Does a triggered spark gap have a pulse sharpening effect like a regular one - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: CopperCone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2018, 04:33:49 pm
content: So the spark gap is described as having a pulse sharpening effect. Does this still ccurr when a bridge is being made between a metalic conductor and an established plasma channel?I can de

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2018, 05:14:31 pm
content: I doubt it, it's the overvoltage beyond the static breakdown voltage which makes the gap fill up faster with plasma when it finally does break down. A normal triggered spark gap is more like the normal break down where one filaments finds the other side and then grows.Maybe you could find some tricky way to construct the trigger such that it creates plasma all along the edge of an electrode and then grows the plasma towards the other one as a wave front rather than a filament, simulating the overvoltaged gap.

author: CopperCone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2018, 07:12:22 pm
content: Well the spark gap I made is basically drilling out two mouse balls to mount on threaded rods which go into a little base. I drilled out one of the threaded rods and all the way through the ball so I can shove a piece of hardline coax in there (just what I used for a teflon insulator since its solid core, no need for it you can use anything).You can basically make an arc between the coax shield (connected to the ball basically) and the coax center conductor, or you can make an arc between the center conductor and the other ball. I used a BBQ starter to play with it. I did not get a chance to move any energy through it yet, since I took it apart to design it a bit better (it uses ghetto bushings made out of copper sheet thats been peen hammered a bunch to have some curl to it that basically wraps around the threaded rod.. its not greatBut anyway, if you make an arc between the center coax conductor and the other ball, you get the system described in this thread, where the potential of the other ball is brought to the center of the coax, which then arcs the small distance between the coax center conductor and the other ball.But I think maybe if the arc permits you can bring em close together and rely on the arc being not a strait line to act as a sort of trigger for a breakdown to occur, between the balls, rather then using the center conductor. It may be touchy however.Does this kind of approximate the criteria you mention in your post?Can you tell me more about the fronts you envision? I have a hard time grasping this. I have the book gaseous conductors I kinda pecked at but its difficult.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2018, 01:56:20 am
content: Well lets say you make the electrodespancakesinstead of hemispheres. then you drill through one at multiple spots across it's surface to pass through insulated trigger wires (like the Straightforward Triggered Gap Designhere, except he only did one). Because you simultaneously fill the entire space near one electrode with plasma, instead of just a small part, it might start acting like an overvoltaged gap with breakdown occurring across the entire gap rather than forming from a single filament.The most common DIY fast gap is the TEA air laser BTW. It has a slow spark gap, which then overvoltages the fast spark gap which is the laser cavity ... and the lasing ensures breakdown occurs across the entire gap once it gets going. Because the electrodes are 1D it can't handle a lot of energy though.

author: CopperCone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2018, 01:59:18 pm
content: Hmm well lol my idea is for the worst case mains switching threadI guess the spark gap still has a benefit of getting rid of insane current levels.I wonder if its possible to connect a spark gap to temp regulators to get accurate triggeringContinuous gas flow would cause problems