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Registered Member #2153
Joined: Wed Jun 03 2009, 03:19PM
Location:
Posts: 69
Hello, upon the first test of my tesla there were two small secondary flashovers so I immediately turned it off and added more polyurethane. I tested again a few hours later and after a few seconds more secondary flashovers appeared, and I never got any streamers from my toroid. So today I poured polyurethane all over it and spread it around hoping to seal it so well that it's impossible for any flashovers to occur. If this doesn't work I fear I will have to buy more magnet wire and start over on my secondary, because it keeps burning off it's insulation. Any advice? I wont' be able to make a new secondary in time to get it working because I start college saturday! Please help! What should I do?
Registered Member #1169
Joined: Wed Dec 12 2007, 09:16AM
Location: Portland OR
Posts: 251
Might need more information about the coil first and possibly some pictures to kinda show whats going on. From the vague description it sounds like your coupling is too tight? try adding some spacers under the secondary to raise it up from the primary...
Registered Member #480
Joined: Thu Jul 06 2006, 07:08PM
Location: North America
Posts: 644
JD -
Can you provide some specific information on what you mean by a "secondary flashover"?
1. Is this an arc between the secondary coil and some other part of the Tesla coil (like the primary coil, etc)? 2. Where, exactly is the arcing occurring? 3. Or is this purely an arc between two locations on the surface of the secondary? 4. What is your calculated primary-secondary coupling factor (K-factor)? 5. What type of ground are you using for your secondary, and are you sure it was connected during this testing? 6. When you say you "added more polyurethane", what do you mean? Where are you "adding polyurethane"?
Without some SPECIFIC description of where the arcing is occurring, it's very difficult to offer any useful troubleshooting information.
Registered Member #2153
Joined: Wed Jun 03 2009, 03:19PM
Location:
Posts: 69
Ok, the flashovers are occuring near the bottom of the secondary and are just jumping around on the secondary. Not to anything else. My ground is about 3 feet deep, and I always soak the ground around it before testing. I didn't know I needed to calculate a coupling factor, but the base of the secondary(where the windings start) is almost level with the primary. I added more polyurethane to the Secondary, especially to the bottom since that is where the flashovers are occuring. thanks
Registered Member #480
Joined: Thu Jul 06 2006, 07:08PM
Location: North America
Posts: 644
JD -
This just doesn't make sense.
1. Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE the bottom of your secondary is actually grounded? Have you verified continuity from your topload to the ground rod, using a multimeter?
2. How are you able to be 100% sure that the arcing is not taking place between primary and secondary? Add 1 complete turn of white paper around the inside of your primary, run the coil, and then inspect the paper for arc punctures (tiny black holes). Be ready to act quickly is the paper catches on fire!
3. If in fact you have already "burned the insulation off" your secondary wire, then the secondary is probably is damaged beyond repair, unless you unwind and discard ALL the wire that has any evidence of insulation damage. A magnifying glass will show if the insulation is actually burned off the wire. If you have just plastered polyurethane over burnt and carbonized insulation, you have just made things worse.
4. "Racing arcs" on the secondary usually occur further up the coil, rather than just at the bottom, so I doubt that overcoupling is the root cause of your problem. However, knowing the K-factor of your coil is an important part of getting a well-tuned, reliable system. What Tesla coil design program did you use to design your coil?
Registered Member #2153
Joined: Wed Jun 03 2009, 03:19PM
Location:
Posts: 69
I'm not ABSOLUTELY SURE that my secondary is grounded because my voltmeter will not reach from the coil itself to the ground, it's too far away. However I did get continuity from toroid to a grounding screw. The grounding screw located under the primary of my tesla is connected to my grounding wire which obviously runs to the grounding rod. I will try the paper trick, but I'm almost 100% sure that the flashovers are occuring only on the secondary, I never saw any sparks from the primary. The wire I used for secondary had several kinks and sharp bends in the spool, and I am considering contacting the company with a complaint as I feel this might be the original cause of the problem. Thanks, Jonathan
Registered Member #480
Joined: Thu Jul 06 2006, 07:08PM
Location: North America
Posts: 644
JD -
Again, your description of the problem just doesn't add up.
Simplistically speaking, arcing can only occur between a point of high potential and a point of lower potential.
The bottom of your secondary should be at ground potential, unless it is not really connected to an effective ground.
The only thing near the bottom of the secondary that should be at high potential is the primary conductor. If the coil is correctly wired, the most likely cause of arcing near the bottom of the secondary is primary-secondary arcing. This may be triggered if the primary is too close to the secondary, or there are sharp points or projections anywhere on the primary conductor. You may also get erratic pri-sec arcing if the secondary is not grounded.
What is the minimum primary-to-secondary spacing on your setup?
Why not post a series of clear photos, showing the bottom of your secondary where the arcing is occuring, the primary coil, any nearby structural parts, etc
Registered Member #15
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068
Jonathan Dennis wrote ...
Hello, upon the first test of my tesla there were two small secondary flashovers so I immediately turned it off and added more polyurethane. I tested again a few hours later and after a few seconds more secondary flashovers appeared, and I never got any streamers from my toroid. So today I poured polyurethane all over it and spread it around hoping to seal it so well that it's impossible for any flashovers to occur. If this doesn't work I fear I will have to buy more magnet wire and start over on my secondary, because it keeps burning off it's insulation. Any advice? I wont' be able to make a new secondary in time to get it working because I start college saturday! Please help! What should I do?
Please realize that adding more insulative material to something that is arcing or flashing over in this case is not a good idea. It does nothing to reduce the electrical stress gradient of the problem.
What you need to do is fix the problem, and not treat the symptom.
If you are getting primary to secondary flash-overs, then try decreasing the coupling by raising the secondary coil. Also, racing sparks can be decreased by decreasing coupling as well.
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Secondary Problems Need Help
