Re: Awsome first light !! but...

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Edward Wingate by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <ewing7-at-rochester.rr-dot-com>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Lau, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com>
> 
> While your safety gap may have been set for 12kV, what was your main gap set
> to?  It sounds like your main gap was set to something higher and allowed
> the safety to fire.
> 
> As a side issue, it's generally not recommended to use a safety gap alone
> across your cap.  With no safety gap current-limiting, the discharge current
> could potentially be bad for your cap.  Also, it's impossible for the cap
> voltage to ever be any higher than the voltage across your main gap.
> Whatever your main gap is set to will also limit the cap voltage, and the
> cap-gap is redundant.
> 
> Gary Lau
> MA, USA

Gary,

Do you current limit your primary to keep the discharge current from
damaging your cap?

I have NEVER seen a cap destroyed by a safety gap yet. I HAVE however
seen many caps go to the great beyond for the lack of a safety gap!

The first question I ask someone who has just blown a capacitor is "were
you running a safety gap on the cap?", and almost invariably the answer
is no. I personally will use a safety gap every time!

 

Ed Wingate RATCB