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Re: Just starting out



Original poster: "Steve White by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <slwhite-at-zeus.ia-dot-net>

Hi Daniel,

I would recommend one thing above all else. Read the postings and the Pupman
archives for several months before you start buying or building anything.
This will avoid the wasting of money and buying things that are unsuitable.
I have wasted a fair amount of money. Fortunately, I am in a position to
absorb this. Understand what you are going to build before you build it and
why you are building it the way that you are. The more power that the coil
puts out, the more that this applies. The hardest component that I found to
fabricate is my 3600 RPM rotary spark gap. This will not apply to the coil
that you are going to build first.

Steve: Coiling in Iowa

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2002 4:54 PM
Subject: Re: Just starting out


> Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>
>
> Hi Daniel,
>
> At 09:27 AM 3/28/2002 -0500, you wrote:
> >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.
>
> The members of this list span from kids trying to make their first coil to
> the real heavy theory Ph.D. types.  Everyone is welcome with open arms
:-))
>  There are many beginners that are just trying to learn about coils so you
> are not at all alone.  If you work in a technical field you are already
way
> ahead of many :-)  Questions range from what is + and - in electricity to
> high powered math stuff...  It is all welcome here.  We do limit the
> subject matter to Tesla coils and posts do have to reach a certain
standard
> of public decency but other than that everything goes at all levels of
> knowledge.  Ask any question you wish and you will probably get more
> answers than you ever wanted :-))  Things range from very simple
mechanical
> construction details, electronics, where to find stuff, local coiling
> meetings, equations, web pages, theory, experiments, heavy theory, heavy
> math....  Just the whole range of subjects that deal in any way with Tesla
> coils.  Topics such as the Tunguska explosion, free energy, anti-gravity,
> etc. are not discussed since they are not real practical for people making
> real Tesla coils and some of those odd fringe subjects get a little too
> goofy...  We are concerned with what it takes to make real practical tesla
> coils for fun.
>
> >
> >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.
>
> I think we can help there :-)))
>
> >
> >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.
>
> Oh!  Terry used to work on 220kV - 375kV line-carrier and transmission
line
> SCADA stuff ;-)) I was a few years too early for fiber optic stuff but I
> used to beg that they should plan for it in all new construction...  They
> didn't, and only two years latter they started tearing the new stuff back
> up to put it in.  Don't get me started there ;-)))
>
> >
> >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.
>
> Not sure what that would be...  Perhaps a blocking inductor for the
> line-carrier signals?  They make those in all different ways so hard to
> say.  Do you have a picture?  Grab it if opportunity knocks since you can
> always throw it alway but you can't go back in time to get it...  Be on
the
> lookout for potential transformers in the 14.4kV range.  VERY useful!!
>
> >
> >I'm very interested in starting and I am aware of the safety protocol of
> >working with high voltage.
>
> Our voltages are still far higher but, a few hundred million VA less in
> power :-))  You will catch right on since much of the stuff is similar to
> the things you do in your work.
>
> For your first coil, "I" usually recommend that you watch the Tesla list
> awhile and ask questions and look at what other's have done.  Maybe try to
> find a coil someone else has made that you think you can copy.  Copying a
> nice working coil is a great way to learn and not too much can go wrong.
> You then don't have to know too many details that would be required if you
> just made it all from scratch.  Even first coils with no real "design""
> behind them almost always work too.  However, "copying" a good working
coil
> is less trouble.  A nice page is at:
>
> http://home.earthlink-dot-net/~electronxlc/
>
> Also the big Tesla coil webring:
>
> http://j.webring-dot-com/webring?ring=teslaring&list
>
> 325 Tesla coiler's sites there :-))  Don't be overwhelmed, you will learn
> it very fast and it is great fun.  Once you actually make your first coil
> it will all be very clear.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Terry
>
> >
> >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)
> >
>
>
>