Re: spark gap question...

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

Original poster: "Malcolm Watts by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <m.j.watts-at-massey.ac.nz>

On 1 Jul 01, at 19:45, Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "Metlicka Marc by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <mystuffs-at-orwell-dot-net>
> 
> hello malcolm,
> 
> Tesla list wrote:
> > 
> > Original poster: "Malcolm Watts by way of Terry Fritz
> <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <m.j.watts-at-massey.ac.nz>
> > 
> > HI Marc,
> > 
> > 
> > I would just like to say that a scope waveform of your gap stopping
> > the primary in its tracks would be most convincing. It is one thing
> > to stop a power arc in the gap but quite another to kill a tuned
> > circuit in full swing. By what mechanism does the driving circuity
> > actually turn the gap off?
> 
> in the blown triggered setup, which i should actually call the vacuum
> triggered setup, i have the 1.5" glass tube that houses the gap, hooked
> to a central vacuum unit for a house. this unit pulls incredible amounts
> of air using an actual turbine style impeller. connected to the glass
> tube it pulls such a high velocity of air that the first time i started
> it, it "sucked" the gap through the hose, main gap leads and all :-O,
> the air literally "screams" going into the tube.
> so with a gap spacing of the main electrodes at 3\4" - 1" and the
> trigger electrode slightly off center to the anode, the gap doesn't
> conduct without the trigger pulse using the 12\30 nst, the combination
> of the air and wide spacing just doesn't seem to let it support itself.
> i have looked at this on the scope but i have to learn the storage
> feature of my new scope, i will try to get something asap to show.
> i am attaching the trigger pulse driver schematic that i was and will
> use for terry to kindly post. i will say that when using this driver, as
> i adjusted the triggered pulses up the gap firing could be heard to
> almost sing as the arc increased in frequency?
> more to come soon i hope,
> 
> http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/vardrvr.JPG
> http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/vardrvradj.JPG
> 
> 
> marc

So the trigger circuit actually plays no part in turning the gap off. 
I note that it is a trivial matter to turn the gap on. One might 
loosely label a rotary gap as a triggered gap of sorts. In effect it 
does the same thing.  Have you tried varying the airflow/vacuum 
through your gap?  What are the results?

Regards,
malcolm