primary coil material question

[lokeycmos]

forgive me if this has been asked before. im building a second tesla coil. on my first coil i used .25inch copper tubing for the primary winding. will 3/16 inch copper tubing work equally as well? what about using solid copper, say between 4 and 8 gauge grounding wire. will heavy guage multi strand work just as well? thank you!

 

[shortbus=]

While the copper tubing is copper, it is alloyed with another metal that makes it not quite as conductive as wire. I'd use the solid bare grounding wire.

 

[DerStrom8]

While the copper tubing is copper, it is alloyed with another metal that makes it not quite as conductive as wire. I'd use the solid bare grounding wire.

Though this is true, I feel the difference would be negligible. Copper tubing is cheaper and easier to shape, so it should work fine. If you can get the solid bare grounding wire instead (8 AWG sounds good, 4 AWG is a little extreme) for cheaper, and are willing to go through the trouble of shaping it, that would be best. It all comes down to what you can source and how much you're willing to spend.

 

[lokeycmos]

what are your opinions about the skin effect on tubing vs solid wire?

 

[DerStrom8]

what are your opinions about the skin effect on tubing vs solid wire?

The frequency on the primary coil should be fairly high, so it won't make much of a difference. Most of the current will flow around the outside, regardless of which type you use. I don't think you'll see a difference, to be honest.