Re: Leyden jar caps (Not shooting for anything gloriuous,but...) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: tesla@pupman.com Subject: Re: Leyden jar caps (Not shooting for anything gloriuous,but...) From: "Pam Jasso" (by way of Terry Fritz ) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 22:30:05 -0600 Approved: twf@verinet.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be careful to not have any copper in the salt water Leydens. because the copper will corrode -----Original Message----- From: Tesla List To: tesla@pupman.com Date: Monday, April 19, 1999 8:58 AM Subject: Re: Leyden jar caps (Not shooting for anything gloriuous,but...) >Original Poster: Bob > > > >Tesla List wrote: >> >> Original Poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" >> >> Tesla List wrote: >> >> > A better way to make a Leyden Jar capacitor is to use salt water on the >> > outside as well as the inside of the bottles. It tends to eliminate >> > corona losses, and if a bottle breaks, the salt water is contained by >> > the outside container. It does make a series string more difficult >> > (outside containers must be separated and insulated) and may exacerbate >> > the shock hazard . . . >> >> Why not metal foil inside and outside, of course in a bottle with >> wide mouth? This is the classical design for a Leyden jar since more >> than 200 years. > >I suggested the salt water primarily as a way of minimizing corona. My >own experience is that they last longer than foil alone (inside and >out). If you want a lot of ozone, loose foil is the way to go. Never >managed to get the inside foil to adhere uniformly to the inside of >bottles, without a lot of air gaps. Best method was to use aluminum >foil and inflate a toy balloon, inside the foil, to press it into the >plastic (and epoxy adhesive). > >> >> And about using salt water, there is a possibility that I don't remember >> seing discussed in this list, that is to use the water level for >> tuning, in the simplest way by changing the level of the water at the >> outer side of the bottles. A particularly convenient disposition >> could be to use two capacitors in series with the center grounded, >> in parallel with the power transformer and filter, having also in >> parallel the spark gap and the primary coil, both in series. >> The two capacitors would be bottles with salt water inside and >> outside, with the outside water common and grounded. A pump, or >> something simpler, as a bucket with water that is rised or lowered, >> connected to the water around the capacitors by a syphon tube, >> could be rather safely used for tuning, even with the system powered. > >I did try a device to raise and lower the (glass - in this case) bottles >in the tank. Works really well as a tuning device, particularly if you >are searching for the ideal capacitor - inductor combination, or trying >for pinpoint tuning in a coil. The crank handle was a piece of nylon >bar for safety. > >Salt water presents some unique hazards. I found if I got salt water on >wood, I could wipe it off, and dry it, but if it had a chance to >penetrate the wood, it would become conductive again when the ambient >humidity was high. > >The siphon or pump idea to raise and lower the electrolyte would take >some designing to make it safe. Mechanical methods are probably easier. > >Take care >bob misiura >