Ignoramus27088 wrote:
On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 11:44:24 -0800, Joel Kolstad wrote:

"Ignoramus27088" wrote in message
m...

The seller was wrong in describing them as 22 VOLT capacitors. They
are 22 KILO volt capacitors. (the seller is Fermilab).

This is kinda a sad commentary on the kind of people they'll hire at
Fermilab these days, no?


Indeed.


I don't know the proper care and feeding of such high energy storage
capacitors, but when I've seen people working with them they always carried a
long (about 6') wooden stick with a shorting strap (about 1"x6") on top to
always ensure the caps were discharged before they touched them.


OK, I think that we are up to something here.

The test setup that I may try is as follows:

- 9kV franceformer feeding the cap, with remote disconnect leading to
the HV pole
A FranceFormer is a neon sign transformer, and definitely AC.
- Wires from the cap connected to two junk steel flats, all set safely
apart
- A shorting stick (also made of junk steel) with a wooden broomhandle

Hmmm, better be sure that stick is dry, clean and free of cracks in the
wood.
The procedure would be

- connect everything
- put on hearing protection
- turn on the franceformer
- disconnect franceformer with remote disconnect.
- turn face away, short the steel flats using broomhandle
- hear BOOM
- describe testing in the ebay ad
The boom might be quite impressive, as these are probably Marx generator
pulse discharge caps, and may have a current capacity of tens
of thousands of amps.

Jon