Re: Rotary Gap Design

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "James Zimmerschied" <zimtesla@xxxxxxx>

Jon,
the balance has a hardened shaft with tapered slides that engage the 
hole in the rotor. There are supports on each end with a knife edge 
that the shaft rides on. To balance, the shaft is mounted in the 
rotor and the assembly is set on the knife edge supports. If off 
balance, the rotor will tend to rotate so the heavy side is down. 
Then mark the heavy side, drill a small hole or two in a non-stress 
area and repeat until there is no particular tendency to settle.

I will save your e-mail address and take a picture of it with my 
digital camera, next time I am over at Bob's place.

Jim
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>Tesla list
To: <mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2006 6:48 PM
Subject: Re: Rotary Gap Design

Original poster: "Jon Danniken" 
<<mailto:danniken@xxxxxxxxxxx>danniken@xxxxxxxxxxx>

 > Original poster: "James Zimmerschied">
 >
 > Hello all,
 > there is some good discussion going on concerning rotary gap design
 > especially with regards to electrode attachment. I haven't heard much
 > said about balancing the rotor. My friend Bob Svangren has built a
 > number of rotary gaps and one thing he is very concerned about is
 > balancing the unit. He has a balance machine used for model airplane
 > props or other small items. On a rotary I built and Bob helped on, we
 > spent a lot of time balancing and removing small bits of mass ( hole
drilling).
 >
 > The end result is a very smooth running rotary.

Hi Jim,

Do remember the elements for the balancing machine?  I've been thinking of
constucting one of these, and would appreciate any insight as to how one is
put together.  So far, all I can think of is mounting the motor on a table
with springs and marking where the spinning rotor goes high.

Thanks,

Jon