Nikola Tesla Patents
S T cessation of their influence. It is of advantage to employ round grains of powder in the tube, and in any event it is important that they should be of as uniform size and shape as possible and that provision should be made for maintaining an unchanging and very dry atmosphere in the tube. To the terminals T and T' of the condenser C' is connected a coil p, usually consisting of a few turns of a conductor of very small resistance which is the primary of the transformer before referred toin series. with a device d which effects the discharge of the condenser through the coil p at predetermined intervals of time. In the present case this device consists of a cylinder made partly of conducting and partly of insulating material, e and e' respectively, which is rotated at the desired rate of speed by any suitable means. The conducting part e is in good electrical connection with shaft S, and is provided with tapering segments as f upon which slides a brush k which should preferably be capable of longitudinal adjustment along the cylinder. Another brush b', which is connected to the condenser terminal T', being arranged to bear upon the shaft S, it will be seen that whenever the brush k comes in contact with a conducting segment e the circuit including the primary p will be completed, and the condenser, if energized, discharged through the same. By an adjustment of the speed. of rotation of the cylinder and a displacement of the brush k along the axis of the same, the circuit may be made to open and close in as rapid succession and remain open or closed during such intervals of time as may be desired. -15This page retyped from microfilm for better readability - Ed.] 475
