SGTC underperforming, suspecting sparkgap / Tesla Coils / Forums

Forums

4hv.org :: Forums :: Tesla Coils

« Previous topic | Next topic »

SGTC underperforming, suspecting sparkgap

previous 1 2 3 next

Move Thread

LAN_403

Pcnerd

Sat May 17 2014, 01:44PM

Registered Member #88 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:37PM
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 29

Thanks for the filter heads up, meant to reconnect that (we undid it on purpose).

The primary acrilic design doesn't really allow for higher coupling, but maybe that'll change in the future.

Got myself a vacuum motor made synchronous (2 3A diodes) which runs nicely at 50volts, but the "outer" coils (cage?) do get quit warm, and I have no experience with these motor types to know what warm and what to warm is. The motor draws 4A at 50 volts and is a 1200watt vacuum cleaner motor. I've got a short movie of it running synchronously here:

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Sat May 17 2014, 04:01PM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

Vacuum motors are designed such that the air the motor engulfs, also acts to cool the motor! They are not designed to be run without forced air cooling.

Pcnerd

Sat May 17 2014, 04:26PM

Registered Member #88 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:37PM
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 29

That explains, I'll see if I can make it as such it will cool itself, still interesting that it gets this hot even with only 200 of the 1200watts it is rated for going in.

I mounted a fan and read on

that it might get uptil 80 degrees without issues (hope the epoxy around my diodes do not melt at that point), so I will be running a lengthy temperature test as soon as the motor is cooled down again to room temp.

Pcnerd

Tue May 20 2014, 06:15PM

Registered Member #88 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:37PM
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 29

So far so good, I've bolted on a small pc-fan which was able to keep the motor below 50 degrees for 10 minutes. Next step is to decently mount it, plus the electrode holder on the shaft and fitting it in the original design (Luckily I can keep the part that holds the electrodes. I'll keep you posted.

Pcnerd

Sat Sept 06 2014, 02:01PM

Registered Member #88 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:37PM
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 29

It's been a long time, but I got the new setup tested today and I'm satisfied with the result, the TC is probably not tuned very well but she runs stable and streamers so far are not bad. I made a video to show:

We're planning on some further tuning and creating the rest of the acryillic base to make it a transportable product that looks nice :).

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Sat Sept 06 2014, 05:02PM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

Okay, you're still missing your single breakout point.
Your toroid might be a bit small, but try the single breakout point because it forces all the little streamers into a single large streamer.

That's how small systems can be made to seem big!

Pcnerd

Sat Sept 06 2014, 05:46PM

Registered Member #88 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:37PM
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 29

As soon as my NAS is finished repairing it's raid setup (apparently one failed during a TC run) and I'm able to shut it down I'm gonna try that. I'm wondering if that happened through the net and I could install some filter or just by the megnatic field (since the NAS is somewhat close) and I need to start running my TC elsewhere instead of in my room ;).

Pcnerd

Sun Sept 07 2014, 10:53AM

Registered Member #88 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:37PM
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 29

With a single breakout point I still get other breakouts, but the performance does not look that bad, purple streamers with decent length, a bit thin though:

next up: creating the rest of the acryllic base, wil keep you posted (here or in some showoff topic) when it is finished :).

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Sun Sept 07 2014, 03:44PM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

Yea it's looking better though!

I think you might need a bigger toroid.

I put a pretty decent sized toroid on mine a long time ago and got decent results. It's the second half of the video.

loneoceans

Mon Sept 08 2014, 07:12AM

Registered Member #4098 Joined: Fri Sept 16 2011, 09:26PM
Location:
Posts: 236

Great job getting it working :) Everything seems to be working as expected. If you really want bigger sparks, more power is the way to go. NSTs parallel quite well, and if you can double your input power from the current ~375W that you have, you'll get much better output. :) For now, I think you could try to smooth out your toroid a bit more to prevent the side-breakouts.

previous 1 2 3 next

Moderator(s): Chris Russell, Noelle, Alex, Tesladownunder, Dave Marshall, Dave Billington, Bjørn, Steve Conner, Wolfram, Kizmo, Mads Barnkob