looking for more help with tesla coil

im getting farther on my tesla coil. im getting output but not where it should be. im getting faint 6inch arcs all the way around the secondary about half way up in all directions. you cant see it on the camera tho. i have a video of it here, just hoping someone will have some helpful advice for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3S6UsiwlE&feature=youtu.be

You should definitely coat the secondary with 3-5 coats of (non-flammable) varnish. That helps reduce corona loss on the secondary. I would start there.

after doing some more research online, i found out that my coil is over coupled. i will just have to adjust the hight when i have some free time. thanks for the tip derstrom8. i have at least 10 coats of enamel coating on it

lokeycmos said:

after doing some more research online, i found out that my coil is over coupled. i will just have to adjust the hight when i have some free time. thanks for the tip derstrom8. i have at least 10 coats of enamel coating on it

Click to expand...

Over-coupling makes it arc from the bottom of the secondary to the primary (or vice versa). I don't think it would make it arc from higher up on the secondary. Have you looked at where the coil is arcing from? Are there any obvious blemishes on the secondary, like bumps in the wire (or kinks) or scratched insulation? That could also cause the problem.

Go ahead and lift the coil, but check the secondary first. You might find something that you didn't know about

Good luck!

this pdf describes the exact problem im having as overcoupling.

lokeycmos said:

this pdf describes the exact problem im having as overcoupling.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I didn't even think of harmonic frequencies....