RE: [TCML] Please help with my non-working tesla coil.

["Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>]

Hi Chester,

With the spark gap, it’s a little blurry and difficult to understand the image without something for scale.  It looks like the pipe segments are just secured to a base with one cable tie each?  It looks like they'd move about if you just touched them.  And I don't see any connections to the pipes.

The fact that you get 5" sparks means that you're at least in the ballpark with the tuning.  

Are you saying the primary was half way up the secondary?  Not good.  You didn't say what the shape of your primary is, but if it's a flat spiral (recommended), it's typically roughly at the same height as the secondary's lowermost turn.

Please post some more photos, showing the overall hookup wiring, primary & secondary, cap, etc.  The more you show us, the better we can comment on it.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> Behalf Of cho yan ping
> Sent: Friday, July 24, 2009 9:58 AM
> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [TCML] Please help with my non-working tesla coil.
> 
> 
> Hi Gary,
> 
> I posted two photos on http://drop.io/chester_tesla1.
> The first photo is my multi static sparks gap, which I used 4, and total length is
> 4mm.
> The second photo is a 5"sparks obtained by bending the bottom terminal to the top
> by a wire.The sparks obtained in this way is weak, and not likely due to resonance.
> Also I have to raise the primary until half the height of the secondary coil. So I don't
> think that my coil is working.
> 
> I am thinking if my coil is out of tune or problem of grounding?
> I calculate by Teslamap and tapped at 4-6 microHenries, but no open air discharge
> or corona is obtained.
> I tried to ground by a 15sq. foot iron fence, no result obtained.
> I also tried to use main ground, I don't know if this could hurt if only lamp and fan
> are connected in the same circuit.
> However, still no open air discharge obtained.
> 
> What should I do to diagnose and the problems?
> Thanks for any advice!
> 
> Regards,
> Chester
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --?寄的?件附件--
> From: Gary.Lau@xxxxxx
> CC:
> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:05:51 +0000
> Subject: RE: [TCML] Please help with my non-working tesla coil.
> 
> Hi Chester,
> 
> We'll need to know a lot more before we can diagnose the problem.  Is there a way
> you can post detailed photos of your coil, in particular the spark gap, and
> relationship of primary & secondary coils?  There should never be sparks between
> the pri & sec.
> 
> When you chose the tap point for the primary, was this based on an observation
> that performance seemed better at that tap than with more or fewer turns?  In other
> words, do you have any idea if you are in tune?
> 
> Assuming that the stated inductances are correct, we can calculate the primary
> frequency, but to calculate the secondary frequency we'd need to know the
> dimensions of the top load.
> 
> For your spark gap, is the 4mm the total spacing (sum of individual gaps)?  The
> typical method of setting the gap width is to set it so that it just fires when only the
> NST is connected to the gap.
> 
> A polypropylene MMC is without doubt a much better choice than a bottle cap.
> 
> Adding forced airflow through the spark gap usually helps, but I'll reserve that
> comment until I see photos.
> 
> Regards, Gary Lau
> MA, USA
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