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From: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Tesla Coil
Message-ID: <1255@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Dec-86 14:52:51 EST
Article-I.D.: cadovax.1255
Posted: Fri Dec 12 14:52:51 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Dec-86 20:55:17 EST
References: <4815@reed.UUCP> <823@A60.UUCP> <824@A60.UUCP> <904@sfsup.UUCP>
Reply-To: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Organization: Contel Business Systems, Torrance, CA
Lines: 31

In article <904@sfsup.UUCP> dcm@sfsup.UUCP (David C. Miller, consultant) writes:
>>Gene did forget one very important item.  As a series resonant LC circuit,
>>you need a capacitor.  this is placed in series with the neon sign xfmr
>>secondary, the spark gap, and the Tesle coil primary.
>
>Not necessarily.  In fact, I would hazzard a guess that Gene could have
>omitted the spark gap as well and it would have still worked.
>Spark gaps and capacitors are there to accumulate a charge, then release
>it through the primary in one large burst; much like the capacitor and
>point in a car.  The difference is that the circuit that Ron is
>referring to is strictly for DC power, Genes is for AC.  Yes, those
>neon sign transformers put out AC, so you really don't even need the
>sparkgap.

Well, except for the fact that 60 hz won't go too far in a large
air-core HV coil.  What you need to go through the coil is RF, and
you get that via a LC circuit with the spark-gap there to provide a
jolt to 'excite' it into oscillation.  I've tried it without the cap
and/or without the gap, and haven't gotten any secondary emissions.
I'd say they were mandatory, unless you have a source of HV RF that
you can pipe into the primary directly (don't I wish).  If you do, 
and you can vary the frequency to your liking, you can observe the 
various types of secondary emissions that you will get depending on
the frequency involved.  The characteristics of the emissions can vary
widely with the resulting frequency of the circuit.  (but it all has to
be RF pretty much).


Keith Doyle
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