Re: First Light- Bad Results!

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

Original poster: "Matt Shayka by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <flyboxboy-at-hotmail-dot-com>


Hey Jake,
Comments below
>
>Hi, I'm the 13 year old on the list and just finished my first Tesla coil
>today. I turned it on and got bad results, about 1cm hair-thin sparks off 
>the
>top wire. Here are the specifications for this coil:
>
>Power Source: 12V ignition coil
>Primary Capacitor: 2 Salt water beer bottle caps
>Primary Coil: 4 turns of TV Coax Cable
>Secondary Coil: ~1000 turns (forgot how many) on a 2"x8" plastic         
>form.
>Spark Gap: 2 bolts on metal L brackets, adjustable from 3 inches to
>touching
>Ground: I didn't connect it to RF ground, I just drew sparks from the
>bottom of the seconday to the top.
>Topload: None, just a wire sticking out.
>
>So what should I do to make this coil run at it's full potential BESIDES
>getting an NST?
>

Hey, I'm 14. Its good to know that there are other young kids out there that 
like this stuff. OK. Heres some improvments you can make:

1. You need more primary turns with a better wire. If you have any plastic 
insulated solid core wire, strip it and use the copper for a primary. The 
wire should be at least 16 gauge or larger.

2. Get a topload. You can make different ones varying in size to change the 
overall frequency of the secondary. I won't get in to how this works.

3. You may want to take some time to build a series gap for better 
quenching, or use a small fan to blow on your existing gap.

4. Ground it! The secondary needs something to "push" on. This would be the 
ground in this case. It also cuts down on RF interference.

5. You don't really need an NST. I've never had an ignition coil setup 
before so I  can''t tell you the voltage or current. BUT, you could really 
use a better transformer.

Here are suitable transformers for your coil and places to get them:

Bug zapper transformer: Found in bug zappers(duh) I found mine on trash day. 
(don't be afraid to scrounge) Make sure you test the tranny before you hook 
it up.

Oil Burner Ignition Transformer:(OBIT for short) These are generally found 
in repair shops for oil burners. You can also get them from the junkyard if 
it has them. You can also find some NST's here if you keep a sharp eye out.

The OBIT is your best bet for right now. They almost universally come in the 
same voltage in the US. Its 10kV at 23mA. My first coil was powered with one 
of these.

Well, actually I have never laid my hands on an NST, so i got ahold of a 
bunch of OBITS. I have five of them in parallel to deliver just over a 
kilowatt to power my 3" coil.

I read someone refer you to a microwave oven for a MOT(microwave oven 
transformer) Stay Away! I mean, get the MOTs out but please, please do not 
plug them in. They are absolutly lethal. Ask anyone. Untill you learn how to 
ballast them and how to treat them right(forgive me if you already know), 
put them in the corner and let them gather dust untill you have gotten your 
hand on current limited tranny and learned how to respect them.

If you have any mor questionss, please contact me offlist at 
flyboxboy-at-hotmail-dot-com. I might be able to scrounge a tranny for ya.

Matt Shayka
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