Re: [TCML] Spark gap fan smoked

["Paul Brodie" <pbbrodie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have a NOS 20 amp EMI filter with 1/4" push on connector tabs listed on 
eBay, if anyone needs one. I'm only asking $12.95 or best offer. I'll be 
glad to accept lower offers from list members. Just mention that you are a 
member of the TCML when you make an offer. If you need more than one, I have 
another, too.
Paul
Think Positive

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Rieben" <drieben@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 2:51 PM
Subject: Re: [TCML] Spark gap fan smoked


> Hi Dennis,
>
> As others have already mentioned, it is best to ground your
> blower motor frame to the earth/mains ground. Another step
> that I have taken in the past to solve the problem to which
> you refer is to run the input leads to the motor through a
> typical, properly rated EMI/RFI line filter.
>
> David Rieben
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <otmaskin5@xxxxxxx>
> To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 9:09 AM
> Subject: [TCML] Spark gap fan smoked
>
>
>
> Hi, happy holidays everyone.  For the first time in the 4 years since I 
> built my first coil (15/60), I finally seem to have it running great 
> without problems.  Strikes to ground targets are reaching out into the low 
> 50"s at a conservative 0.18" spark gap setting & variac driving it at no 
> more than 120v (problem with the sweeper & it won't quite get to 120v). 
> So I'm fairly pleased with the performance given I'm not pushing the coil 
> too hard to do what it's doing.  Best of all, I finally reached the point 
> where I seem to have eliminated all the other issues like racing sparks & 
> incessant safety gap firing.  So that's the good part.
>
> Then, yesterday I was just enjoying playing with the coil & watching the 
> sparks when smoke started pouring out of the segmented spark gap.  Looks 
> like I burned up the 340 cfm 5" muffin fan for the spark gap...which 
> brings me to my question.  When wiring in the fan, I had only the hot & 
> neutral wires going back to the mains, not the 3d prong ground.  I had the 
> chassis of the fan grounded to the NST case which is connected to the RF 
> ground and a pipe driven into the ground outside of the garage.  This is 
> the second fan that I smoked and both were wired in the same fashion.  I'm 
> wondering whether I got it wrong relative to grounding the fan to the RF 
> ground. - I thought this was a best practice, but maybe not.  I'd welcome 
> any suggestions.  Thanks, Dennis Hopkinton MA
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