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Forums
4hv.org :: Forums :: Tesla Coils
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Topload Material

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Tom540
Tue Jul 11 2006, 12:42AM Print
Tom540 Banned on 3/17/2009.
Registered Member #487 Joined: Sun Jul 09 2006, 01:22AM
Location:
Posts: 617
Does anyone know if the topload material makes any diffrence in spark length or power output? My coil has a steel topload and it gets warm during operation. I was wondering if it may be robbing power from the coil and maybe reducing spark length.
1152578485 487 FT0 Toroid
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HV Enthusiast
Tue Jul 11 2006, 12:49AM
HV Enthusiast Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068
I wouldn't use steel. Steel is magnetically soft and if it is indeed heating, especially if its pretty large, you are losing power to it. Stay with aluminum.

However, if it works to your satisfaction, then don't change it.
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Tom540
Tue Jul 11 2006, 01:07AM
Tom540 Banned on 3/17/2009.
Registered Member #487 Joined: Sun Jul 09 2006, 01:22AM
Location:
Posts: 617
Well now knowing that I could possibly get bigger sparks I'm going to have to change it to aluminum. The mosfets are dead in it as of now anyways so it'll give me something to do while I get replacements.
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Marko
Tue Jul 11 2006, 01:26AM
Marko Registered Member #89 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:40PM
Location: Zadar, Croatia
Posts: 3145
If you think it wastes your power you can lift it off the secondary on a pole or put somewhere on the side, just to see if there is any effect.
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Desmogod
Tue Jul 11 2006, 02:12AM
Desmogod Registered Member #139 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 11:01AM
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 358
Tom Blitch wrote ...

Well now knowing that I could possibly get bigger sparks I'm going to have to change it to aluminum. The mosfets are dead in it as of now anyways so it'll give me something to do while I get replacements.

Judging by your post it looks like you are running solid state, and if that indeed is your topload in the pic, it is way too large to be using on an SSTC. SSTC's like toploads only a fraction bigger than the diameter of the secondary. Try a smaller topload too.
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Steve Ward
Tue Jul 11 2006, 03:52AM
Steve Ward Registered Member #146 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 04:21AM
Location: Austin Tx
Posts: 1055
Well, a SSTC will work fine with a bigger topload, but it doesnt *improve* performance over a smaller toroid.

I agree, if the toroid gets warm, it is probably losing power to eddy currents induced in it from the top turns of the secondary.
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Tom540
Tue Jul 11 2006, 04:27AM
Tom540 Banned on 3/17/2009.
Registered Member #487 Joined: Sun Jul 09 2006, 01:22AM
Location:
Posts: 617
the secondary is 3.5' x 23" 30AWG wire and the topload is 5"x12". The oly reason i used this material is because it looked easier to put to gether and could be soldered with a torch which I had to do since it's made up of 4 elbow joints that kept comming apart.
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teravolt
Tue Jul 11 2006, 04:57AM
teravolt Registered Member #195 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 08:27PM
Location: Berkeley, ca.
Posts: 1111
as long as it is metalic I don't think it maters. and i would think that eddy currents would occur in any conductive material. Has is been a problem with torids. Please correct me if I am rong
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Steve Conner
Tue Jul 11 2006, 09:57AM
Steve Conner Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706
I take issue with the "SSTCs don't like big toroids" thing. I believe bigger toroids will increase the size and hotness of sparks, but it also demands more from your electronics. The coil draws more current and there's more risk of forced recovery from mistuning, so if your electronics are weak, they'll probably die. Also the E-field in the vicinity gets stronger which can cause your driver to suffer interference, freak out, and destroy the power devices from misdriving.

If the toroid is really too big, then the power devices will explode before they can pump it up to enough voltage to make sparks, even if the electronics are working perfectly.
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HV Enthusiast
Tue Jul 11 2006, 11:27AM
HV Enthusiast Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068
wrote ...

as long as it is metalic I don't think it maters. and i would think that eddy currents would occur in any conductive material. Has is been a problem with torids. Please correct me if I am rong

Your "rong" wink

Material is a huge factor. Steel, mu metal, etc... are soft magnetic materials and would have much higher losses at 100's of khz then materials such as copper and aluminum.

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