3 ms·
It's a good question. It depends on whether we're observing arc discharge or just combustion. If it's arcing, it could surely have a significant UV component. B
by lvs 8y ago
It's a good question. It depends on whether we're observing arc discharge or just combustion. If it's arcing, it could surely have a significant UV component. But I suspect this is burning copper or aluminum. HV transformers are filled with some kind of cooling oil, and I suspect that just has to burn off. If it were totally uncontrolled arcing, I'd guess there would be lots of reports of broadband interference that I haven't come across.
- mirimir 8y agoWith that sort of light, there clearly was arcing. But most of the billowing smoke was from burning transformer oil. And about radio interference. This is 60 Hz, so I doubt that's an issue.
- ben_w 8y agoA spark’s RF interference isn’t limited to the frequency of the power supply. I don’t know the mechanism, but when I was a kid I found I could hold a lightswitch in a halfway state and hear the interference on the nearby FM radio. (Classic FM, so ~101 MHz compared to UK mains at 50 Hz).
- mirimir 8y agoOK, fair enough. But I know what arcs look like. And I'm 100% sure that the one in these NYC videos was huge.
- aaaaaaaaaab 8y agohttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- lvs 8y agoNo, spark discharge EMI is a broad spectrum signal.
- mirimir 8y agoAs I understand it, there's a lot more to spark-gap transmitters than arcs.