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Registered Member #2318
Joined: Fri Aug 28 2009, 01:22AM
Location:
Posts: 33
This question most likely has an obvious answer that is eluding me, but I shall ask anyway. In a normal tesla coil, the high frequency is generated by the capacitor repeatedly and rapidly discharging through the spark gap and primary coil. This is all done on the HV side of the circuit, rather than on the wall current side. Why then, could the high frequency pulse not be generated on the 120v side with a similar mechanism, just at much lower voltage, and THEN be fed through the HV transformer to the primary coil?
Registered Member #477
Joined: Tue Jun 20 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 546
First off, the high frequency is not generated by the rapid discharge of the capacitor through the gap. The high frequency is generated by the "ringing" of the primary tank circuit, which includes the cap, gap, and primary of the Tesla coil. One sort of serviceable analogy is a tuning fork: Think of the gap firing as if you're striking a tuning fork.
As for sending the high frequency through a transformer, a Tesla coil *is* the high frequency transformer. The primary/secondary assembly steps up the high-voltage, high-frequency current in the primary many times, resulting in the cool streamer discharge. However, a transformer of the sort most people use to charge the capacitor in a Tesla coil (e.g., a neon sign transformer, pole pig, etc.) is meant for 50- or 60Hz AC from the mains. Its construction simply doesn't allow effective transformation at Tesla coil frequencies.
However, there is the "OLTC," which Steve Conner, one of our esteemed moderators, can go into some detail about (I expect there's information in the HvWiki on this topic, too). In this Tesla coil topology, there is no transformer for charging the primary capacitor. Rather, the capacitor is charged directly off the mains, and various solid state devices effectively replace the spark gap. Not a trivial task to build, however.
Registered Member #477
Joined: Tue Jun 20 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 546
duroo wrote ...
btw, my friends and i just got our first coil working tonight putting out ~11 inch streamers
Good to hear, and welcome to 4hv, by the way. Drop some pictures here when you get the chance. Everybody here likes to see sparks (as long as they're coming from the right place!).
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(Probably) A Stupid Question
