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Re: streamer hit

On Wed, 11 Nov 1998 06:27:55 -0700 in the Tesla List
Paul Marshall <klugmann-at-hotmail-dot-com> wrote:

>From time to time people write in to the list about intentionally
>exposing themselves to high voltage streamer hits. A couple of 
>nights ago I was doing some extreamly low power test with my coil.
>2 - 3" streamers. I approached the coil with a screw driver.
>Needless to say I got a painful suprise. My coil at high power will
>deliver 80 + inch streamers. I can't imagine what a hit from that
>would be like and I don't want to find out.

Hi Paul, if you got "a painful surprise" at low power I wouldn't try
playing with those sparks at full power! There is either a direct path
through your coil back to the A.C.
power distribution lines and therefor to ground as well or you have some
strong low frequency components superimposed on your coils High frequency
output. It is this low frequency component that will give you a shock and
or kill you. With pure R.F. you would only get R.F. burns if the spark
hit you directly, if you hold a conductor and allow the spark to hit the
conductor you will feel nothing if there is only R.F.! I really DON'T
suggest allowing the output of any Tesla coil to go through your body,
there are too many risks involved! Like I said above if there is a direct
path back to the A.C. mains or if there is a strong low frequency
component in the coils output you can get hurt or even killed. Up until
the 70's or so the demonstrators at the Franklin Institute used to have
people play a "game" called chicken where all the people watching held
hands in a semi-circle connected to a bi-polar Tesla coil and the
demonstrator would turn on the coil and most of the people would scream
and jump breaking the circle, then those who didn't scream or jump would
again hold hands and the demonstrator would again turn on the coil and
this would continue until only one person remained. When ever I decided
to join in on this "game" I was always the one left to take the coils
output by my self from left arm to right arm. Well it took a lot not to
complain because it HURT LIKE ALL MIGHTY HELL!!! I could not stop my arm
muscles from jumping spastically! There was a LOT of low frequency
component in that coil's output and frankly I'm lucky to be alive and the
Franklin Institute is lucky that in all the years it allowed it's
demonstrators to play chicken that no one died! As I understand it
someone with a little brains realized the risks and stopped the
demonstrators from playing chicken.

                               Alfred A. Skrocki
                          Alfred.Skrocki.Sr-at-JUNO-dot-com
                 Visit my Do-It-Yourself Aquarium WEB page at:
                  http://WWW.GeoCities-dot-com/CapeCanaveral/6251

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