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Re: mini TC/plasma globe



On Sat, 25 Mar 2000 21:01:33 -0700 Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> writes:
> Original Poster: Kevin420790-at-aol-dot-com 
> 
> hello everyone, I built a mini coil from some junk I had laying 
> around it 
> uses a the primary power supply is made from a mini flyback from a 
> portable 
> b/w TV it gives me about 10kV when i use a 555 driver circuit after 
> I 
> finished putting it together I fired it up
> and got alot of O3 no streamer though but I did not think I was 
> going to get 
> any,I could draw 1" sparks to my fingers 

Good job on the supply, then. I usually use a 2n3055-based circuit, and
can draw 3/4" arcs from flybacks. To get a discharge without having to
draw it with something (preferably NOT your fingers) you'd need to drive
it with considerably more power. I usually can see one or two tiny  thin
jets of plasma that appear on their own.

 so I decided to put a 
> clear light 
> bulb on it and I got plasma discharge(not very intense)but when I 
> touched the 
> bulb I got zapped right through the glass.this now leads me to my 
> question...why did it do this and can  I stop it? 

The bulb has acted as a capacitor, with the mostly conductive gas inside
forming one plate, the glass the dielectric, and your fingers the other
plate. The higher the frequency the easier it becomes for the HV to be
capacitively coupled to ground  in this fashion. If the sensation to your
fingers was unpleasant, then use a larger bulb, or reduce the input
voltage to the supply till the discharge is under control. I usually use
a clear glass 5" decromental bulb.

I would like to 
> perfect 
> this and make it a display but with the arcs coming through the 
> glass I not 
> to sure if I should and the O3 could be a problem I got a headache 
> and a 
> upset stomach after just five minutes.

Hmmm...    ...I've never encountered problems that bad with ozone. The
smell seems to bother some people more then others, though. Try to keep
corona discharges to a minimum, and you may have to reduce overall power
to ultimately get rid of the problem.

so if any one has any comments 
> or 
> suggestions please let them fly.
> 
> thanks to all in advance,
> kevin dalpe
> attleboro,ma

Glad to help,

Grayson Dietrich
http://www.electrophile.8m-dot-com

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