Advice for an Old Coiler

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

Original poster: "Dave Kyle by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <dave-at-kyleusa-dot-com>

Hello,

I built my first coil more than 30 years ago and still have the science fair
award to prove it but I dropped out of high voltage after high school. Once
again I feel the need create lightening and this group has been the answer
to my prayers. The dedication to the science of Tesla's work is most
impressive but I am absolutely stunned by the vast advances in coil
construction techniques that this group has pioneered. The quality of ideas
and the ingenuity in bringing them to fruition has spurred me to call back
the lightening.

I do have some questions whose answers I hope will make my project go
smoother and I ask for your comments and suggestions. A brief description of
my design follows:

AC filter, 10 Amp Variac control panel

Two 15KV -at- 30ma NSTs banked for 15KV -at- 60ma with power factor correction

RC protection circuit

Two .03uf 35KV Maxwell caps in series for .015 -at- 70KV

1800 RPM SRSG 120 BPS with .1 inch thoriated tungsten points from a wielding
shop

14 turn .25 inch copper tubing secondary, adjustable tap, 15 degree saucer
shaped with strike rail

6 inch thin wall PVC primary with 1000 turns 24 gauge magnet wire

6 inch toroid for spark suppression and a 6 inch copper sphere topload

Tank circuit to be wired with 1/2 inch wide solid copper ribbon

RF ground 1 inch copper ribbon going to an eight foot ground rod driven into
damp earth


Design goal: I should be very please to see three foot or greater sparks.


Questions:

Do you think I would benefit from additional caps. If so how much? I was
thinking of doubling to .03uf if needed.

What diameter disk is recommended for an 1800 RPM SRSG? I was thinking 6
inches but others seem to prefer wider disks. Why is that?

I was planning on four stationary gaps in series with four rotors. Is this
the best arrangement?

How wide to adjust the gaps in a SRSG?

My synchronous motor may need to be replaced as I am unsure if it is of the
type that syncs from the same position at startup. It is a brand new
synchronous motor from Oriental Motor. Has anyone any experience with these?

It also remains to be seen if a 1/30 HP motor is going to be adequate. My
disk will be fairly light weight so I think it will be ok.

What options for electrically varying the sync position of a motor exist?

Since all the high voltage components will be located beneath the secondary
how do you shield the power wires between the control panel and the NSTs
from ground strikes?

I should think the addition of a large toroid would yield larger sparks.
Where can one purchase a 24x12x6 spun aluminum toroid? How much should I
expect to spend?


All suggestions welcome, I prefer to stand on the shoulders of giants.

Thank you!

Dave


=========================================
Dave Kyle
Austin, TX USA
Email: dave-at-kyleusa-dot-com