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Registered Member #3414
Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245
Finn Hammer wrote ...
Cheers, Finn Hammer
I was looking for that Terry Fritz link. I thought it was around 13", but couldn't find a link. I knew there was already a 'challenge' running somewhere....and a 'world record', 13.25".
Nah wrote ...
GMHEICSLR ???? It stands for..... .
General Motors High Energy Ignition Coil Spark Length Record
Registered Member #1225
Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253
Yes i have heard of the GMHEICSLR cup, but i am not really planning on setting a new record. It might not take an EE to beat that (as in it is a simple schematic), just a really good ignition coil. But, if you do various calculations and try to make the primary and secondary resonate, you could beat the record without some incredible ignition coil. Don't get me wrong, Terry is obviously much more intuitive than i am, i just think you would have to do some pretty serious calculations to get much better sparks without a better ignition coil.
I left the core in mine so there is not much of a point trying to make the primary and secondary resonate, because it would just saturate I'm sure. I'm keeping it simple, i just want to destroy an ignition coil Maybe i will have the (rather pointless) record for an HEI made in that specific year, with a core, with a microwave capacitor, with a mechanical switch, though. Hehehe.
Registered Member #1225
Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253
As it turns out, 150kv is harder to insulate than i thought! The container i was using to hold the ignition coil and oil had a leak, so i could not fill the PVC pipe up. Well, it arced through the PVC pipe to ground. Damn, back to the drawing board i suppose! I was taking a video while attempting the 8 inch arcs Patrick suggested which is when i had the failure:
I also put together something to charge the microwave capacitor and discharge it into the primary of the coil. It is a bug zapper transformer to charge the cap, and a small LV transformer to operate a relay. It is a pretty juicy relay and it can stand off the 2-3kv just fine, and it has seen well over 100 shots so far. This (pretty terrible) video shows the setup:
Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
Yeah 150kV is starting to get up there, so expect problems andmore problems. I like the black engine gasket sealer, seems compatiable with oil. Also, you may just want to make the whole thing out of 4 inch and 1 inch pvc or abs. thus getting rid of your crappy container.
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Pushing an ignition coil to it's limits... Place your bets!
Don't get me wrong, Terry is obviously much more intuitive than i am, i just think you would have to do some pretty serious calculations to get much better sparks without a better ignition coil.
Maybe i will have the (rather pointless) record for an HEI made in that specific year, with a core, with a microwave capacitor, with a mechanical switch, though. Hehehe.
