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Ballast/Reactors
Tesla List wrote:
>
> > Subject: Re: Pole pigs -- costs
> > >Subject: Re: Pole pigs -- costs
>
> >From hb-at-earthlink-dot-netSun Sep 1 14:38:27 1996
> Date: Sun, 01 Sep 1996 04:46:25 -0700
> From: WILLIAM HENDERSON <hb-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: Pole pigs -- costs
>
> Tesla List wrote:
> >
> > >From jim.fosse-at-bdt-dot-comSat Aug 31 10:38:03 1996
> > Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 07:40:56 GMT
> > From: Jim Fosse <jim.fosse-at-bdt-dot-com>
> > To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> > Subject: Re: Pole pigs -- costs
> >
> > >From: WILLIAM HENDERSON <hb-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> > >To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> > >Subject: Re: Pole pigs -- costs
> > >
> >
> > >> With a pole pig, you need the following items that you don't need for
> > >> neon based systems: (Your prices may vary)
> > >>
> > >> A pole pig ------------------- $300
> > $60 only 7200V though.
> > >> 50A/220V worth of variacs ---- $200
> > not yet;(
> > >> Arc welder ------------------- $200 (new)
> > $15 wire to build inductive ballast - 9mH
> > >> Oven elements ---------------- Free (salvaged at recycling center)
> > $15 each.
> > >> Wire for power cabinet, etc. - $100
> > free - scrounged
> > >> Power cabinet (contactors,
> > >> circuit breakers, wire,
> > >> meters, etc, no variacs) ----- $150 (est.)
> > >>
> > >> Rotary gap
> > >> (materials: G10, Plexiglas,
> > >> polycarbonate, shaft,
> > >> bearings, nuts, bolts, motor - $180 (est.)
> > >> --------------------------------------------
> > >> Total: $1130
> > So that is where my budget went;)
> >
> > you also forgot the replacement cost of home electronics due to home
> > build ballast testing ~$65 so far.
> > >>
> > >> There are probably some items you can do without, but if you have kids,
> > >> you will want a cabinet to enclose the dangerous/delicate stuff, and
> > >> with resistive load, the performance is not as great (I hear).
> > Caveats for resistive ballast: 220V into a 110V tap of a 7200V pig
> > with ~5ohms resistive ballast. Makes a GREAT light show! I have
> > achieved complete 360 degree power arcs, they're quite spectacular.
> >
> > >>
> > >> Basically don't expect to plunk $300 down for a pig, take it home and plug
> > >> it in.
> > Just for grins, I DID. My poor rotary could not quench it's arc,
> > before the circuit breaker blew. I as sorry to report that I was not
> > watching the mains current meter at that time;(
> > >>
> > >> Flames are always "welcome".
> > >>
> > >> Chip, the cheapest way is to build yourself reactor's, this will get
> > >rid of the variac's, arc welder and oven elements- my reactors all have
> > >taps coming out for different current settings,this will also get the
> > >juices flowing,it's the trade off, thought for bucks,my 18,000 watt t.c.
> > >can't tell the diff.
> > >
> > >[Reactors? Could you elaborate? -- Chip]
> > >
> > William,
> > I would love to hear the details of you inductive ballast.
> > I've wound a small (9mH) iron core inductor to ballast my pig with.
> > Without a resistive shunt across it, I take out
> > unhardened-home-electronics from it's flyback effect when the gap
> > quenches. This is through the (parallel) 23uF capacitance and 2
> > series) RFI filters I have between it and my house wiring.
> >
> > jimChip and Jim,
> A reactor is a device that controls the inductive reactance of a
> circuit,the principal property of an inductance is to resist any change in
> current through it,and therefore any inductance in a circuit will impede the
> flow of alternating current.Your arc welder is a reactor,limiting the
> short-circuit-current to your transformer.The ideal way(cheapest)to control
> the reactance is the saturable-core reactor,this consists of a magnetic core
> with D-C and A-C windings,dc controls the inductive reactance of the ac
> winding,more dc=less ind.reactance and vice versa.The ac and dc winding can
> not share the same core,the flux linked with the dc winding can't be affected
> by the ac current in the ac winding.I'm not up on the drawing method used
> here on the net,so if you can visualize a figure 8 the dc winding goes
> around the center bar ,the ac winding goes around the top bar exits on the
> right goes down to the bottom bar enters on the right and exits on the
> left,the windings need to be wound in phase(same direction).Using a figure
> eight core with the two ac coils, produce flux in opposite directions through
> the central core on which the dc winding is wound.Therefore,the currents in
> the ac windings neutralize each other with respect to the production of flux
> linking with the dc winding,the iron core losses it's inductive effect when
> dc is applied to the center core.The other type of reactor i use has taps
> coming out every row,here are the dimensions 18"x 6" X 1", soft steel will
> do, laminated would be better,leave an inch at each end wind approx. 500
> turns of stranded 10awg. wire.Each tap is brought out 3",windings should be
> neat and tight,before winding paint and deburr,wrap with fish paper and away
> you go,this sucker is very heavy and will get hot!.With this setup i can
> limit current flow between 45 amps(no taps engaged)to system melt down,and
> yes i've blown the mains a few times,amprobe has read 200+ amps a few times.
> well good luck P.S.-----I think everything came in under $50
> Bill hb-at-earthlink-dot-net