RE: Capacitor Size Limitation

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

Original poster: "Mccauley, Daniel H" <daniel.h.mccauley-at-lmco-dot-com> 


Yikes!  You shouldn't be using Microwave Oven capacitors for your tesla
coil primary circuit.  Very bad!
They are not pulse rated and will heat up and explode!!!

Dan


 > I originally intended to use a 15KV/60 mA NST and purchased a
 > 10.6 nfd cap.
 > I am now using 4, 15KV/30 mA NST transformers and still using
 > the same
 > capacitor.
 > Resonant cap should be 21.2 nfd.
 >
 > I have collected -at- 20 Microwave capacitors from the dump,
 > ranging from 0.7
 > ufd to 1.2 ufd.
 > ( yup salvaging from the dump is illegal in Canada too,
 > however . . . )
 >
 > I put 13 of these capacitors in series into a NST case to
 > form a 70 nfd
 > capacitor.
 > According to WINTESLA I should be tapped in at turn 5.7 of my
 > 15 turns of
 > primary.
 >
 > I get a very faint hiss of high voltage but no sparks even
 > when the static
 > gap is closed to say four of the ten pipes.
 >
 > I got frustrated and put the 10.6 nfd back in place.
 >
 > Is there a reason why this arrangement would not work? ( charge time
 > constant ? )
 >
 > Should I put more in series to get closer to the LTR 33 nfd ?
 >
 > Wizzard
 > Dwight, Ontario
 > Canada
 >
 >
 >