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From: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Tesla Coil - broadcast power
Message-ID: <1279@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Dec-86 14:16:38 EST
Article-I.D.: cadovax.1279
Posted: Tue Dec 23 14:16:38 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Dec-86 23:48:20 EST
References: <4815@reed.UUCP> <823@A60.UUCP> <824@A60.UUCP> <904@sfsup.UUCP> <553@rpics.RPI.EDU> <162@ndmath.UUCP>
Reply-To: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Organization: Contel Business Systems, Torrance, CA
Lines: 21

In article <162@ndmath.UUCP> milo@ndmath.UUCP (Greg Corson) writes:
>Does anyone have any comments on how to "tune up" a tesla coil for maximum
>output?  I have one about 4-5 feet tall wound on a 4 inch core with several
>large glass capacitors...it gives me about 6"-8" sparks.  Is there anything
>I can do (calculations...etc) that would improve efficiency?  Changing the
>size of the primary, the spark gap...etc?
>Greg Corson

I've found that more capacitance helped for me.  I came across a military
oil-filled HV cap (watch those PCB's) that made a world of difference in
efficiency.

Though I too, would like to hear any tune-up tips.  I've been wondering
about putting a rotating disk hooked up to a variable speed motor and
inserting into the gap area, but haven't tried it yet to see if it 
works.  I did find that using a fan to blast air over the gap helps
though makes it a bit more noisy (and it's already too damn noisy).

Keith Doyle
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