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Re: Super simple beginner coils



On Wed, 28 Oct 1998 17:42:45 -0700 Terry Fritz
<terryf-at-verinet-dot-com> wrote:

>	I have received a number of off-list requests for a simple
beginner Tesla coil >that could be built by someone at say the junior
high level. Big high power sparks or >pole pigs, just a nice little easy
to make table top coil that would be good for science >fairs (and getting
an A in science). Preferably nothing super lethal but be able to make >a
few inch spark and demonstrate the principles of operation...

He continues with:

>    ...What I was thinking of is this.  A GM ignition coil is cheap and
easy to get at >the cheap auto parts store or junk yard. Not quite a
Tesla coil, but real easy to get and >solves a lot of problems building
the primary and secondary to specs ...

Terry as Reinhard <RWB355-at-aol-dot-com>, so aptly put it:

"Neat idea with the beginners TC. They wouldn´t be real TC´s ..."

As such they would teach NOTHING of the principles of operation of a real
Tesla coil!
All automobile ignition coils (as far as I know) have a ratio of
transformation directly related to the ratio of turns, whereas a Tesla
coil's ratio of transformation is dependant on the ratio of primary to
secondary inductance or likewise the ratio of primary to secondary
capacitance. Your suggested circuit would make a very nice driving supply
for an actual small Tesla coil though. It really wont at any significant
cost to the project to make a small primary perhaps out of #10 or #12
gauge house wire and one could strip the
wire out of an old audio transformer to make a little secondary, say
around 1 to 2 inches in diameter and 4 to 8 inches long and of course
adding a top load like a 2 to 4 inch sphere or equivalent sized toroid.
Now that would demonstrate the true principles of a Tesla coil and still
be very inexpensive. As far as "the problems building the primary and
secondary to specs", well that's all part of learning what a Tesla coil
is all about! Besides if one is going to draw up complete plains to post
on the Net, the builder won't have to do any of the calculations or get
involved with any other of the multiple design compromises. I would
suggest including the why and wherefore of the specs of the design to aid
the student in understanding the coil they would be building, this is not
much different than the approach used by Heathkit and Eico in the kits
they used to sell.

                               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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