Re: Static Spark Gap

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

Original poster: "Stephen Conner by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <steve-at-scopeboy-dot-com>

At 12:23 24/04/03 -0600, you wrote:
>Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" 
><evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>
>  If the LC product
>is high enough you can get the situation where the spark is at  60 bps
>(this can result in core saturation), or at sub multiples of 60 bps.  In
>other words, the circuit is "counting down".  I've observed the effect
>with a real coil when I have used a variac to get the input voltage to
>the transformer very close to that at which the gap won't fire.

I noticed that too when using a NST with a resonant cap. I could get the 
firing rate down to about 1bps with the variac at 50V (240V supply). 
Unfortunately this practice is not to be recommended because a very high 
circulating current is flowing in the NST all the time. After a minute or 
so the NST got very hot. It died soon after, although I'm not sure if there 
was a connection :(

Steve C.