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Registered Member #2676
Joined: Sat Feb 06 2010, 10:37AM
Location:
Posts: 1
Hi, I have just finished building a Tesla coil running of a NST (15Kv at 30mA). It does work and is generating a coronal discharge around the toroid but I am having a problem with it shutting off. It seems to run for a variable amount of time (sometimes only a few microseconds, other times 30 or so seconds) and then it just stops. The NST keeps humming, which I think just means that power is getting to the primary of the NST. Not sure if this is due to the NST having a GFCI. It is a Standard Electric Works transformer from 1990 which I would have thought was to old to have a GFCI and it doesn't have any description of having one but maybe it does. Any idea for what might be causing this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Registered Member #2463
Joined: Wed Nov 11 2009, 03:49AM
Location:
Posts: 1546
When I test transformers that are sourced from 120 VAC for various things, I connect a lamp board in series with the line. The board is just 20 sockets in parallel with a collection of light bulbs and maybe a cone heater or two. You might try 2-200 watt, in parallel ,in series with your Ungrounded pin of the plug, the narrow one. You might learn something by watching the lamps, when it works and when it doesnt. I was a chore to scrounge a good nst from the various junked neon signs that were around. Some were shorted or intermittent..
Registered Member #162
Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3141
The symptom sounds very like a dying NST
Disconnect everything from the NST except the primary and power it up, listen for anything other than the usual hummmm. If it seems ok then draw an arc between the two eht terminals/wires, you should be able to draw a continuous arc. If that's ok then connect your Safety Gap across the eht (You do have a safety gap I hope, if not this could be the source of your problem) and adjust the gap so that it just about fires. If all the above is ok then your primary capacitor is the main suspect.
If it is the NST and it's the tar-filled type you MAY be able to repair it by putting it in a hot oven for an hour or two. The oven has to be hot enough to melt the tar but not burn it. The heat has to get all through the tar and windings to ensure that all the tar melts to liquid. Put a metal tray under the NST as the tar expands when hot and may drip into the oven causing the oven to smoke and smell badly (how do I know this?) If you're lucky (I have been) the NST will 'heal' itself.
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: Pacific Northwest USA
Posts: 1042
make sure your gap electrodes are set good and tight - I have had some that were just a little loose affect performance also, if it is your capacitor you cannot test it with just a multimeter, as it will be at high voltage breakdown in which the problem occurs (this happened on my last coil, but luckily amazing1 was willing to replace it for free and the coil worked for a while before more problems occur, I later realized it was most likely my setup)
if it's your NST needing replacement (please do try the above suggestions for repair first before assuming it has to go) then try Craigslist - I have found several NSTs on craigslist in the past for pretty cheap
and as stated above, make sure you have a safety gap, I know my last coil didn't and it does pretty easily even with a new capacitor
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Tesla coil shutting off
