To clear up a few things not included in my first post:
- The cores I have are not Neon Sign Transformers. My big one in particular looks like it was a pad-mount of some type. It weighs 300-400 lbs with just the core and wire. I am guessing it is a residential-style distribution model as it has flat copper wires made of three 1" x 1/16" ribbons of copper with some sort of fiberglass/plasic/rubber insulation. The whole thing looks to have been dipped in varnish.
- I do want to wind these for HV, but I guess I assumed that they would have to be redipped in varnish, then run under oil. As Richard mentioned, it takes special care to design an air-run HV transformer, and I don't really have the facilities or knowledge to do that.
- Since I am doing this for a hobby / to learn, I am not above doing the work required. I also don't necessarily care whether I get 100KV out of it or not. As long as I can run a demo fusor off it, and **maybe** get enough voltage to push me into fusion range I'll be happy.
- The biggest problem is that although there is lots of good info out there, there is very little about how to apply it to a real transformer. It is also very difficult to dissociate the good info from the bad.
Keep the info coming though. It's good to know, and very helpful.
Created on Friday, March 16, 2001 10:07 AM EDT by Clay G Codner