Tesla coil quenching problem ( #2)he supply is acrosos
Robert Mani, Wed May 23 2007, 06:09PMHello forum guys,
I am trying to build a a tesla coil but have some difficulty. I am using a 10 kV , 30 mA neon sign transformer ( picture is attached). The two terminals of teh power supply are connected across the
the spark gap.The spark gap is parallel with a 6.6 nf capacitor ( I have 15, 1kV, 100 nf capaciors in series) and a primary of tesla coil which is about 11 uH. The resoannce frequncy is about 620kHz.
The problem is I get good sparking in spark gap ( I have 4 copper rods 1 mm apart) when I connect teh power supply but as soon as I connect the primary coil, the sparking dies. I have tried the Oudin configuration ( where the supply is across the capacitor) and the normal configuartion ( where the supply is across the spark gap) and the same problem.
The only think that works is if I put the power suply, capacitor, primary coil and spark gap in series in that order. I thinkeither teh power supply or teh capacitor may not be suiatble.
Pictures of spark gap, capacitor and power supply are attached.
Please give me some hints.
[Edit: Image size maximum 400 pixels
]Re: Tesla coil quenching problem ( #2)he supply is acrosos
Dago, Wed May 23 2007, 06:23PM
You are supposed to connect the capacitor in series with the primary coil, not in parallel.
Dago, Wed May 23 2007, 06:23PM
You are supposed to connect the capacitor in series with the primary coil, not in parallel.
Re: Tesla coil quenching problem ( #2)he supply is acrosos
Robert Mani, Wed May 23 2007, 07:08PM
Dago,
I did connect the capacitor in series with teh primary coil. I was saying that I connected the spark gap
in parallel with the series combination of capcitor and primary coil. As soon as I coonect the spek gap to the series LC circuit ,the sparking stops.
See sttahced diagram.
I have also tried the other setting where the power supply is across the capacitor and the series combination of spark gap + primary are in parallel with it. Sameproblem there.
see attached.
Robert Mani, Wed May 23 2007, 07:08PM
Dago,
I did connect the capacitor in series with teh primary coil. I was saying that I connected the spark gap
in parallel with the series combination of capcitor and primary coil. As soon as I coonect the spek gap to the series LC circuit ,the sparking stops.
See sttahced diagram.
I have also tried the other setting where the power supply is across the capacitor and the series combination of spark gap + primary are in parallel with it. Sameproblem there.
see attached.
Re: Tesla coil quenching problem ( #2)he supply is acrosos
Robert Mani, Wed May 23 2007, 07:11PM
Dago,
Please see the two diagrams on the following links. It did not attach properly in my last response.
Robert Mani, Wed May 23 2007, 07:11PM
Dago,
Please see the two diagrams on the following links. It did not attach properly in my last response.
Re: Tesla coil quenching problem ( #2)he supply is acrosos
Steve Conner, Wed May 23 2007, 07:34PM
That looks like a high frequency electronic neon power supply. Tesla coils don't work properly with these, you're supposed to use an old-fashioned neon sign transformer with a real iron core.
If you are feeling brave, you might want to try adding a rectifier made of high voltage fast recovery diodes. If the output of that thing was rectified, it might work.
Steve Conner, Wed May 23 2007, 07:34PM
That looks like a high frequency electronic neon power supply. Tesla coils don't work properly with these, you're supposed to use an old-fashioned neon sign transformer with a real iron core.
If you are feeling brave, you might want to try adding a rectifier made of high voltage fast recovery diodes. If the output of that thing was rectified, it might work.
Re: Tesla coil quenching problem ( #2)he supply is acrosos
Ken M., Thu May 24 2007, 02:12AM
I've tried the HF Electronic PS's and I imagine at some point Steve it'd fail. I tried to the same thing a few years ago off the idea from I think...Extreme electronics where the ac was rectified and put through a cap bank and some other suff, the coil produced extremely weak arcs regardles to what I did until it killed the rectifier and the ps, after blowing the PS's fuse and several electronics that I could never really find what the problem was.
Ken M., Thu May 24 2007, 02:12AM
I've tried the HF Electronic PS's and I imagine at some point Steve it'd fail. I tried to the same thing a few years ago off the idea from I think...Extreme electronics where the ac was rectified and put through a cap bank and some other suff, the coil produced extremely weak arcs regardles to what I did until it killed the rectifier and the ps, after blowing the PS's fuse and several electronics that I could never really find what the problem was.
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