Re: Statistics & spark length

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

Original poster: "Chris Roberts by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <quezacotl_14000000000000-at-yahoo-dot-com>

I rember that the mini coil contest specified max spark length as the spark 
had to hit a grounded target twice in a 60 second time interval. I thought 
that seemed pretty reasonable. We've already been using that standard, so 
we could simply keep it for the larger coils also. I wonder if anybody 
would be willing to put up a website like the mini coil contest, except 
with larger ones to. I could have list of different people's coils, VA 
rating, spark length, elevation, mabye a photo, and a website link if 
possible. Whoever wanted to post bragging rights on their coil could put it 
up on the website. Anybody willing to give it a try?

Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
Original poster: "Stephen Conner by way of Terry Fritz "

At 13:21 07/06/03 -0600, you wrote:
 >Original poster: "Dan Reinders by way of Terry Fritz
 >"
 >
 >
 >So which one of these is, by convention, regarded as the maximum spark
 >length? There isn't a sharp demarcation, but rather a region of decreasing
 >strike probabilities.

I have a couple of things to say about this. I noticed when building the
OLTC that this zone is very small with it. In about 1/4" it goes from a
continuous arc to no spark at all and in fact it might as well be a sharp
demarcation. I assumed that this was because the bang energy was very stable.

My conventional DC coil is a bit less predictable and it's about 8" between
no arc and continuous arc. It once did a ! massive freak arc that leapt about
4 ft. but I have no photographic evidence. There probably ought to be a
standard agreed on, like the maximum spark length is the one you can
produce at least three times in a five minute run or something. Assuming of
course your rig can run non-stop for five minutes without catching fire,
which I doubt any of mine could.

Finally, remember the spark length depends on air density. It would be
unfair to compare, say, Terry Fritz's efforts in the thin high-altitude air
of Colorado, with Captain Corona in New Jersey. Where does John Freau live?

Steve C.





-Chris