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Re: [TCML] First TC firing
Thanks for all feedback, it has been very helpful.
Spark gap does not fire - I've had the gap practically closed and still no
response. I'm pretty sure the wiring is fine - I checked it many times, and
even when I wired it with the caps in parallel with the spark gap on their
own there was still no spark. I'm not quite sure what you mean by a
dielectric puncture - I will have to look it up but I suspect this may be
very likely as the caps were pretty makeshift. As I've said - the spark gap
if definitely not too wide.
The OBIT still works though - I set up a quick jacobs ladder to make sure
and it works fine.
On top of that I do probably need to have done my calculations a lot better.
Will the fact that my wire for the primary is enameled pretty thickly affect
it adversely?
-Matt
On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 1:36 PM, Lau, Gary <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx> wrote:
> A plastic bottle cap with a dielectric puncture WOULD render the coil
> completely non-functional.
>
> Does the spark gap fire? If it does not fire, the possible causes are 1)
> dead OBIT, 2) wiring error, 3) shorted cap (dielectric puncture), 4)
> too-wide gap.
>
> If the gap does fire, it's likely that the primary/secondary tuning is way
> off. How do you know that you are correctly tuned? One cannot simply wind
> a bunch of heavy wire for the primary, make a cap out of whatever bottles
> are available, wind a bunch more thinner wire for the secondary, put an
> arbitrary lump of metal on top for a top load, and expect the primary and
> secondary frequencies to match.
>
> Gary Lau
> MA, USA
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> > Behalf Of Matt
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 3:14 AM
> > To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
> > Subject: Re: [TCML] First TC firing
> >
> > I am aware the coke bottles will not last long (temporary measure for the
> > moment). However at the moment the coil is completely non-functional.
> Does
> > anyone have any ideas where I'm going wrong?
> >
> > Here's an ASCii diagram of my current layout;
> >
> > O--o--O
> > (
> > (
> > |---------|-------|-----o o-----| (
> > | | | SG | (
> > | | - | (
> > OBIT GAP CAP ) (
> > | | - ) (
> > | | | L1 ) ( L2
> > |---------|-------|-------------| |
> > RF
> > GND
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 3:35 AM, Lau, Gary <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > > The amount of RF that your xfmr is exposed to is less if you swap the
> > > positions of your main gap and the cap. Performance is the same, but
> > > placing the main gap across the xfmr effectively shorts out most of the
> RF
> > > energy from going back to the xfmr.
> > >
> > > If you are using plastic coke bottles, they're not likely to last very
> long
> > > :-(
> > >
> > > You give no specifics (a few turns, don't know exact gauge, vague
> copper
> > > vase topload...) that would allow one to calculate if you are properly
> > > tuned, so I'll leave that to you.
> > >
> > > Regards, Gary Lau
> > > MA, USA
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> > > > Behalf Of Matt
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 4:21 PM
> > > > To: Coil Mailing List
> > > > Subject: [TCML] First TC firing
> > > >
> > > > Hello everyone, thanks for your help so far.
> > > >
> > > > I am about to test my coil and would like some input to make sure
> things
> > > > won't go drastically wrong.
> > > >
> > > > I have my transformer (2x 7.5kv outputs at 40ma Danfoss OBIT) wired
> to
> > > the
> > > > mains. From there it is wired in parallel to first my safety gap,
> then my
> > > > capacitor bank (two 2l coke bottles, wrapped in foil and filled with
> > > water
> > > > saturated with table salt). In series to that I have my spark gap,
> and
> > > then
> > > > my primary coil (a few turns of thick enamelled wire)
> > > >
> > > > The primary is at the base of the secondary (1000+ turns of very thin
> > > magnet
> > > > wire - I don't know the exact gauge, but it was the second thinnest I
> > > could
> > > > get from Maplins, and is thin enough to snap under force applied by
> me).
> > > The
> > > > secondary is grounded to a square sheet of chicken wire, and the
> topload
> > > is
> > > > the bottom of a copper vase.
> > > >
> > > > I include a VERY simple circuit diagram.
> > > >
> > > > Some feedback would be MUCH appreciated soon as I am about to turn it
> on
> > > and
> > > > could do with some reassurance that I'm not going to destroy
> something...
> > > >
> > > > Thanks a lot,
> > > >
> > > > Matt
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Tesla mailing list
> > > Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
> > >
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