WW - do you have any photos of your gap you could post?
WW - I know they are slow but I was thinking of using the tube as a hold off until the end of the mechanical dwell - so it would fire as the mechanical was about to open.
No photos, yet. I'll do some digging. I ran three in sequential firing for rotation. One of them should be presentable. Mechanical dwell? This was used for quenching, was it not? If so, you won't need it with mine. Look at the schematic symbol I posted above. TRG = Trigger for the primary gap. Apply a very high voltage here to start ionization at the cathode of the primary gap. This makes the gap more conductive for the main energy applied to SRC. SRC = Source. Source of voltage to do the work. Genrally, I apply a lower voltage much higher current capacity here. This voltage is usually so low it would never arc across the gap without a trigger. OUT = Output to the load GND = Ground here but can also be the next SRC in a sequence or TRG to the next gap. Note the second trigger near the GND terminal. This is what I have not seen by others. When the main gap does fire that same potential is applied to the GND trigger. This builds ionization at GND making the lower gap more conductive than the primary gap. The primary gap is truly quenched. Not by air, magnets, steam, water, arc chutes or mechanical mechanisms. All are far too slow. By adjusting triggers and gaps you can have your load switched off right at the peak. The results are interesting enough without encasing the thing in a vacuum or some special gas. Humidity and dust do nasty things to performance. Just use fine thread for adjustments and well insulated adjusting knobs. My parts all came from Lowe's and Menard's. The gold plating was done at work. I have used Tungsten arc cutter tips before for gap points from a weld shop supplier.
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