No Subject

... If all else fails... Throw another Megavolt across it!

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-13-94 23:07
From: Richard Quick
To: Terry Smith
Subj: 10KVA Tesla Coil
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
TS> ps: On thinking about FCC considerations, it's pretty
TS> likely that these Tesla coils are highly in violation of
TS> today's rules and regs.

TS> ! Origin: Charges filed under Ohms Law! (203)732-0575 BBS

ps: You are twice now accusing me of being in "violation" of
something you appear to know nothing (Tesla Coils) about???
My neighbors nextdoor don't have problem, why do you???
If it means anything to you, this work has been going on since
Faraday first discharged a capacitor.

Now Terry, you and I have discussed capacitors for these
projects, and I can honestly say I appreciated your input,
but for some reason you act now like you fell out a tree.

Or, could that have been another Terry Smith? I seem to recall a
lot of Terry Smith's out here getting their messages crossed
up... Showing up in their personal mailboxes etc.. I don't know.
I have been on a year and have never had a problem with Terry
Smith before, seemed like a resonable guy, offered up a couple of
prospective capacitor types for Tesla projects.

Well regardless: practical circuit assistance, capacitor (or
coil) designs, or construction plans, spark gap ideas, grounding
techniques, references, etc. are always welcome and appreciated.

Thank You
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-13-94 08:29
From: Tom Moeller
To: Bob Patten
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Bob Patten wrote in a message to Terry Smith:

-> BP> I'm interested in building a Tesla coil using a ham
-> BP> transmitter power source (if it's possible).

BP> Well, in my case, I could always key it and make some CW
BP> QSO's whilst demonstrating the effects of the Tesla coil. I
BP> imagine it would radiate a clean CW signal...

Yeah, on visual as well as RF! |-} and no messy lamp filaments to
burn out either.

Tom
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-14-94 08:22
From: Bob Patten
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-> If you are really serious about tube coils, use the proper
-> frequency range class C amplifier circuit.

-> VACUUM TUBE INDUSTRIES, INC., 506 North Warren Ave., P.O. Box
-> 2009, Brocton, Massachusetts, 02405-2009, specializes in 450
-> kHz power tubes for use in commercial RF induction heaters.
-> They carry a full line of filament xfrmrs and HV plate xfmrs,
-> cooling jackets, power controllers etc.. These are the ideal -
> type tubes for Tesla Coils that are driven by Class C
-> amplifiers.

Thanks for all the info Richard. I did a hard copy of the full
message and will study it for ideas. I also requested info on
publications about tube coils from the Tesla Society in Colorado
Springs that I read about in someone else's message here...
! Origin: Bashful Pervert BBS (305) 472-7715 (1:369/120)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-15-94 02:16
From: Bob Patten
To: Tom Moeller
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
BP> I'm interested in building a Tesla coil using a ham transmitt
BP> power source (if it's possible).

BP> Well, in my case, I could always key it and make some CW
BP> QSO's whilst demonstrating the effects of the Tesla coil.
BP> I imagine it would radiate a clean CW signal...

-> Yeah, on visual as well as RF! |-} and no messy lamp filaments
-> to burn out either.

What gave me the idea was the memory of running a KW to a short
top loaded vertical on 3.5Mhz. On a humid night, it would shoot
out a horiz spark about a foot long...
(305) 472-7715 28800 V.32bis (1:369/120)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-16-94 00:10
From: Andrew Sempere
To: Richard Quick
Subj: 10KVA Tesla Coil
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
RQ> broken into by vandals who smashed Tesla's lifetime
RQ> accumulation of tubes, xfmrs, radios, robot projects, etc..
RQ> The thieves stole for scrap what they could not smash; all
RQ> the boiler brass, copper motor/generator windings, etc..
RQ> were stripped. Witnesses stated that after one particularly
RQ> bad week of vandalism all the windows had been smashed,
RQ> office furnature lay broken outside in the rain, and pages
RQ> of Tesla's hand written notes were blowing in the wind. At
RQ> this point Tesla was close to destitute and could not
RQ> afford a caretaker at the uncompleted plant.

That sucks! What a waste... When did Tesla die?
Andover, MA, USA - (508) 474-0328 (1:324/114)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-15-94 17:39
From: Jamar Neal
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Tesla
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Were did Tesla fit into the battle for the electricity market
between Edison and Westinghouse? This was about the right time
period right? Jamar 314-339-0248 (1:287/516)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-14-94 22:39
From: Don Kimberlin
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
RQ> DK> ...I hate to raise that ominous spectre...

RQ> DK> old Federal enclosed arc generator (Federal made U.S.
RQ> DK> versions of the Danish Poulsen arc, the largest of which
RQ> DK> was a megawatt,

RQ>and

RQ> DK> person - purchased the RCA Marconi-made 300 kW sparkers
RQ> DK> from Bolinas, CA (just north of SFO) for junk prices.
RQ> DK> Seems the government people got right on his case, cited
RQ> DK> "safety reasons"

RQ>But it must also be understood that both the HF generator and
RQ>the Marconi coil were designed specificlly to transmit RF.
RQ> These designs aimed for power, (at the time thought essential
RQ>for long distance xmission), and not so much for a stable
RQ>frequency.

RQ>I have photocopies of pictures taken of the Marconi coils. No
RQ>way could a clean signal be produced by this work. And there
RQ>IS the "safety problem"; the spark gaps, boilers, generator
RQ>sets, etc., should be considered hazardous. I know that in
RQ>Illinois where they have steam tractor meets, all steam
RQ>boilers must be inspected and licensed by the state.

...all the more important then, in the case of those who would
build Tesla coils today, that they understand how to make really
high-efficiency ones, then, eh? I know an awful lot of the
Pop-Tronics "projects" of the old magazines resulted in awfully
sloppy things that thrilled people with six inches or a foot of
discharge, which worked out to a horrible inefficiency for the
input they were running....
Concord,N.C. (704)792-9241 (1:379/37)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-16-94 23:36
From: Sjoerd Schaafsma
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Re: Tesla Coils, Video
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Howdy Richard:

RQ> If you have any problems, questions, comments, corrections,
RQ> etc., please post me. Since your tape was sent out of the
RQ> country I would appreciate it if you would let me know when
RQ> it arrives.

Thanks a bunch Richard, I'll let you know as soon as it arrives.
I hope the MO I sent was enough to cover your postage, I have
little idea what it is, but it usually is less than the
comparable service in Canada. I'm looking forward to seeing the
sparks fly! ... Sjoerd Schaafsma - An occasional 8 bit holdout
[403]327-9731 Lethbridge,AB (1:358/17)
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 6-16-94 20:45
From: Richard Quick
To: Bob Patten
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-> If you are really serious about tube coils, use the proper
-> frequency range class C amplifier circuit. RQ

BP> Thanks for all the info Richard. I did a hard copy of the
BP> full message and will study it for ideas.

Your very welcome. I hope I was of some help.

BP> I also requested info on publications about tube coils from
BP> the Tesla Society in Colorado Springs that I read about in
BP> someone else's message here...

There is an excellent article in the latest issue of the Tesla
Coil Builders Association (TCBA) publication, "NEWS" (vol. 13, #3
Jul,Aug,Sep,'94) on high powered coiling (36" spark lengths
running three #833 power tubes, 8+ KVA). The previous issue ran
an article on a 5.2 mHz, pulse generator driven, coil.
............................................................
> Retrieved from archives.

> Date: 06-15-94 02:16
> From: Bob Patten
> To: Tom Moeller
> Subj: Tesla Coils

BP>What gave me the idea was the memory of running a KW to a
BP>short top loaded vertical on 3.5Mhz. On a humid night, it
BP> would shoot out a horiz spark about a foot long...
.............................................................

Yeah, this is base feeding a 1/4 wave resonator with a high
current signal, a-la Colorado Springs. High Q resonators can
produce some pretty decent voltage rises, as witnessed by the
spark discharge and corona. Your efficiency in the resonator had
to be good, with a nice frequency and impedance match.

A Tesla coil normally operates at a lower frequency to transform
high power. Larger capacitors increase power, but reduce the tank
circuit frequency. To compensate for the reduced frequency in the
oscillator (Tesla Tank) circuit; the resonator (Tesla Coil)
frequency must also be reduced. This maintains a match or "tune".

The most common practice used in maintaining the tune of the 1/4
wave (voltage producing) resonator (coil) is to increase the
conductor length, and/or, top load the coil with some type
capacitive discharger. In tube (CW) coils; larger dischargers
(conductive spheres, toroids, etc.) are not satisfactory sparkers
unless some pointed surface is provided for breakout. Adding wire
length to the resonator for frequency reduction seems to work
best for tube type or CW coils. But then a problem arises...

The impedance increases rapidly with the use of longer cond-
uctors. To get around this, larger, lower resistance conductors
must be wound on fatter coil forms. This goes a long way towards
maintaining the efficiency or "Q" of the Tesla Coil, or properly
the " 1/4 slow-wave helical resonator".

By the way, using tube amplifier circuits it is possible to drive
higher frequency resonators with good power. The resonator
geometries at these higher frequencies must change to reach
higher Qs. As the coil's efficiency drops way off as frequency
goes up. A good example of a resonate structure at higher
frequency is the typical tube driven cavity resonator kitchen
utensil, the microwave oven. Some examples of resonate structures
include: the tube driven Sloan X-Ray machine (1935, coaxial
helical resonator), the pure RF cavity resonator Hanson
documented 1938, and the Phermex 50 mHz cavity accelerator. In
addition there have been several Russian attempts at RF cavity
resonate fusion machines. Tesla determined that the earth is an
electrically resonate structure (cavity) in what is now know as
the Shumann Cavity.

This was all started with Tesla's resonate coils.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-17-94 20:26
From: Richard Quick
To: Andrew Sempere
Subj: 10KVA Tesla Coil
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
AS> When did Tesla die?

10:30 P.M on January 7,1943 in his New York hotel room.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-17-94 18:01
From: Richard Quick
To: Jamar Neal
Subj: Tesla
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-=> Sez Jamar Neal to Richard Quick <=-

JN> Were did Tesla fit into the battle for the electricity
JN> market between Edison and Westinghouse? This was about the
JN> right time period right?

Edison had already established a lab here in the US before Tesla
arrived in New York from Europe. Edison was proposing that DC
power be used for residential lighting and industry. Tesla worked
for some months in Edison's lab, and a definite difference of
opinion developed. Tesla left disgusted.

Tesla realized that DC was essential in certain industrial
applications, such as producing aluminum; but for most other
purposes, alternating currents (AC) worked as well as DC, and
frequently AC worked much better. Tesla held patents for motors
and alternators based on his system of AC power production, step
up transformation, transmission, step down transformation, and
utilization. His motor operated without carbon brushes, running
instead on his patented rotating magnetic field. It always turned
the same direction regardless of which way the plug was wired.

Edison's system of DC power production and transmission was very
inefficient. The amount of copper involved was amazing. Two
blocks from a dynamo station the DC voltage was very high, but 10
blocks away people complained about dim lights and fires from
overheated conductors. Lighting New York City was going to
require at least 5 DC steam powerplants in the center of the
city, one in each major section. The coal pollution was already
dense, and steam boiler explosions were becoming both worse and
more frequent as more and larger boilers were operated at higher
pressure. Tesla offered a way to produce electricity at a remote
site and then conduct the power to the population centers.

Tesla was not able to get a construction contract with his system
in the United States, but he was awarded a contract in Canada. He
delivered sketches and specifications to Westinghouse for a
system to generate hydroelectric power from the Niagara river for
the commercial production of aluminum 20 miles away. The high
voltage transmission was very economical. It appears that Tesla
agreed to a one-time payment of one million dollars, and the 60
cycle patents remained with Westinghouse. The money was spent in
the lab developing his next generation projects.

Tesla's system was universally adopted in one country after
another, yet Edison gets credit for lighting the world.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-17-94 20:17
From: Richard Quick
To: Don Kimberlin
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
DK> ...all the more important then, in the case of those who
DK> would build Tesla coils today, that they understand how to
DK> make really high-efficiency ones, then, eh? I know an awful
DK> lot of the Pop-Tronics "projects" of the old magazines
DK> resulted in awfully sloppy things that thrilled people with
DK> six inches or a foot of discharge, which worked out to a
DK> horrible inefficiency for the input they were running....

The goal should always be maximum efficiency. This is the major
reason that Tesla himself left two coil systems behind, and
developed the three coil system (primary, secondary, extra coil)
to industrial scale. But even some experienced coilers need to
learn the "rules of the road" when it comes to simple coils.

A heavy, dedicated, RF ground is a must for any serious coiling.
Experiments should then seek to convert every possible watt into
spark, where the energy is consumed as heat, light, sound, etc..
The coil base wire is the source of most of the spurious signal.
The output here is a low voltage RF current at quite a few rms
amps. The signal seems to conduct better than it radiates, so
just make sure your ground path is equipped for it.

Remember too that spark gap Tesla Coils are disruptive. The
output from coils excited by spark gap tank circuits does not
radiate well, and is a far cry from CW. Properly designed, wired,
and grounded, spurious emissions from most coils will not cause a
problem in the immediate household, much less outside. At very
high power, when deliberately radiating, or when running out of
tune; coils should be set up and operated in a shielded
environment such as a Faraday cage or shielded rooms.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-17-94 03:05
From: Terry Smith
To: Richard Quick
Subj: 10KVA Tesla Coil
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
TS> ps: On thinking about FCC considerations, it's pretty
TS> likely that these Tesla coils are highly in violation of
TS> today's rules and regs.

RQ> ps: You are twice now accusing me of being in "violation" of
RQ> something you appear to know nothing (Tesla Coils) about???
RQ> My neighbors nextdoor don't have problem, why do you???

I haven't accused you of anything, but I have asked a few
questions I strongly suspect, after considering some FCC
implications, cannot be answered by anyone in the US in a way
which makes most Tesla projects possible under current
regulations. June on this year is the month when many engineers
responsible for AM transmitters have to prove that spurious
emmissions are in the microvolt range leaving their transmitter
sites. In a sense that's another PITA nuisance I've had to spend
hours handling, but it's one that anyone qualified to handle
can understand as contributing to a worthwhile result. With
current communications policy, lightning would probably be
illegal if men controlled it. Those RF resources we do control
are ever more tightly regulated, as spectrum is utilized by more
tightly packed users having to share. The responsible ones among
us try to do so without causing avoidable interference to others.

I join many others here in expressing a curious interest in Tesla
devices and technology. The more they're discussed, the more I
suspect Don Kimberlin's comments about their becoming a legal
"forbidden fruit" in the US are on target.

RQ> If it means anything to you, this work has been going on
RQ> since Faraday first discharged a capacitor.

I take a Libertarian view of proper and legal US government
function in general. In communications, there are cases where
the FCC promotes political agenda issues due to improper
politicking from the Hill. In general, I see the FCC as an
agency which mostly functions to make communications needed for
interstate commerce function. As such, I expect serious
electronics operators to learn and follow pertinent regulations.
Anyone pursuing projects involving megawatts and megavolts over a
period of years certainly falls within that scope, IMHO.

RQ> Well regardless: practical circuit assistance, capacitor (or
RQ> coil) designs, or construction plans, spark gap ideas,
RQ> grounding techniques, references, etc. are always welcome
RQ> and appreciated.

Regardless of legal implications, you've obviously developed a
wealth of interesting knowledge, and some practical experience
that's nearly impossible to refine based exclusively on theory.
I've seen old spark gap transmitters in museums, originally
operated at much lower powers than large Tesla coils. They
don't get operated even for demos, as they can't operate legally
under today's R&R. I personally am interested in seeing the
Tesla threads continue, but is the answer to the "unintentional
radiation" question that it's impossible to operate a large Tesla
coil legally in the US, unless you do so on thousands of acres of
private property? If so, and folks without huge buffer zones are
making working units and discussing them here, this may be a more
blatant "illegal use of FidoNet" than the kids holding criminal
discussions of CB linears. Perhaps it's time to consult the echo
moderator for an opinion on how he'd suggest this thread
continue. Please dump the personal attacks.

Back to the technology, do you know enough about the time/
frequency/power/conducted-induced-radiated signal relationships
to answer the questions previously on the table, or to compare
them for various coil designs, with and without the third tuning
coil? Obviously it's a time/energy relationship which allows
describing a single coil as 10 KVA, and also as 2 megawatts peak
output. Since ionizing voltages are fairly standard calcu-
lations, assuming predictable humidity, airborn dirt, and
temperature conditions, I'd guess the previous voltage guesses
may be close, but the peak currents exceed steady state averages
by the inverse of the duty cycle, which the 2 MW figure for 10
KVA implies averages 0.5%. That still doesn't say much
about how much variation is normal from a mathematical average.
Would that be a range of perhaps 1 to 30 amps, or is there any
practical means of estimating within any test setup you or Tesla
have tried?

As to the 6.78 MHz or other ISM frequencies, I strongly suspect
that imitation lightning is inherently too wideband to possibly
be confined to such allocated legal spectrum. Perhaps your
research would confirm this? Spectrum over 3,000 GHz is also
pretty much open, and available for crazy experiments by anyone
getting a suitable HAM license. Obviously that's the "leftovers"
from other users. In case you're wondering, I raised these ideas
in consideration that sometimes there are legal options possible
to shift the mode of old ideas and continue to pursue them. The
fact that spark gap transmitters sit disconnected in museums
illustrates the other possibility.

Quite frankly, I'm amazed that megawatt surges haven't caused
neighbors problems. You wouldn't believe how much of a nuisance
much lower blanketting power levels can be, when one person
installs some crap quality electronics, which passively transmit
an interfering signal to neighbors. I've seen the AM and FM
broadcast sides of that, and the HAMs see enough of it at even
lower powers that the ARRL recently published several new guides
of research results and suggested patches for assorted problems.
If you ever get the chance to measure induced fields, which fall
at an inverse cube rate, and radiated fields, which follow an
inverse square law, that would be an interesting adjunct to the
"raw power" research that's been described here.

No harm meant, but please consider that there may be other
serious aspects to this mix of research and high energy play...
Charges filed under Ohms Law! (203)732-0575 BBS (1:141/1275)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-19-94 22:18
From: Richard Quick
To: Terry Smith
Subj: 10KVA Tesla Coil
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-=> Sez Terry Smith to Richard Quick <=-

TS> ps: On thinking about FCC considerations, it's pretty
TS> likely that these Tesla coils are highly in violation of
TS> today's rules and regs.

RQ> ps: You are twice now accusing me of being in "violation" of
RQ> something you appear to know nothing (Tesla Coils) about???
RQ> My neighbors nextdoor don't have problem, why do you???

TS> I haven't accused you of anything, but I have asked a few
TS> questions I strongly suspect, after considering some FCC
^^^^^^^
TS> implications, cannot be answered by anyone in the US in a
TS> way which makes most Tesla projects possible under current
TS> regulations.

You are quite wrong in your suspicions.

TS> The responsible ones among us try to do so without causing
TS> avoidable interference to others.

I completely agree, which is why I keep wondering why you keep
posting me about this.

TS> I join many others here in expressing a curious interest in
TS> Tesla devices and technology. The more they're discussed,
TS> the more I suspect Don Kimberlin's comments about their
^^^^^^^
TS> becoming a legal "forbidden fruit" in the US are on target.
^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^
You are talking of course about Tesla devices and technology like
the 60 cycle power grid, the AC induction motor, the flyback
transformer, the car distributor and the radio! These are all
Tesla patented domain. You would declare them suspect in their
legality and send us out to buy horses.

What else are you suspicious of?

TS> Regardless of legal implications, you've obviously developed
^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^
TS> a wealth of interesting knowledge, and some practical
TS> experience that's nearly impossible to refine based
TS> exclusively on theory.

If you mean to say that I know what I am talking about, yes I do,
and thank you for the complement. I get my hands dirty.

TS> I've seen old spark gap transmitters in museums, originally
TS> operated at much lower powers than large Tesla coils. They
TS> don't get operated even for demos, as they can't operate
TS> legally under today's R&R.
^^^^^^^
But you are again comparing transmitters and coils in the same
sentence. On a transmitter you hang the proper antenna and you
design the system to radiate a signal. On a coil you want to
produce a spark. Two entirely different ideas, two entirely
different designs; separate them in your mind.

TS> With current communications policy, lightning would probably
TS> be illegal if men controlled it.

I am afraid you will have to E-Mail God on that one Terry. The
FCC and the echo Moderator can't help you restrict an act of God.

> This mish-mash continued in the next post

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-19-94 22:26
From: Richard Quick
To: Terry Smith
Subj: 10KVA Tesla Coil
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
> Continued from Previous Post

TS> I personally am interested in seeing the Tesla threads
TS> continue, but is the answer to the "unintentional radiation"
TS> question that it's impossible to operate a large Tesla coil
TS> legally in the US, unless you do so on thousands of
^^^^^^^
TS> acres of private property?

If you are such an expert on this subject, then why did you not
simply state that the correct proceedure is to run radiating
equipment in a properly shielded enviroment and let it go at
that. A room shielded with hardware cloth and properly grounded
seems much more reasonable (and works to the tune of 100%
perfectly legal, even for transmitting type circuits) than your
insinuation that I need to control thousands of acres of private
property. You need to be: realistic, progressive, comprehensive,
and intellegent; I am sorry if I just don't see that from you at
this time.

TS> ... this may be a more blatant "illegal use of FidoNet" than
^^^^^^^
TS> the kids holding criminal discussions of CB linears.
TS> Perhaps it's time to consult the echo moderator for an
TS> opinion on how he'd suggest this thread continue.
TS> Please dump the personal attacks.

Oh, please! Don't give me that "time to consult the echo
moderator" line. Someone as "suspicious" as you are (please count
the number of times you use this word when posting me); but not
by any means "accusing" needs more help than you can get from a
FIDO Electronics conference, or moderator for that matter. By
even suggesting that you are thinking of calling upon the
moderator, suggests that you are of a mind to accuse me of
something. Feel free to consult with the moderator at any time
you please. I have done nothing wrong.

TS> Back to the technology, do you know enough about the
TS> time/frequency/power/conducted-induced-radiated signal
TS> relationships to answer the questions previously on the
TS> table, or to compare them for various coil designs, with and
TS> without the third tuning coil?

Absolutely, where did you think I get my numbers? Make them up?
Too many people here have see how I document my work. You are
telling me that you are an expert with this math, as such I feel
no need to work the equations for you.
In other words; sharpen your own pencil.

TS> Obviously it's a time/energy relationship which allows
TS> describing a single coil as 10 KVA, and also as 2 megawatts
TS> peak output.

Very good. Go to the head of the class.

TS> Since ionizing voltages are fairly standard calculations,
TS> assuming predictable humidity, airborn dirt, and temperature
TS> conditions, I'd guess the previous voltage guesses may be
TS> close, but the peak currents exceed steady state averages by
TS> the inverse of the duty cycle, which the 2 MW figure for 10
TS> KVA implies averages 0.5%.

Not bad! You are pretty warm. That is exactly how I obtain my
megawatt range peak powers. This is why quenching the main system
spark gap is essential. The longer the main spark gap fires, the
greater that ".5%" figure gets, and your peak powers are reduced
correspondingly. See, I knew you could do it!!!

TS> That still doesn't say much about how much variation is
TS> normal from a mathematical average. Would that be a range of
TS> perhaps 1 to 30 amps, or is there any practical means of
TS> estimating within any test setup you or Tesla have tried?

That variable may controled, and yes it can be measured with a
current transformer on the primary.

TS> As to the 6.78 MHz or other ISM frequencies, I strongly
TS> suspect that imitation lightning is inherently too wideband
^^^^^^^
TS> to possibly be confined to such allocated legal spectrum.
^^^^^
Boy you are full of "legal" "suspicions" . Just look at the
> ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^
highlighting I have used in quoting just ONE of your posts!!!
BTW, where did you come up with this frequency???

TS> Quite frankly, I'm amazed that megawatt surges haven't
TS> caused neighbors problems.

I am sorry to disappoint you. I have expended time and effort
to ensure I am not a causing a problem.

TS> ! Origin: Charges filed under Ohms Law! (203)732-0575 BBS
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Please look elsewhere to file your charges.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-19-94 23:29
From: Richard Quick
To: Terry Smith
Subj: 10KVA Tesla Coil
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Just a recap of your method of communication:

TS> I haven't accused you of anything...

TS> ps: On thinking about FCC considerations, it's pretty
TS> likely that these Tesla coils are highly in violation of
TS> today's rules and regs.

TS> strongly suspect, after considering some FCC implications,

TS> Tesla devices and technology. The more they're discussed,
TS> the more I suspect... about their becoming a legal
TS> "forbidden fruit"

TS> Regardless of legal implications...

TS> .... they can't operate legally under today's R&R.

TS> the "unintentional radiation" question that it's impossible
TS> to operate a large Tesla coil legally

TS> this may be a more blatant "illegal use of FidoNet" than the
TS> kids holding criminal discussions of CB linears. Perhaps
TS> it's time to consult the echo moderator for an opinion on
TS> how he'd suggest this thread continue.
TS> Please dump the personal attacks.

TS> imitation lightning is inherently too wideband to possibly
TS> be confined to such allocated legal spectrum.

TS> are legal options possible to shift the mode of old ideas

Of course it is clear you want me gagged, but you will maintain..

TS> No harm meant

Let me make a suggestion before parting today. If you choose to
post me by name again on this subject, would you be so kind as to
tone it down some. You have maintained that you are not accusing
me of anything, but to me the tone suggests otherwise.

I am certain that since you are most definately not accusing me
of anything, and you don't mean any harm, most of your statements
and quotes above are corrupted and/or taken out of context.

What you feel perhaps to be "personal attacks" (questions such as
"do you have a day job?") are quite relevant as I deal with Tesla
facts. Crackpots have already wasted too much of my valuable time
on subjects about which they have no knowledge. Most of the
crackpots who have crossed my path don't work during the day, and
have plenty of time to waste mine.

Tesla Coiling is a legal, educational, and entertainable, hobby.
Like many powerful tools and instruments; there is a potiental
for misuse and abuse by unscrupulous persons. Safe and proper use
requires education.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-19-94 11:34
From: Jamar Neal
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Re: Tesla
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
> Tesla was not able to get a construction contract with his
>system in the United States, but he was awarded a contract in
>Canada. He delivered sketches and specifications to Westinghouse
>for a system to generate hydroelectric power from the Niagara
>river for the commercial production of aluminum 20 miles away.
>The high voltage transmission was very economical. It appears
>that Tesla agreed to a one-time payment of one million dollars,
>and the 60 cycle patents remained with Westinghouse. The money
>was spent in the lab developing his next generation projects.

> Tesla's system was universally adopted in one country after
> another, yet Edison gets credit for lighting the world.

So Tesla was the brains behind Westinghouse? I have read a few
books on Edision and it was never mentioned that Tesla worked
there (I have to pick my book better :-))

Edision often gets credit for lighting the world...but that is
because of the light bulb. I think most people know that his DC
idea lost out. Jamar 314-339-0248 (1:287/516)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-18-94 19:21
From: Bob Patten
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-> There is an excellent article in the latest issue of the Tesla
-> Coil Builders Association (TCBA) publication, "NEWS" (vol. 13,
-> #3 Jul,Aug,Sep,'94) on high powered coiling (36" spark lengths
-> running three #833 power tubes, 8+ KVA). The previous issue
-> ran an article on a 5.2 mHz, pulse generator driven, coil.
-> ............................................................
-> Yeah, this is base feeding a 1/4 wave resonator with a high
-> current signal, a-la Colorado Springs. High Q resonators can
-> produce some pretty decent voltage rises, as witnessed by the
-> spark discharge and corona. Your efficiency in the resonator
-> had to be good, with a nice frequency and impedance match.

Thanks again, Richard! I did a hard copy of this message also
and will study it. I'm a real novice at this and need to sort
out a lot of info and get a better understanding of it. Today, I
received in the mail a package from the Int'l Tesla Society which
included a comprehensive listing of the publications they have
available. I would imagine you are familiar with what's
available and wonder if you have any further recommendations.
At this point, I'm not sure if I want to build the conventional
spark gap type coil or go for a tube type... Cost and
availability of parts are prime factors..
Tnx agn. 73, BP
! Origin: Bashful Pervert BBS (305) 472-7715 (1:369/120)
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-19-94 22:04
From: Don Kimberlin
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
RQ> DK> ...all the more important then, in the case of those who
DK> would build Tesla coils today, that they understand how
DK> to make really high-efficiency ones, then, eh? I know an
DK> awful lot of the Pop-Tronics "projects" of the old magazines
DK> resulted in awfully sloppy things that thrilled people with
DK> six inches or a foot of discharge, which worked out to a
DK> horrible inefficiency for the input they were running....

RQ>The goal should always be maximum efficiency. This is the
RQ>major reason that Tesla himself left two coil systems behind,
RQ>and developed the three coil system (primary, secondary, extra
RQ>coil) to industrial scale. But even some experienced coilers
RQ>need to learn the "rules of the road" when it comes to simple
RQ>coils.

RQ>A heavy, dedicated, RF ground is a must for any serious
RQ>coiling. Experiments should then seek to convert every
RQ> possible watt into spark, where the energy is consumed as
RQ>heat, light, sound, etc..

RQ>The coil base wire is the source of most of the spurious
RQ>signal. The output here is a low voltage RF current at quite a
RQ>few rms amps. The signal seems to conduct better than it
RQ>radiates, so just make sure your ground path is equipped for
RQ>it.

RQ>Remember too that spark gap Tesla Coils are disruptive. The
RQ>output from coils excited by spark gap tank circuits does not
RQ>radiate well, and is a far cry from CW. Properly designed,
RQ>wired, and grounded, spurious emissions from most coils will
RQ>not cause a problem in the immediate household, much less
RQ>outside. At very high power, when deliberately radiating, or
RQ>when running out of tune; coils should be set up and operated
RQ>in a shielded environment such as a Faraday cage or shielded
RQ>rooms.

...Looks like we're here in an environment where the emphasis is
on a maximum induction field, which is kind of interesting,
because most everything we have done in later times is to attempt
to minimize the induction field, or at least let it die out at
short range. Conversely, it appears the first "radio" people,
and I note even Marconi when in his low-frequency radio years
(before his stuff was for all practical purposes expropriated by
both the British and U.S. governments), was concerned with
trying to make maximum use of the induction field. There's quite
a bit of debate about a Kentuckian named Stubblefield who appears
to have made a "radio" that used an induction field, and he's
been rather discredited for having done so.

...My own background in high-powered radio (and Terry Smith's,
btw) have taught us both about the important of a low-reactance
interface to earth. I grew up down in Florida's "lightning
alley" and have repeatedly had to try to teach the lesson about
the need for low-reactance paths to earth there -- seen people
lose literally millions of dollars worth of electronics and
electrical hardware, plus unmeasurable amounts of business
production for trying to ignore it in that part of the country.

...So, are those "three-coil" Tesla coils connected in a sort of
induction-aiding 120 degree phase relation, rather than simple,
shall we call it, "push-pull," or is the object more in the form
of trying to maintain the average higher so the peak can get even
higher than in a 180 degree arrangement?
Concord,N.C. (704)792-9241 (1:379/37)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-14-94 16:51
From: Richard Quick
To: Michael Scott
Subj: Tesla Coils, Video
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Mike,

Thanks for the nice letter. Your video tape was posted this
morning, you should receive it shortly after you get this post.
I included a disk with many related text files. It should make
for some interesting reading, as the archived material goes back
over six months.

If you have any problems, questions, comments, corrections, etc.,
please post me. Do let me know that you have received your video,
and let us know what you think.

Thanks again;

Richard Quick

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-17-94 20:20
From: Richard Quick
To: Sjoerd Schaafsma
Subj: Tesla Coils, Video
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
RQ> If you have any problems, questions, comments, corrections,
RQ> etc., please post me. Since your tape was sent out of the
RQ> country I would appreciate it if you would let me know when
RQ> it arrives.

SS> Thanks a bunch Richard, I'll let you know...

That turn-around was fast. This lap around should catch you with
my video in your mailbox.

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Date: 06-14-94 16:56
From: Richard Quick
To: Sjoerd Schaafsma
Subj: Tesla Coils, Video
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Sjoerd,

Your video tape was posted this morning too. Since you are not in
the states it will be a week or more before it arrives, though I
did pay for first class air service. I included the disk with the
text files.

If you have any problems, questions, comments, corrections, etc.,
please post me. Since your tape was sent out of the country I
would appreciate it if you would let me know when it arrives.

Thanks again;

Richard Quick

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Date: 06-22-94 15:49
From: Richard Quick
To: Jamar Neal
Subj: Tesla
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
> Tesla's system was universally adopted in one country after
> another, yet Edison gets credit for lighting the world.

JN> So Tesla was the brains behind Westinghouse?

Oh yes, absolutely. A very good book on the subject is published
by Barnes and Nobel: TESLA, Man Out of Time
Margaret Cheney, 1981, published by Dorset Press, ISBN 0-88029-
419-1; available from Barnes & Nobel, 126 Fifth Ave., New York,
NY, 10011, tel:201-767-7079. 320pp, hardcover, catalog #1611151,
$7.98 US.

They carry another Tesla title: The Inventions, Researches &
Writtings of Nikola Tesla, 1893, N.Tesla (edited and prefaced by
Thomas Commerford Martin), ISBN 0-88029-812-X, published by
Barnes & Nobel (1992 second edition). 512pp, hardcover, catalog
#1774447, $9.98

JN> I have read a few books on Edision and it was never
JN> mentioned that Tesla worked there (I have to pick my book
JN> better :-)) Edision often gets credit for lighting the
JN> world...but that is because of the light bulb. I think most
JN> people know that his DC idea lost out.

Well the second book I listed, by Tesla, is a transcript of some
of his lectures. It pretty much lays out his idea of
generator/motor power transmission systems and covers some of his
lighting work. The Complete Patents will show parallel
development in mechanics and electromechanics.

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Date: 06-21-94 20:41
From: Richard Quick
To: Bob Patten
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
BP> I'm a real novice at this and need to sort out a lot of
BP> info and get a better understanding of it. Today, I
BP> received in the mail a package from the Int'l Tesla Society
BP> which included a comprehensive listing of the publications
BP> they have available. I would imagine you are familiar with
BP> what's available and wonder if you have any further
BP> recommendations. At this point, I'm not sure if I want to
BP> build the conventional spark gap type coil or go for a tube
BP> type... Cost and availability of parts are prime factors..

I wish I could recommend the definitive book on Tesla coiling,
but I have read them all, and I still have not read IT.

But if you want to start for next to nothing you should wind a
coil and fire it from a spark excited tank circuit. This is
definately the way to go for a buck novice. A good tube tank
circuit will run quite a few bucks over what a good spark excited
tank circuit will cost. You can start both at the same place by
winding a 4" coil with a resonate frequency of around 450 kHz, or
preferably a little higher.

Get some rigid Plexi, Lexan, or polystyrene pipe/tubing with a
thin wall. It should be ~4 inches in diameter and 21 inches long.
Thin wall PVC drain pipe may be used but it must be sanded, dried
throughly, and sealed with several coats of polyurethane or clear
two-part epoxy paint.

Buy at least 1-1/4 lbs (~1000 feet in length) of #24 double
Formvar (enamel) covered magnet wire. Wind the wire on the coil
form. The windings needs to be tightly spaced, no gaps, and no
overlaps: the winding should start 1" above the bottom of the
coil form. #24 magnet wire winds about 46 turns per inch (TPI),
the winding should be 19 inches long with ~874 turns, and use up
about 915 feet of the wire. The winding should stop about 1"
below the top of the coil form.

Use tape, hot glue, or clear epoxy to affix the top and bottom
turns of the coil winding. Never drill holes or introduce wire
inside the coil form. Once wound, the windings should be sealed
with several coats of polyurethane or clear two-part epoxy paint.
After the windings are sealed, I cap the top and bottom of the
coil form with disks of plexiglass bedded in epoxy.

This coil is modern. It offers the maximum inductance per unit
volume of coil form in a high Q design. It will work very well in
a spark, or tube, driven tank circuit of moderate power.

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Date: 06-21-94 22:18
From: Richard Quick
To: Don Kimberlin
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Talking about Tesla Coils...

DK> ...Looks like we're here in an environment where the
DK> emphasis is on a maximum induction field, which is kind of
DK> interesting, because most everything we have done in later
DK> times is to attempt to minimize the induction field, or at
DK> least let it die out at short range.

Yes. A Tesla coil is a resonate transformer. The "transformer"
part means that the system involves energy exchange by induction.
But it is not simply producing a "maximum induction field", but
of producing a field of proper intensity and shape around a
resonate inductive structure (coil). It boils down to proper
mutual inductance between primary and secondary, known to coilers
as "the coefficient of coupling".

DK> Conversely, it appears the first "radio" people,
DK> and I note even Marconi when in his low-frequency radio
DK> years...

Bahh, Marconi worked for Tesla for nearly a year, before 1891,
and stole a lot of technique, not to mention nine key patents.
I am adverse to crediting thieves.

DK> ...My own background in high-powered radio (and Terry
DK> Smith's, btw) have taught us both about the important of a
DK> low-reactance interface to earth.

Tesla was the first to apply ground to a tuned circuit if that
says anything. No ground used in Tesla work can be too heavy.

DK> I grew up down in Florida's "lightning alley" and have
DK> repeatedly had to try to teach the lesson about
DK> the need for low-reactance paths to earth there -- seen
DK> people lose literally millions of dollars worth of
DK> electronics and electrical hardware, plus unmeasurable
DK> amounts of business production for trying to ignore it in
DK> that part of the country.

And it seems no ground used for lightning can be too heavy.

DK> ...So, are those "three-coil" Tesla coils connected in a
DK> sort of induction-aiding 120 degree phase relation, rather
DK> than simple, shall we call it, "push-pull," or is the object
DK> more in the form of trying to maintain the average higher so
DK> the peak can get even higher than in a 180 degree
DK> arrangement?

The third coil is not inductively coupled to the primary/
secondary. The best way to describe the third coil is to simply
call it an uncoupled resonator which is base fed by transmission
line. The transmision line I commonly use is simply a heavy
conductor run from the top of the secondary to the base of the
extra coil some distance away.

Adding the extra coil causes a shift in the secondary output from
90 degrees (1/4 wave) to 45 degrees (1/8) wave in the most
efficient experimental systems. This means the secondary is no
longer sparking, but shifts to supplying current, by way of
transmission line, to the uncoupled third coil. This third coil
is allowed to resonate freely, unrestricted by the inductive
coupling between primary and secondary.

It has the effect of allowing circuit designs and/or modifi-
cations which breaks the 50% efficiency barrier for resonate
transformers. I believe three coil designs are possible that are
as high as 95% efficient.

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Date: 06-22-94 01:06
From: Terry Smith
To: Don Kimberlin
Subj: Tesla Coils
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
RQ>The goal should always be maximum efficiency. This is the
RQ>major

RQ>A heavy, dedicated, RF ground is a must for any serious
RQ>coiling. Experiments should then seek to convert every
RQ>possible watt into spark, where the energy is consumed as
RQ>heat, light, sound, etc.. The coil base wire is the source of
most of the spurious signal.

DK> ...Looks like we're here in an environment where the
DK> emphasis is on a maximum induction field, which is kind of
DK> interesting,

I always thought emphasis at RF on radiated rather than induced
fields was chosen because of the square versus cube function
signal decline with distance. Induction, conversely, seems
preferred for closed system industrial processes.

DK> ...My own background in high-powered radio (and Terry
DK> Smith's,

Nah... I've never played with the stuff over 60 KW.

DK> btw) have taught us both about the important of a
DK> low-reactance interface to earth. I grew up down in
DK> Florida's "lightning

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