[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: Why does it work at all

Hello Reinhard,

> Original Poster: RWB355-at-aol-dot-com=20
> 
> Hi All
> 
> After reading the tens of posts on toroid size, BKS, Energy, output volta=
> ge,
> spark size, etc. I am beginning to wonder why our coils work at all. How =
> many
> of us out there really fully understand a TC from a to z? I know I don=B4=
> t.
> 
> I can still remember my first coil about 18 years ago (still living in th=
> e
> states at the time). It was a small one. No math. Just winding, trying, a=
> nd
> enjoying. It didn=B4t make any super sparks, but it worked and got me hoo=
> ked on
> TC=B4s.
> 
> Wonder what would Nikola Tesla say to all this......
> 
> coiler greets from germany,
> Reinhard

If you read his works and most particularly the Colorado Springs 
Notes, you will find that he was no slug in trying to figure out
the various things like some of us. It is all there, math included.
Terminal capacitances - a major investigation went on there. Figuring 
out coil capacitance and what gives rise to it, another hot one.
Spark behaviour, tuning etc.  He wound dozens of coils but always
he was applying the math, looking for reasons why this happened, that 
didn't etc. He was an observer by nature.
     We are dead lucky today. We have an armoury of instrumentation 
including storage scopes (my personal favourite), CW sig gens etc...
We also have things not as yet properly explained to deal with such 
as safety gap behaviour for example and what causes a gap set to a 
higher voltage than another and apparently in parallel with it to 
fire. I know some are simply interested in building and firing coils 
and making sparks to impress the neighbours. There are others though
for whom a fireworks display is the end result of some painstaking 
efforts to make building a successful coil first time a comparative 
breeze for someone who simply wants to go that route.
     I tried to help someone on the usa-tesla list a year or so back.
He knew little about the business and made it clear he didn't want to 
know. That didn't stop us eventually wringing sparks out of an 
abysmal design using those wretched equations that many have laboured
to bring to the light of day. I think Tesla would at least 
acknowledge some of the efforts that have gone on if not applauded 
them. What is remarkable about him is that he invented so much using 
mostly the eyes of his mind. The most interesting personal note I 
read from Tesla was his description in the Notes of how the primary 
energy gradually gets transferred to the secondary and back again 
etc.etc., all without ever seeing an oscillogram. 

Sorry for the soapbox.
Malcolm