Nikola Tesla Books
42 HIGH FREQUENCY APPARATUS Fig. 3. Simple form of quenched gap and its radiation surface tends to dissipate the heat as fast as it is produced and the condenser discharge takes the form of a series of very short, clean, and nearly undamped surges. The large surface and the short gap increase the total number of discharges per alternation of the current from one or two per alternation to several hundred or perhaps a thousand. This does not mean that the frequency of the current is affected by the quenched gap characteristics just mentioned. The frequency of the oscillations may be just as high in the ordinary gap but the groups or trains of oscillations, or perhaps we had better say the groups of condenser discharges, may occur many more times per second, or per alternation of the current, in the quenched gap. That is to say, the condenser becomes charged and discharged many more times per second, while the frequency of the oscillations in each separate discharge may remain fixed. The advantages of the quenched gap are manifold while the difficulties identified with its construction and use are almost as numerous. The quenched gap requires good tools and good workmanship. In operation, it is likely to become overheated and its operation will then be unsteady. It is heavy as compared with the ordinary gap and it is costly.
