I have most of the parts now. The circuit would follow Fig. 4 and/or Fig. 5 of #2,695,375. Careful testing will begin on the weekend of the 6th & 7th of Aug.
Got to go. Will update this late
To start, I'll also add Patent #2,413,681
http://www.google.com/patents?id=ExpkAAAAEBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=patent:2413681&hl=en&ei=--Y-Tqe8HPLViAKa873DBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA"Luminescent Tube System and Apparatus"This differs from the previous one such that it's a parallel system. Built in efficiency occurs when the paralleled tubes each have a series inductor(w/iron core in the patent text) and a ballast capacitor. One unit leads in reactance and the other lags, thus approximating reactance unity.
This theory can be tested by me for the accurate prediction of said efficiency.
Now, for testing, I'll wire two of the small Radio Shack 12 VAC, .45 A transformers in series, with their secondaries facing to my right. Then I'll take ten of the same type of transformers in series with the secondaries to my left, so that the step-up ratio is 2:10 = 5 to 1, increasing; thus giving 120 VAC * 5 = 600 VAC.
600 VAC should be enough for starters on the two 6W, 18" fluorescent tubes I bought new from a hardware store. Then I'll test modifications to this simplest of circuits after that.
Will return later with edited updates.
Here's one:
Results of the first tests with a voltmeter were not what I expected to see. I stepped the voltage of a Radio Shack #273-1365 (12.6 VAC, .45 A) transformer with another like it as well as 2 ea. Radio Shack #273-1511 (12.6 VAC, 3 A) next to it, above and below, in series and backwards to the first one to step up the secondary output by 3 times.
Whatever I did, I got 100VAC at the output on an analog VOM. The "output" being a set of 3 series primaries with a 6W fluorescent tube connected to both sides of it with alligator clip leads.
I don't know why. Adding 2ea. 500V non-polarized caps; as well as an inductor (40 turns of 24ga. speaker wire on a paper toilet tube roll w/ 1 5/8" outside dia.) simultaneously gave the same reading. Crossing the leads of both primary or secondary (one at a time) made no difference. Adding a Radio Shack 120VAC neon in parallel with the input made no difference.
I suppose the next thing to do is add more transformers to the output and should give a higher output reading on the meter. Will do that next.
Next Experiment:
Learning by way of the experience, I find that putting 120 VAC to the secondary of a line transformer obviously gives 1,200 VAC on the primary. This by itself will light a fluorescent tube. Putting another transformer in series with that to step up the voltage to 12,000 VAC causes an ominous buzzing sound in the transformer and tube.
OKAY!! That's enough of that. Driving a transformer designed for line mains voltage isn't good enough for
that much voltage. I do have single-wire-wound transformer-like contraptions that have heavier wire and are spaced by 3/8"-1/2" of air as a dielectric. I just don't necessarily want to put a helluva lot of voltage on a string of them.
I'll have to decide what to do about this, but, Tesla Patent #462,418 comes to mind. It can be configured to look like a hairpin circuit.
--Lee
Reedit, 8 Aug '11: Transcribed test results with further testing personally recommended to myself. And restated the thread title.
Reedit, 9 Aug '11: Appended another experimental result to the end of this post.