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RE: Just starting out



Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <dlynch-at-reyercorp-dot-com>

Hello,

The quote, I like, is from another list.

"The only dumb questions, are the ones not asked."

Thank you Gary for the information you sent another beginner, me.

Don


On 29 Mar 2002 at 10:55, Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "Vanderputten, Gary by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <gvp-at-pvaintl-dot-com>
> 
> What make's a good coiler?
> 
> Degree in EEE? - nope?
> 
> I believe you need the following:
> 
> 1. Passionate fascination -  Interest bordering on obsession.
> 2. Dexterity - being handy is a must as you'd be hard pressed to contract
> this stuff out. Primary coils are an interesting challenge.
> 3. Prudence - this hobby can kill, although I believe only one professional
> collier has met his demise this way. Follow any and all safety advice you
> can find. 
> 4. Resourcefulness - the ability to hunt down parts at dumps, ebay,
> electronic parts houses - the great scavenger hunt.
> 5. Commitment to process - most coilers do not just rush to get over the
> finish line; you must look forward to each step in the build process and
> savor all the hours spent on each component. I spent three months building a
> gorgeous plexiglass 1000 watter based entirely upon the collective advice of
> this list. It worked the first time - While I remember that moment the most,
> each step of the build was just as rewarding.
> 6. Patience with these threads - there is so much valuable data and opinion
> in the list. It must be mined carefully. Just read all the articles on NST
> and RF protection - there is no finite answer, only persuasive arguments. 
> 7. Humility - do not hesitate to ask the dumb question; there are no dumb
> questions here.
> 8. Money - this can be an expensive hobby if you want it to be, say, if you
> want to get one of those really neat professional caps, but resourcefulness
> and sweat equity will get you by. Keep in mind that the result of your
> efforts will have little material value beyond that of  garage sculpture.
> With rare exception, coils are a poor investment vehicle, nor do they
> qualify for IRA disbursements.
> 9. Appreciation for the aesthetics - Check out all the web photos of
> coiler's work - great geek sculpture. 
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> Gary
> 
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com] 
> Sent:	Thursday, March 28, 2002 3:02 PM
> To:	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:	Re: Just starting out
> 
> Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
> <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> 
> 
> 
> Tesla list wrote:
> > 
> > Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
> <Dan_Gallagher%PULSARNOTES-at-pulsartech-dot-com>
> > 
> > Hi guys,
> > I may not be worthy of this group because you all sound like highly
> > intelligent engineers to me. But I've been involved with electronics all
> my
> > life. I've been a repair lab tech for years.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure that "intelligent" and "tesla coil" are totally
> compatible.  It's a sick addiction, but fortunately, not entirely socially
> reprehensible.
> 
> Certainly, one does not need to be an engineer to build a decent coil.  If
> one wants to understand the gory details of the fine points of the theory,
> perhaps some background is useful, but I daresay that the vast majority
> (>90%) of coil builders do not come from a "electrical/electronic
> engineering" background. (Perhaps I should change "understand" to "argue
> about"? <grin>)
> 
> 
> > 
> > My question is I am interested in building my own tesla coil. I'm not
> > talking about a huge one with 10 foot arcs, maybe 12" or so arcs.
> 
> A great size... fits on a table top, relatively inexpensive, won't require
> a truck to move it.
> 
> > 
> > Would you guys have any recommendations for where to start. I work for an
> > electric utility communications company dealing with communications via
> > power-line carrier and fiber optics. I am the technical writer here. This
> > seems to me like it could be a valuable resource for this interest of
> mine.
> 
> 
> Scrounge parts!  The two hardest things to come by will be the high voltage
> transformer (typically, a neon sign transformer) and the primary capacitors
> (MMC is highly recommended).  Everything else is easy "Home Depot" kinds of
> stuff.   Bear in mind that if you bought everything you need brand new,
> full list price, no shopping around or scrounging, you could probably build
> a decent coil that puts out 2 foot sparks for around $200-300.  With a
> substantial investment of your time (or, getting lucky), you could build a
> decent coil that puts out 2 foot sparks for free.
> 
> > 
> > Like right now I took from their discards a huge coil that looks like a
> > cigarette butt stand. You know those cigarette butt stands with the tray
> of
> > sand on the top. It seems to me I should be able to use this in some way
> in
> > making my tesla coil but without expert advice like from you guys I don't
> > know.
> > 
> > I'm very interested in starting and I am aware of the safety protocol of
> > working with high voltage.
> > 
> > Thank you very much.
> > 
> >   Daniel Gallagher -- Graphic designer/Technical writer
> >                        Pulsar Technologies, Inc.
> > "THE BRIGHT STAR IN UTILITY COMMUNICATIONS"
> >    4050 N.W. 121 Ave. Coral Springs, FL 33065 U.S.A.
> >        954-344-9822 ext. 243 (www.pulsartech-dot-com)
> 
> 
> 
>