Million Volt Challenge, part 2

[@DolezalPetr]

Ionisation helps with creating continuus arc, the hihg frequency also helps a lot, do if you have a 20cm gap with needle electrodes and very high frequency that ionises the air, than the voltage is about 120kV or less, the rule is to divide the distsnce in half when the setup looks like this, with my 13-14cm gap and the same setup I got about 70kV (I have a 110kV voltmeter) so 1MV would make 1,5 to 2 meter long sparks, with this high frequency setup more likely 2 meter long sparks and there is no way to get to this voltage with these small transformers, these can make 300kV at best. The way to go is to make a 3 phase high voltage DC power supply and switch it through a charging choke with a rotary spark gap into a large bipolar magnifier with two resonators.

[@gristc]

I changed the electrodes for aluminium balls and lost about 4cm. It's also running at 100Hz, not particularly high frequency. I put a Rogowski coil on the primary circuit and there's almost no bouncing at all, just current peaks as the gap fires. I can see the air getting ionised ahead of the main sparks, but it's nothing like my actual Tesla Coil.

[@DolezalPetr]

@@gristc with ball electrodes the voltage gets higher for the samé air gab because the ball electrodes accumulate charge. And for the 100Hz frequency...that is imposible, because the spark gap creates a dampened oscillatoin at very high frequency so the windings can properly couple, the air core provides a way for the primary and secondary to couple, but it is limited, 100Hz would not work, it is just your power supply running at 100Hz, but the coil runs at much higher frequency. Tip from me, the ball electrodes are better to put at both ends if the pvc pipe, like a tesla coil but for both ends, toroids are even better and then run normal wires to normal needle electrodes, the voltage will get even higher!

[@DrakkarCalethiel]

Looks like we are both winding a lager coil. My new one will be at least 50cm. Already got 10cm long streamers with a 20cm coil at just 40 volts input from my SSTC. My personal goal is to get 25-35cm streamers! Tesla coils and HV in general is a bit addictive!

[@gristc]

Nice, look forward to seeing it, and yeah, it really is. :)