RE: Electronic damage

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Vanderputten, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <gvp-at-pvaintl-dot-com>

I have used coils in theatre environments. With only a 1k w unit with a 15"
secondary:

* Fried my new $200 fluke taking a current measurement  - older models were
unaffected - Fluke was very nice about it.
* Froze the digital theatrical lighting dimmer control board at twenty feet,
no permanent damage but had to faraday  the front of the tech booth  with
chicken wire.
* Used a digital camera and a camcorder at 3 feet with no ill-effect
* Froze my computer at 10 feet - totally stupid of me - when I testing the
tank circuit in the next room - no permanent damage.
* Cell phones were noisy but otherwise unaffected.

I recommend the obvious-
* Establish good RF ground
* Isolate your equipment mains as much as possible from other equipment.
* Use EMI devices on all of your equipment
* Faraday screen between important electronics and coil - this worked very
well for me.

Gary



 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com] 
Sent:	Tuesday, June 18, 2002 9:35 AM
To:	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject:	Electronic damage

Original poster: "Anthony by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<firework-at-firework.co.nz>

Hi there,

I am new on the list. Years ago when I worked in a University Physics 
Department building lecture demonstrations I built a 2 metre high Tesla 
powered with three neon sign transformers in parallel.

It worked very well and we just charged in to the lecture theatre and used 
it with no thoughts of all the electronics just through the wall in the 
back room. It would dimly light dimly all the fluorescent in a room seating 
350 students when we ran it. They had thyratron dimmers.

We never had any damage problems. But  recently I was asked to run and 
event where a touring artist with his Tesla coil is going to figure on 
stage indoors.

I am very leery of it but am I being too conservative?  Todays electronics 
items are I think vastly less forgiving than those of 25 years ago.

We are also to supply pyrotechnic effects and they will be foil wrapped in 
locked metal trunks  well  away till he is done.

But has any one had a computer blown?  I realise that in a small garage 
damage is easily done, but has any one ever run a coil on stage in a 
theatre with all the lights and sound gear up and running?

Any one fried all the nearby cell phones or killed a walkman or blitzed the 
lighting dimmers on the wall?

I see how damage is possible but does it occur easily in practice?

Interested to hear of your actual experiences in the matter as I am so out 
of touch now.


Kind Regards     Anthony Lealand             Firework Professionals 
Ltd          Web   www.firework.co.nz