per Richard Hull), and repeat
 the experiment, streamers will now originate from BOTH the toroid and
 the grounded object. Once a complete path is formed, the narrowest
 portion would be somewhere in the middle, resulting in a much brighter
 middle region. As the current flows through the thicker paths back
 toward the roots, the spark intensity would be reduced, leaving markedy
 "brighter" segments in the middle of the arc path. 
 
 As long as the discharge repetition rate is relatively low, most of the
 secondary energy will be rapidly dissipated in a single (VHF) spark
 discharge, and the ionized path will not have a chance to widen much
 before all of the electrostatic energy is dissipated. Along the lines of
 Malcolm's observations, with lower coupling coefficients, the streamers
 tend to  be more "spindly", with more branching/forking. More prevalent
 smaller forks mean more lower current smaller diameter paths at the
 ends. These would tend to be significantly brighter once the large
 discharge current flowed, making the phenomenon more observable under
 these circumstances....  Then again, I could be wrong!  
 
 Comments, flames, etc are welcomed!!
 
 
 
 -- Bert --
  >>

Bert,

It sounds good to me.  When I am tuning my coil, I set up a ground rod about
four feet from the toroid and wrap a short piece of bare copper wire around
it facing the coil.  Then I lay a wire on the toroid facing the ground rod.
 The discharges between the two points are very hot and thick.  The brightest
spot is a few inches wide in the middle.  I use this for tuning and try to
maximize the width of the hot spot.

Ed Sonderman