Alternative Idea of Tesla Coil Operation

[omnispace]

The Tesla Coil has a primary and a secondary winding, and many people think this forms a step-up transformer.  However, if a spark gap is set up properly, it will primarily produce square waves with sharp rise/fall times.  The primary inductor coil is a low-pass filter, and it will not allow a sharp square wave to pass through it and begin oscillating.  My idea is that, instead of the inductive coupling in a transformer, the primary and secondary have capacitive coupling.  It is the E-field (voltage), and not magnetic flux, that is induced in the secondary.  The pulsating E-field, when matched to the resonant frequency of the secondary, creates the high voltages needed for discharge or wireless transmission.

What do you think of this idea?  Does anyone have experiments that support or detract from this viewpoint?

omnispace

[omnispace]

No replies yet?  Let me share with you the significance of my hypothesis, if it happens to be true.  Tesla coils are generally thought of as dual resonant circuits, with a primary LC and a secondary LC.  However, if the primary inductor is not really being used as an inductor, then the primary frequency does not come from resonant LC oscillations, but rather from the sparking frequency.  Therefore, tuning the Tesla coil would consist of matching the sparking frequency to the secondary coil's resonant frequency.

If this is true, it will make a major difference in how we construct Tesla wireless energy devices and possibly other EM overunity devices as well.

[armagdn03]

remember inductive simply means something was induced, it does not have to be magnetic, and it does not have to be cpacitive, it is simply induced. When one also considers the fact that there is never such a thing as simply capacitive, and never simply inductive, that both elements are always present, it becomes more interesting. I would say keep following this line of thought, your conclusion also satisfies the fact that many two turn type primaries were used.

[Koen1]

Yes, I think armagdn03 has a good point here.
I think we should not get too focused on the difference between
capacitive and inductive electrification in the Tesla coils as it seems
both apply. It is the mix of the two that seems to be of importance.

[armagdn03]

not only is it a mix between the two in the tesla coils, it is always a mix between the two in every element. Capacitors have inductance, and coils have capacitance, one cannot have one without the other, it is as futile as the search for monopoles. You will find many interesting discoveries down this path, realizing that each compliments the other the way north compliments south, positive negative, hot cold etc..... We live in a world of seeming two, opposed opposites that rhythmically interchange to create our world. For example, what do we get when we mix a condenser and an inductive coil, given a pulse we have interchange.

If you are interested in this topic, you might like to read the "tesla project" thread, or if you would like to talk about it, I have a yahoo name Armagdn03 and am always willing to share!