- #1
hstufflebeam
- 8
- 0
Hello all,
I am in the process of designing a tesla coil for a research paper, and, just when I thought I had seen all the crack science there could possibly be, I came across a claim concerning the golden ratio. (The natural progression of events, I guess...) There is a real problem when choosing a capacitance value for the tank capacitor, because if the capacitive reactance is equal to the inductive reactance of the transformer's secondary coil, resonance can cause voltage rise lethal to the delicate secondary windings.
This is where the golden ratio reportedly comes to the rescue. If a larger than resonant capacitor is used, one can avoid the out of control voltage gain and help prevent damage to the transformer. Specifically, there seems to be a consensus that one should use a capacitance of 1.618 times the resonant sized capacitance, because when two numbers are in the golden ratio, they have no common integer multiples, eliminating the possibility of resonance, and thus miraculously solving the problem.
I know that this is because φ is irrational, but why φ? Why not something like the square root of two, which would allow a lower capacitance (and a lower budget in most cases!)? I have never really understood the fascination with the golden ratio, perhaps, then, I am missing something?
Thanks
I am in the process of designing a tesla coil for a research paper, and, just when I thought I had seen all the crack science there could possibly be, I came across a claim concerning the golden ratio. (The natural progression of events, I guess...) There is a real problem when choosing a capacitance value for the tank capacitor, because if the capacitive reactance is equal to the inductive reactance of the transformer's secondary coil, resonance can cause voltage rise lethal to the delicate secondary windings.
This is where the golden ratio reportedly comes to the rescue. If a larger than resonant capacitor is used, one can avoid the out of control voltage gain and help prevent damage to the transformer. Specifically, there seems to be a consensus that one should use a capacitance of 1.618 times the resonant sized capacitance, because when two numbers are in the golden ratio, they have no common integer multiples, eliminating the possibility of resonance, and thus miraculously solving the problem.
I know that this is because φ is irrational, but why φ? Why not something like the square root of two, which would allow a lower capacitance (and a lower budget in most cases!)? I have never really understood the fascination with the golden ratio, perhaps, then, I am missing something?
Thanks