Strange Spark Phenomena

• To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
• Subject: Strange Spark Phenomena
• From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
• Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 23:35:58 -0600
• Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

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From:  gweaver [SMTP:gweaver-at-earthlink-dot-net]
Sent:  Wednesday, January 28, 1998 11:09 AM
To:  Tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject:  Strange Spark Phenomena

I fired up my tiny 1.5" TC today.  I changed the sphere from 2" to 4".
Changed the cap from .0014 uf to .005 uf.  Changed the spark gap from 4 gaps
.025 each to 3 gaps .025 each.  Moved primary tap from turn 5 to turn 3.
Spark output increased from 3" to 6".  The power supply is a furnace
ignition transformer 6K 20 ma.  120 watts.

The output spark is strange.  I have seen this phenomena before but haven't
thought much about it until now.  The first 2" of the output spark is very
thin, the next 2" are very hot, thick and blue, the last 2" are very thin
like the first 2".   How can a spark that is all one continuous spark be
made up of 3 sections?  How can the center 2" of the spark be hotter and
thicker than the ends of the same spark?

Gary Weaver

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