RE: It Just Stopped

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

Original poster: "Randy & Lori" <rburney6-at-comcast-dot-net> 

I would think that a quick Jacob's ladder can eliminate the transformer
as the problem.  After that, about the only thing that would keep you
from throwing a spark at the gap is if the cap isn't charging.  A VERY
bad connection or a cap that can't handle the voltage anymore is all I
come up with.  Got another cap??

Randy

-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2004 8:10 PM
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: It Just Stopped

Original poster: Mddeming-at-aol-dot-com

Hi All,
      Something happened last night that has me puzzled. I was testing
4.25"
coil. It had been run intermittently for about 1/2 hour. I fastened a
pointed rod to the center bolt of the topload (dual toroids) pointing
upward, preparatory to making a "pinwheel". I was getting nice 3ft+ arcs
to
the ceiling of the lab, (coil is caged 10' x 9' x 8'.) After about a
minute, it suddenly went dead. No arcs, no gap spark, no sound except
the
vacuum on the sucker gap. It had been drawing ~18 Amps on 30 Amp circuit

prior to problem. Indicator lights showed power reaching primaries of
NSTs.
Variac output showed 120V. No racing sparks noted, no arcing to primary.
I
shut system down, waited ten minutes, tried to restart... Nada!
      I disassembled everything and checked each component:

Xfmr 1 Allanson 15/60:  6000v left and 5990v right to ground terminal
with
102V input. (My HV meter limit is 6 kV)
Xfmr 2 Transco 15/60: 5995v left and 5980v right to ground terminal with

101.8v input.
Tank cap: Maxwell 37xxx series, 30 nF nominal,. measured 29.95nF with
RdShk
DMM and 30.91 on AADE L/C II-B. On the 14th of July, it measured 31.07nF
on
the L/C II-B when air Temp was 11F warmer and Humidity was 30% higher.
Sucker Gap 1 HP vacuum spaced 7.5 mm.
Safety Gap spaced 5 mm Left and 4 mm Right.

      Reassembled everything and... Nada!!

Any Guesses??

Matt D.