TSSP: List Archives

From: "Terrell W. Fritz"
Date: Mon, 07 Oct 2002 17:22:22 -0600
Subject: Re: [TSSP] Top Voltage

Hi Paul,

At 11:57 AM 10/7/2002 +0100, you wrote:
>Jon, Terry,
>
>Thanks for the pointers to the pdf viewer.  It worked!

Neat!  All kinds of cool things are in PDF format.  You will be able to read
all kinds of papers and data now :-)

>
>Although having read through 
> http://hot-streamer.com/TeslaCoils/OtherPapers/phd_plank.pdf
>
>I'm not sure I'm any the wiser.  Sure is a lot of physics 
>going on.

It did not directive give the "answer", but lots of little clues...  I am
thinking the toroid is breaking out all over and "poisoning" the space around
the small top ball with flying ions.  I don't think I can see that effect but
it may indeed be happening.  I bet if I get the ball far away from the toroid,
things will be more predictable.

>
>It might also be possible to put a DC blocking cap in the
>secondary base lead, and look for a DC potential forming
>across it as first sign of breakout.  That would require some
>ingenuity but no special probes or scopes.

Easy, care to suggest a capacitance value?

>
>We must try to look for signs of less-than-visible breakout
>occuring within 50% or so of predicted values.  

Yes!

>
>Could it be that a lower-k system, taking a more gradual rise
>of topvolts, would show less discrepancy between the idealised
>breakout potential and the start of observable leaders?

Oddly, I was running numbers today that give hard evidence the secondary was
running with a Q of ~180!!!

The secondary effective resistance seems to have gone from 3300 to 2400 to the
present 600!!!  Maybe water is drying from the form over time (it was stored
outside (covered but open lumber building) at the store).  Or running it hard
last weekend blew a little short out or something.  I need to check it with the
pinger to be sure but the secondary seems to have healed its low Q problem... 
Note the very long ring downs at:

http://hot-streamer.com/temp/OLTC10-05-03.gif

The blue is secondary base current /10...  Almost a 2mS ring down!!  I'll have
to check this more to be sure...

Cheers,

        Terry


>--
>Paul Nicholson,
>--


Maintainer Paul Nicholson, paul@abelian.demon.co.uk.