oct-94.txt

To: tesla
Subject: oct-94.txt
From: chip (Chip Atkinson)
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 1994 13:17:44 +0700

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-01-94 15:08
From: Don Kimberlin
To: Stan Phillips
Subj: Tesla, Col.sprng
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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> ...Hmmm...wonder how the UV lights would provide a "downlink"
DK> as well as an "uplink?"

SP> The same way that normal phone conversations go both ways on
SP> the same telephone line?

...Doesn't fit, Stan. The concept, as I get it, was to
essentially "modulate" an uplink beam with power energy...but HOW
would one pick it off the ionosphere at some "downlink" point?
Was there supposed to be enough energy up there that any UV beam
reaching it would be somehow magically "modulated" back down its
length -- some sort of "Luxembourg Effect" of power transmission?

DK> Believe it or not, the Last of the Dinosaurs of Radio seems
DK> to bave been built as late as 1927 -- running a megawatt on
DK> SIXTEEN KILOhertz!

SP> Not so much a Dinosaur as a means of very long range
SP> communications, and about the only means of communcating with
SP> submarines (below water). From Gibraltar, one could key to
SP> sub's in the med, using the transmitter in Rugby (England).
SP> The keying relays at Rugby were massive and very noisy
SP> circuit breakers that could not operate very fast.

...Sounds like you heard about Rugby Radio's GBR in its later
days. Back in 1927, it wasn't first built for comms to subs, but
for an "Empire Communications Plan," essentially, as they so
often put it in those plans, to "reach the antipodes," meaning in
British parlance, Australia and New Zealand. The submarine comms
came along much later, and apparently the Official Secrets Act
still keeps that quiet, as that later mission isn't talked about
even today. And, only passing remarks are made about the
Admiralty using it in WWII. Nobody will even talk about how it
must have been a Nazi bombing target and if the Nazis ever did
try a raid on it or not. The final "mission" of GBR was as
a "standard time and frequency transmission," for a few minutes
per hour, until 1986. Since then, it has been sitting there
cold, like a dinosaur embedded in electronic amber, because the
rest of Rugby Radio's plant around it is still operational,
albeit dwindling rapidly now...

SP> Another thing was that people living local to Rugby had many
SP> built-in recievers such as knives and forks in the kitchen
SP> draw. These would sing at 16Khz. Some claimed that the
SP> fillings in their teeth detected the signal. All drainpipes
SP> and plumbing had to be bonded or they would sing too. While
SP> one could light a bulb off a simple loop, it was not too good
SP> as the bulb went on and off, and in anycase, one could always
SP> light a bulb with the 200Khz transmitter at Droitwich (if you
SP> lived near enough).

...Surprised the Electricity Board didn't complain...heheee!

SP> As an aside from this, it was not uncommon in the early days
SP> of Transistors to wind a loop tuned to the local AM station
SP> to power a small transistor radio!!!!!

...Yep. I did my first career as a radio station transmitter
engineer. One place had a rented house near a tower, and the
tenants even suffered the famous "musical toilet." It even
played the Star Spangled Banner at 6 AM daily as we signed on...

...Anyhow, thanks for the vignettes about GBR's megawatt monster.
I do not have much of a handle on how populated "Hillmorton, near
Rugby" is or was. I guess it was pretty isolated in 1927, but
probably isn't any more...have you any color to add about that?
...or, GBR's WWII life? (704)792-9241 (1:379/37.0)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-02-94 20:52
From: Don Kimberlin
To: Bruce Kingsbury
Subj: Tesla, Col.Sprng
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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> ...That's my concern: The current-carrying capability of
DK> the ionosphere can't be much; thus the voltage would have to
DK> be something absolutely incredible in order to transmit any
DK> meaningful amount of power.

BK> No, because at high frequency and voltage, ionised gasses
BK> conduct very well.

...Oh, boy. Save me a trip to the old physics books. What sort
of range might the current densities fall in? If we're talking
megavolts, it would still have to be kiloamps in order to carry
gigawatts, right? And that's before considering any conversion
losses...(Of course, considering that in Tesla's time, since
lighting a bulb or two per room was perhaps the total demand, one
gigawatt might have lit a whole nation...) (704)792-9241
(1:379/37.0)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-03-94 10:09
From: Ken Stewart
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Tesla Coils, Etc.
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
I was doing some scrounging around this weekend and found a
couple of fairly new neon sign transformers, 120v to 4.5kv. Are
they usable for a desktop Tesla coil? Your files referenced 10
kv and up. BTY, I will send you the cash and blank tape this
week. I am looking forward to seeing your video.
919-662-9313 9353 (1:151/147)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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 Oct 94 20:35:52
From: Richard Quick
To: Ken Stewart
Subj: Tesla Coils, Etc.
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
KS> I was doing some scrounging around this weekend and found a
KS> couple of fairly new neon sign transformers, 120v to 4.5kv.
KS> Are they usable for a desktop Tesla coil? Your files
KS> referenced 10 kv and up.

You can work with Tesla tank circuits that run on less than 9kv,
but your best bet is to stick with neons that are rated 9kv-15kv.

KS> BTW, I will send you the cash and blank tape this week. I
KS> am looking forward to seeing your video.

Everyone, with only one exception, has liked the video.

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Date: 14 Oct 94 18:07:36
From: Richard Quick
To: Terry Smith
Subj: Tesla power xmission
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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> ...Again, when it's conduction, the emphasis is on current,
DK> not voltage...at least for ordinary mentalities...can you
DK> help get my perspective right for this understanding?

RQ> Long distance 60 cycle transmission uses voltage, not
RQ> current, to transmit the power.

TS> This is highly inaccurate...

TS>... Power is quite simply the product of both voltage and
TS> current, assuming no phase difference. In long distance
TS> power transmission, I^2R losses are minimized by using high
TS> E, low I.

My understanding is that you understood perfectly. So, is the
emphasis on greater voltage, or greater current, for economical
long distance power transmission?

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Date: 14 Oct 94 18:06:02
From: Richard Quick
To: Don Kimberlin
Subj: Tesla power xmission
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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> ...Hmmm...wonder how the UV lights would provide a
DK> "downlink" as well as an "uplink?"

SP> The same way that normal phone conversations go both ways on
SP> the same telephone line?

DK> ...Doesn't fit, Stan. The concept, as I get it, was to
DK> essentially "modulate" an uplink beam with power energy...
DK> but HOW would one pick it off the ionosphere at some
DK> "downlink" point? Was there supposed to be enough energy up
DK> there that any UV beam reaching it would be somehow
DK> magically "modulated" back down its length -- some sort of
DK> "Luxembourg Effect" of power transmission?

Modulate? Send the power up just as if the beam were a wire.
Bring it back down? Put another wire up (or beam) and conduct it
to the ground. We are talking about a high voltage electrical
current passed through direct, point of contact, conduction.

Or do you view 60 cycle power transmsission as a "modulation" of
the copper or aluminum wire? Tesla's more modern system of
wireless power transmission system works the same way as his
earlier version, just at a slightly higher frequency, and using
different conductors.

I would not think that the idea of conduction through a low
pressure gas, or conduction through a high pressure gas which is
sufficiently ionized, would be so foreign. In a glowing neon tube
do you consider the gas to be "modulated" with the 60 cycle
signal; or does it simply conduct?

Electricity passed through a glowing neon tube: does it require
"magic" in your opinion to get the energy to conduct to a low
voltage point, or is it the nature of high voltage currents to
seek low voltage grounds?

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-08-94 00:45
From: Bruce Lane
To: Michael Cary
Subj: Jacobs Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Michael Cary whapped All with a rubber chicken, and demanded
Jacobs Ladder...

MC> Hello, this is Michael Cary and I was wondering how hard it
MC> would be to construct a Jacobs Ladder project.

Pretty easy, but you need to be EXTREMELY careful, as the
voltages involved are very dangerous.

All you need is a neon sign transformer and a couple of bare-wire
coat hangers. Cut the hangers up to provide the two leads for the
spark gap, and remove any insulating varnish with a bench grinder
or wire brush.

Bend the chopped-up hangers into a V-shape, attach them to the
appropriate terminals on the transformer, stand back and plug it
in. You may need to adjust the gap a bit. Do NOT do this with the
transformer plugged in!!!

Again, BE CAREFUL!!! I cannot overemphasize this. Playing with
the kind of power a neon sign transformer is capable of
generating can cause electrocution. NO JOKE!!! Give the thing at
least a ten-foot radius of clear space all around it and keep it
well isolated from anything flammable. That spark is easily
capable of setting something on fire. ==Bruce (1:138/198)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-12-94 23:42
From: James Grimsley
To: Michael Cary
Subj: Jacobs Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-=> Quoting Michael Cary to All <=-

MC> Hello, this is Michael Cary and I was wondering how hard it
MC> would be to construct a Jacobs Ladder project.

An easy way is to use heavy guage copper wire for the poles and a
neon sign transformer for the power supply. Careful, tho. The
shock be lethal. 210-658-0994 (1:387/520.0)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-13-94 05:57
From: Michael Cary
To: Bruce Lane
Subj: Re: Jacobs Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-> Michael Cary whapped All with a rubber chicken, and demanded
-> Jacobs Ladder

MC> Hello, this is Michael Cary and I was wondering how hard
MC> it would be to construct a Jacobs Ladder project.

-> Pretty easy, but you need to be EXTREMELY careful, as the
-> voltage involved are very dangerous.

-> All you need is a neon sign transformer and a couple of
-> bare-wire hangers. Cut the hangers up to provide the two leads
-> for the spark gap. Remove any insulating varnish with a bench
-> grinder or wire brush.

-> Bend the chopped-up hangers into a V-shape, attach them to the
-> appropriate terminals on the transformer, stand back and plug
-> it in. You may need to adjust the gap a bit. Do NOT do this
-> with the transformer plugged in!!!

-> Again, BE CAREFUL!!! I cannot overemphasize this. Playing
-> with the of power a neon sign transformer is capable of
-> generating can cause electrocution. NO JOKE!!! Give the thing
-> at least a ten-foot radius of clear space all around it and
-> keep it well isolated from anything flammable. That spark is -
> easily capable of setting something on fire.==Bruce(1:138/198)

Thanks for the info. I think I'll give it a try.
619-474-9385 (1:202/1705.0)
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 17 Oct 94 16:48:57
From: Richard Quick
To: Bruce Lane
Subj: Jacobs Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-> MC> Hello, this is Michael Cary and I was wondering how hard
-> MC> it would be to construct a Jacobs Ladder project.

-> Pretty easy, but you need to be EXTREMELY careful, as the
-> voltage involved are very dangerous...

Edited out accurate and informative instructions on building a
Jacob's Ladder out of wire coat hangers and a neon sign xfmr...

-> Again, BE CAREFUL!!! I cannot overemphasize this. Playing
-> with the of power a neon sign transformer is capable of
-> generating can cause electrocution. NO JOKE!!! Give the thing
-> at least a ten-foot radius of clear space all around it and
-> keep it well isolated from anything flammable. That spark is
-> easily capable of setting something on fire. == Bruce
-> 619-474-9385 (1:202/1705.0)

A bit over cautious perhaps. Just as an added note: the 15,000
volt neons give the best arc, and for additional power you can
wire two or three neons in parallel for a nice fat growler. I
have never seen any reason to allow "at least a ten-foot radius
of clear space all around it", but your advice on flammables is
well given.

Having messed with these xfmrs for years as power supplies for
various high-voltage projects (Jacob's Ladders, Tesla Coils,
etc.) without any shocking accidents, I can only repeat the lore
from my local neon shop friends who supply me with used cores:
though they do bite, these professionals have not heard of a
serious injury or lethal accident resulting when someone has
contacted the high voltage bushings: but this is not to say that
the potential for serious harm does not exist, only that it is
rare. Though I would not recommend repeating the demonstration by
anyone without experience, I have lit cigars from the arc of some
of my smaller Jacob's Ladders.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-06-94 20:39
From: Richard Quick
To: Mark Conway
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
-=> Sez Mark Conway to Richard Quick <=-

MC> Hi Richard, Got a couple more questions to ask you.

Please, go right ahead.

MC> I have been running my tesla coil without a safety gap or
MC> bypass capacitor in the circuit as I just wanted to see if
MC> it worked. I have stopped running it now as I dont want to
MC> blow the neon.

Yes, you can run without a safety gap, bypass filters, and RF
choking. But you are correct, if you keep it up your neon will
fail prematurely.

MC> Looking thru your postings I cannot find much info on how to
MC> build the safety gap. I notice in your circuit diagram that
MC> the middle of the safety gap is grounded. How do you do
MC> this when you make the safety gap? Do you have a sheet of
MC> metal or something between the two elctrodes of the gap and
MC> the sparks jump to this?

The safety gap need not be complex, precision, or expensive. A
couple of ajustable screws or bolts mounted on some insulators
with a grounded brass or copper plate between them works just
fine. I like to use threaded (adjustable) brass or copper
electrodes for added conductivity, but it is not really
necessary. The xfmr core, safety gap center post, and the base of
the Tesla secondary coil all connect with heavy strap to a heavy,
dedicated, RF grounding system. Your coil won't need anything
massive for a ground... yet!

MC> Also I am unable to find any of those doorknob caps that you
MC> use for your bypass capacitor. Since the capacitance of
MC> these caps is so small do you think it would be ok if I made
MC> a small capacitor out of aluminium foil and glass?

Glass has a very high RF dissipation factor. Since we are
attempting to dissipate kickback energy at this end of the
circuit, glass and aluminum capacitors will work beautifully
here!

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 09-25-94 19:06
From: Jim Oliver
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
On: 19-09-94 RICHARD QUICK wrote To: MARK CONWAY

heavily edited

MC> One thing I'm not sure of is what mineral oil is - is it
MC> used for lubricating machines or what?

RQ> Well in this country, mineral oil is a pharmaceutical
RQ> (medical) grade of pure petroleum oil. It is sold in
RQ> drugstores as an intestinal lubricant (laxative), and for
RQ> skin care (women use it to remove makeup). It is heavy,
RQ> clear, and has little or no smell (odorless). Another use for
RQ> this product is to oil down baby bottoms to prevent diaper
RQ> rash.

It's also called Paraffin Oil.

MC> Would clean motor oil have the same insulating properties as
MC> mineral oil or would the additives in it mean that it would
MC> not be suitable for high voltage insulation?

RQ> I have used cheap, clean, motor to cover the salt water in
RQ> salt water capacitors; but for the plastic capacitors I spend
RQ> the extra money and go with the higher quality, pure, mineral
RQ> oil.

Here, here. Engine oil of _any_ type is too heavily contaminated
with additives for HV work.

RQ> A good alternative would be high grade, PCB free, transformer
RQ> oil, which is sometimes available from oil companies in large
RQ> pails. Another petroleum product that I have looked at, but
RQ> never used, is hydraulic fluid.

Hydraulic fluid is useless. It contains highly polar chemicals
(glycols) which are almost conductors wrt HV.

Straight paraffin oil is best. This oil is widely used to prevent
"bloat" in cattle in this country, and is relatively cheap and is
food grade, very pure, and free from any additives. As you say,
most oil companies will sell transformer oil which is specified
for certain voltage break down characteristics. It is usually
very dry (very low water content) and free from additives.
Jim Oliver <jim.oliver-at-welcom.gen.nz> 04-385-6550 (3:771/370.0)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-12-94 16:14
From: Richard Quick
To: Jim Oliver
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
Quoting Jim Oliver, who quoted RICHARD QUICK, who quoted MARK
CONWAY: This post concerns types and availability of insulating
oils for high-voltage work, Tesla capacitor construction, etc...

... JO> heavily edited

MC> One thing I'm not sure of is what mineral oil is - is it
MC> used for lubricating machines or what?

RQ> Well in this country, mineral oil is a pharmaceutical
RQ> (medical) grade of pure petroleum oil. It is sold in
RQ> drugstores as an intestinal lubricant (laxative), and for
RQ> skin care (women use it to remove makeup). It is heavy,
RQ> clear, and has little or no smell (odorless). Another use
RQ> for this product is to oil down baby bottoms to prevent
RQ> diaper rash.

Mark Conway asked me if it was swallowed in it's use as an
intestinal lubricant: the answer is yes it is.

JO> It's also called Paraffin Oil.

MC> Would clean motor oil have the same insulating properties as
MC> mineral oil or would the additives in it mean that it would
MC> not be suitable for high voltage insulation?

RQ> I have used cheap, clean, motor to cover the salt water in
RQ> salt water capacitors: but for the plastic capacitors I
RQ> spend the extra money and go with the higher quality, pure,
RQ> mineral oil.

JO> Here, here. Engine oil of _any_ type is too heavily
JO> contaminated with additives for HV work.

Not when used as I have suggested... for corona supression only
on salt water plate capacitors. It is poured over the salt water,
and acts to reduce corona losses. Single grade motor oil works
just fine in this application, and as Mark Conway is using a
capacitor of this type, I thought I would mention it: it is
cheap, available, and effective in this use. For any other high-
voltage use I recommend the pure mineral (paraffin) oil or
transformer oil.

RQ>A good alternative would be high grade, PCB free, transformer
RQ>oil, which is sometimes available from oil companies in large
RQ>pails. Another petroleum product that I have looked at, but
RQ>never used, is hydraulic fluid.

JO> Hydraulic fluid is useless. It contains highly polar
JO> chemicals (glycols) which are almost conductors wrt HV.

My grievous mistake: the particular type of hydraulic fluid I
have been looking at is the new type, silicone base, fluid. It
contains no glycols, is non-hygroscopic (water attracting) and
non-polar. It appears to be an excellent high-voltage insulator:
good heat capacity, non-conductive, non-flamable, high boiling
point. It is expensive, but my local auto parts stores sells it
by the pint for car brake systems: it does not mix with the older
glycol fluid or petroleum based products. I neglected to list the
exact type of hydraulic fluid I was looking at: I apologize for
any confusion.

JO> Straight paraffin oil is best. This oil is widely used to
JO> prevent "bloat" in cattle in this country, and is relatively
JO> cheap and is food grade, very pure, and free from any
JO> additives. As you say, most oil companies will sell
JO> transformer oil which is specified for certain voltage break
JO> down characteristics. It is usually very dry (very low water
JO> content) and free from additives.

There you go. With this list of suggestions, Mark Conway and
others should have no problem finding a suitable oil for use in
Tesla capacitor construction.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-10-94 15:58
From: Kirk Lyons
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Mineral Oil for Capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
I am having a difficult time locating the U.S.P. Mineral Oil
for the High Voltage Pulse Discharge Capacitor project. One
source I located only sold it in "Unit Dose" quantities (1 tsp.
at a time). The other source would only sell it to me in
55 gallon drums (I dont want to make 55 capacitors).

Can you please provide me with a source for this. Thank
you for all the info on Tesla Coil building and for any
info you can give me on a source for this oil.
(314) 837-5422 (1:100/395)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-10-94 18:02
From: Richard Quick
To: Kirk Lyons
Subj: Mineral Oil for Capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
KL> I am having a difficult time locating the U.S.P. Mineral Oil
KL> for the High Voltage Pulse Discharge Capacitor project. One
KL> source I located only sold it in "Unit Dose" quantities (1
KL> tsp. at a time). The other source would only sell it to me
KL> in 55 gallon drums (I dont want to make 55 capacitors).

KL> Can you please provide me with a source for this. Thank
KL> you for all the info on Tesla Coil building and for any
KL> info you can give me on a source for this oil.

U.S.P. Mineral oil is available in pint and quart containers in
most supermarkets and drug stores. Walgreens Drugstores carries
this oil in quart containers for around $5.00, so figure about
$20.00 to get a gallon. If they don't have a gallon (four quarts)
in stock, ask the floor manager, they can order it quickly.

Scented mineral oil (not U.S.P. grade, but still high quality) is
sold under the label "Baby Oil" by Johnson & Johnson. This grade
is also suitable for capacitor construction. Try an off-brand
(which by law is equivilent) for cost savings. Sometimes this
grade can be found on sale (WAL-MART $1.50 per pint).

I hope you downloaded the most current TESLA?.ZIP file and made
it available on your favorite BBSs! Thanks for the complements!

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-11-94 22:04
From: James Meyer
To: Kirk Lyons
Subj: Mineral Oil for Capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
On 10-10-94, KIRK LYONS wrote to RICHARD QUICK and said:

KL> I am having a difficult time locating the U.S.P. Mineral Oil
KL> for the High Voltage Pulse Discharge Capacitor project.

The high voltage transformer oil that we use in the laser lab
is certified and very expensive. However, it looks, smells,
burns, and gives every other impression of being kerosene
that has been well refined.

I suspect that the grade of kerosene sold for heaters and
lamps would be a perfectly suitable substitute.
Jim (1:3641/1)
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-12-94 22:25
From: Eugene Welcome
To: Kirk Lyons
Subj: Mineral Oil for Capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
KL> I am having a difficult time locating the U.S.P. Mineral Oil
KL> for the High Voltage Pulse Discharge Capacitor project.
KL> Can you please provide me with a source for this.

Hi Kirk. There are two sources possibly near you. Xray Sales and
service such as Siemans, Picker, GE, CGR, Toshiba, Bennett and
several others. Secondly try your local Power Utility at their
service dept. All of the above are the larger known companies
that use transformer oil and maintain backup stock for re-
placement needs.

I still have a gallon here for my dummy load. The best is made by
Shell Oil called Diala AX. Most transformers used today use this
product. It is superior to mineral oil when it comes to high
voltages of hundreds of thousands of volts. Diagnostic Xray up to
150,000 volts. Radiation Therapy Xray up to 500,000 volts. I've
worked on them for many years. I'm now retired. :-) (1:138/119.0)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-12-94 22:40
From: Steve Ostrom
To: Kirk Lyons
Subj: Mineral Oil for Capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
In a message of <10 Oct 94 15:58:00>, Kirk Lyons (1:100/395)
writes:

KL=> I am having a difficult time locating the U.S.P. Mineral
KL=> Oil for the High Voltage Pulse Discharge Capacitor project.
KL=> One source I located only sold it in "Unit Dose" quantities
KL=> (1 tsp. at a time). The other source would only sell it to
KL=> me in 55 gallon drums (I dont want to make 55 capacitors).

You should ask the unit dose people who supplies them. I bet they
don't buy the 55 gallon drums. (1:163/307.6)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-15-94 08:35
From: Rick Morlock
To: James Meyer
Subj: Mineral oil for capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
JM> burns, and gives every other impression of being kerosene
JM> that has been well refined. I suspect that the grade of
JM> kerosene sold for heaters and lamps would be a perfectly
JM> suitable substitute.

Jim, I would not recommend Kerosene at all it is highly
flammable where as mineral oil isn't highly flammable.
That sounds dangerous to me. Rick Morlock, strider3-at-aol-dot-com /
rick.morlock-at-f165.n260.z1.fidonet-dot-org 716-646-5438
(1:260/165)
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-16-94 12:54
From: James Meyer
To: Rick Morlock
Subj: Mineral oil for capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
On 10-15-94, RICK MORLOCK wrote to JAMES MEYER and said:

JM> I suspect that the grade of kerosene sold for heaters and
JM> lamps would be a perfectly suitable substitute.

RM> Jim, I would not recommend Kerosene at all it is highly
RM> flammable where as mineral oil i sn't highly flammable.
RM> That sounds dangerous to me..

My point was that if you're considering real, honest-to-goodness,
high voltage transformer oil, then you might as well use a good
grade of kerosene. They are practically the same. If kerosene is
dangerous, then so is transformer oil.

Have you made any side-by-side personal experiments regarding
how flammable kerosene and mineral oil are? I thought not.
Jim 919-286-4542 (1:3641/1)
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-16-94 18:13
From: Grant Fair
To: James Meyer
Subj: Mineral Oil For Capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
Well, according to Don Lancaster in Hardware Hacker, kerosene was
used in electrical discharge milling - which means that even at
relatively low potential - less than 100V, for example - with a
gap of a mil between the work piece and the cutting tool, there
would be a spark. This suggests it would not be a good
dialectric, no?

Since I have no practical experience or other knowledge in this
area I stand open to correction. (1:229/15)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-21-94 16:46
From: Bill Gowan
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Mineral Oil for Capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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-> * Originally By: Richard Quick
RQ-> * Originally To: Jim Oliver
RQ-> * Originally Re: Tesla Coils

RQ->Quoting Jim Oliver, who quoted RICHARD QUICK, who quoted MARK
RQ->CONWAY: And whoever else quoted... :-)

RQ-> This post concerns types and availability of insulating
RQ-> oils for high-voltage work, Tesla capacitor construction,
RQ-> etc...

RQ->... JO> heavily edited

and edited some more...

RQ->MC> One thing I'm not sure of is what mineral oil is - is it
RQ->MC> used for lubricating machines or what?

We buy cutting oil at work for the pipe threader and it says on
the label that it is mineral oil. 315-483-9455 (1:2613/601.0)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-18-94 20:36
From: Jason Advani
To: Michael Cary
Subj: JACOBS LADDER
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
> Again, BE CAREFUL!!! I cannot overemphasize this. Playing
> with the power a neon sign transformer is capable of
> generating can cause electrocution. NO JOKE!!!

Uhmm.. Where can I find a Neon Sign Transformer? This project
seems real cool. If I were to enclose the whole thing in an air
tight Glass box would it still work? Jason 513-231-7013
(1:108/205)
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 19 Oct 94 16:27:34
From: Richard Quick
To: Jason Advani
Subj: JACOBS LADDER
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ

JA> Uhmm.. Where can I find a Neon Sign Transformer? This
JA> project seems real cool. If I were to enclose the whole
JA> thing in an air tight glass box would it still work?
JA> Jason

Neon Sign xfmrs are available used from most neon sign shops.
Look in your local Yellow Pages under " SIGNS " for shops that
specialize in neon work. Often times you can locate a decent
working unit for free by calling around.

As to the project: the arc moves up the "ladder" when air is
heated and begins to rise, this rising hot air current carries
the arc upwards. The Jacob's Ladder works best when the rails are
mounted in an enclosure with an open bottom and an open top. The
enclosure prevents side drafts from breaking the arc prematurely,
and gives the longest arc. The open bottom and top construction
of the enclosure allows for the airflow, fresh cool air coming in
at the bottom, and hot dirty air leaving at the top.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-18-94 23:02
From: Bruce Lane
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Re: Jacobs Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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> A bit over cautious perhaps.

<grin> I was thinking mainly of the intended audience. Some
people have the most remarkable selective vision and hearing when
it comes to warning signs and signals. ;-)

RQ> 15,000 volt neons give the best arc, and for additional
RQ> power you can wire two or three neons in parallel for a nice
RQ> fat growler.

?? Oh, so? My my... I had no idea this was possible. Aren't you
creating a bucking effect with wiring AC transformers in
paralell? Or have I missed something obvious to the effect that
neon sign transformers put out DC?

RQ> have never seen any reason to allow "at least a ten-foot
RQ> radius of clear space all around it", but your advice on
RQ> flammables is well given.

Again, the intended audience was my prime concern. The ten-foot
barrier was stated to insure the safety of the uninformed.

RQ> anyone without experience, I have lit cigars from the arc of
RQ> some of my smaller Jacob's Ladders.

I don't doubt it. The Exploratorium in San Francisco had an
arc-maker set up to demonstrate something or other. I set it up
with the whitest arc I could get (it was adjustable) and was
astonished at the amount of raw heat pouring out of the vents in
the protective enclosure. ==Bruce (1:138/198)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 20 Oct 94 21:13:51
From: Richard Quick
To: Bruce Lane
Subj: Jacobs Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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> 15,000 volt neons give the best arc, and for additional
RQ> power you can wire two or three neons in parallel for a
RQ> nice fat growler.

BL> ?? Oh, so? My my... I had no idea this was possible. Aren't
BL> you creating a bucking effect with wiring AC transformers in
BL> paralell? Or have I missed something obvious to the effect
BL> that neon sign transformers put out DC?

I have run dozens of different set ups with multiple neons in
parallel: Jacob's Ladders, Tesla Coils, rail guns, and "exploding
wire" capacitive discharge circuits. It is quite easy to run
eight, ten, even twelve, separate neon transformers from a
single, high current, 120 or 240 volt buss. A few pointers:

The secondary leads (high voltage bushings) on neon sign xfmrs
are grounded to the core & case, so the secondaries cannot be
placed in series; but the secondary leads for transformers of the
same rated voltage may be connected in parallel for increased
current output.

The primary coils on these transformers are isolated from the
case and core. These primary coils are typically rated for 120
volts at 60 cycles: the primary connections may be paired up (two
at a time) and placed in series on a 240 volt supply buss.

Phasing is very important when ganging up neons for high current,
high-voltage, power supplies. Phasing refers to the fact that
coils may be wound in opposite directions, or connections may be
reversed from one manufacturer to another. In the instance where
two neons are run reversed (out of phase) the electrical output
cancels out, and no power at all is obtained from the transformer
bank. The solution is to remove and reverse either the primary or
secondary connections until all the xfrmrs are in phase.

Neon sign transformers employ a "magnetic leakage" type of
internal current limiting. They are very forgiving. They will
tolerate direct shorts across the high voltage bushings, they
will not exceed the rated output for more than a milisecond or
two, and they will self regulate when run in large banks with
other transformers of the same voltage rating.

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: 10-17-94 23:37
From: Lou Farris
To: Bruce Lane
Subj: JACOBS LADDER
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-=> Now Let's See... Bruce Lane was saying to Michael Cary...:

MC> Hello, this is Michael Cary and I was wondering how hard it
MC> would be to construct a Jacobs Ladder project.

BL> electrocution. NO JOKE!!! Give the thing at least a ten-foot
BL> radius of clear space all around it and keep it well
BL> isolated from anything flammable. That spark is easily
BL> capable of setting something on fire.

LAF: With the voltages and danger factor, wouldn't it be a lot
safer to contstruct a tesla coil instead. The amperage of the
neon tranny is the worst problem, and the part that will fry your
perm(anently). The Tesla has the volts, without the heartburn of
amperage. -Lou |-> (303) 680-7209 (1:104/514)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 20 Oct 94 21:27:28
From: Richard Quick
To: Lou Farris
Subj: JACOBS LADDER
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
MC> Jacobs Ladder project.

BL> electrocution. NO JOKE!!!

LF> LAF: With the voltages and danger factor, wouldn't it be a
LF> lot safer to contstruct a tesla coil instead. The amperage
LF> of the neon tranny is the worst problem, and the part that
LF> will fry your perm(anently). The Tesla has the volts,
LF> without the heartburn of amperage.
LF> -Lou |->

And I hate starting fights.... but...

WRONG!

Tesla coils are safe because the high frequency, high-voltage,
output exhibits what is known as "skin effect". The substantial
current produced from a Tesla coil (several amps at the discharge
terminal on even a small coil) cannot penetrate the body (or any
other conductor) because of this physical property of the Tesla
current.

I would argue about Tesla coil safety for beginners because of
the fact that you must have a power supply capable of producing a
Jacob's Ladder before you can fire up a capacitive discharge
Tesla coil.

Or in other words, first you learn to walk, then you learn to
run.

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-19-94 18:28
From: Jason Lavoie
To: Richard Quick
Subj: Re: Jacobs Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-> Pretty easy, but you need to be EXTREMELY careful, as the
-> voltage involved are very dangerous...

RQ> Edited out accurate and informative instructions on building
RQ> a Jacob's Ladder out of wire coat hangers and a neon sign
RQ> xfmr...

What would I need to make a jacob's ladder that would be about a
foot or so tall? Would a smaller one require less voltage?
anyway, I do know quite a bit about electronics, but haven't
gotten into the high voltage stuff much, so any help would be
appreciated.. Jason Lavoie (1:163/572)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 23 Oct 94 01:41:54
From: Richard Quick
To: Jason Lavoie
Subj: Jacob's Ladder
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
JL> What would I need to make a jacob's ladder that would be
JL> about a foot or so tall?

I would recommend a 15,000 volt - 60 ma, neon sign xfrmr and two
wire coat hangars.

JL> Would a smaller one require less voltage?

It takes high voltage to bridge the inital gap, and some voltage
to sustain the arc, but once the arc is initiated, amperage more
than anything determines how far up the the "ladder" the arc
climbs. Larger Jacobs's Ladders require higher current power
supplies, not necessarily higher voltage power supplies.

Important to note here is that this project is safest with the
neon power supply discussed. Neons are internally current limited
due to the placement of magnetic leakage shunts in the core.

Other types of high voltage transformers may be used for this
project, but then you must employ external current limiting or
"ballast" into the transformer primary circuit.

I have video available that shows firing of my commercial power
distribution transformer wired backwards (240 volts -at- 40 amps in,
20,000 volts -at- 1/2 amp out) using a variable shunt electric arc
welder as the external current limiter/ballast. The Jacob's
Ladder is one of the hottest anyone has seen... then I hook it up
to my large 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
Date: 10-20-94 14:18
From: Dick Sharp
To: Achim Lohse
Subj: Re: Civil defence radiation monitor sources sought?
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
-=> Quoting Achim Lohse to Dick Sharp <=-

-=> Quoting Dick Sharp to Achim Lohse <=-

DS> Want to obtain a decent Civil Defense radiation meter (not
DS> too expensive, and with a readily maintainable power
DS> supply). Can anyone suggest a reputable supplier, with FAX
DS> number, if possible?

> Aware , great equipment . Regular phone.... 1-800-729-5397
> and Thanks Dick. Actually, I've had my eye on Aware
> electronics for some have had some personal correspondence
> with the company since.

I have a Radiatiom Monitor like what you are looking for within
arms reach of me as I type . It is a Radiacmeter IM-74 B/PD .
This unit is Calibrated and certified for use by the N.E.S.T Now
it is strictly for the bad "stuff" ,no radon as it will only
respond the Gama and Xray radiation . It is calibrated from 1-500
rad/hr but respond to less than 1 rad below the calibration
scale. It has a built in scale ilumination lamp , carrying case ,
and is built strong . The power supply is from a single "D"
battery . I payed $50.00 for mine . I do not know if any more
are available , however I will give you the information. Contact
Mr. James E. Tunnell of Silicron Technologies.

P.O.Box 3172
Ygnacio Valley Station
Walnut Creek, CA. 94598
1-510-223-3658
Best , Dick Sharp 306-586-1939 (1:140/45)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-21-94 23:26
From: Richard Quick
To: All
Subj: Tesla References 1/3
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
> Updated 10-22-94, Part one of three (1/3)

I have (with the assistance of others) put together a list of a
references for those who are interested in Tesla and his work.

> Tesla Book Company, PO BOX 121873, CHULA VISTA, CA. 91912
This catalog has pretty much everything: Oscillator handbooks,
Tesla Coil handbooks, Tesla Coil design manuals, coil plans,
Tesla's Complete Patents, Tesla's Lectures, Colorado Springs
Notes, Vacuum Tube Tesla Coils, and many other titles. The
catalog has a 1-800-398-2056 information line. I steer clear of
the time travel, free energy, scalar wave, etc. crackpot stuff...

> Twenty First Century Books, Box 2001, Breckenridge, CO. 80424.
Twenty First Century Books has a very complete Tesla book
catalog, again I steer clear of free energy, zero point, etc..

> Lindsay Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 12, Bradley, IL. 60915
Lindsay also offers a good selection of Tesla literature, classic
electronics publications and reprints, and Coil Design software.
I avoid the scalar-wave, free-energy, time-travel, etc., stuff.

> High Voltage Press, 4326 S.E. Woodstock, #489, Portland, OR.,
> 97206, USA
Carried coil plans, manuals, classic reprints, etc..

> INTERNATIONAL TESLA SOCIETY, INC, (ITS) P.O. Box 5636, Colorado
> Springs, Colorado, 80931, USA
They have a book shop that does mail order, again I steer clear
of the crackpot free-energy-time-travel-scalar stuff.

> The TESLA COIL BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, (TCBA) Harry Goldman, 3
> AMY LANE, QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK, 12804, USA.
Publishes a quarterly newsletter NEWS, with parts mart, Q&A,
reader project, historical project, topical reprints (such as the
two Popular Science projects recently mentioned here), etc.. Back
issues and index are available, tell Harry I sent you.

> Information Unlimited, P.O. Box 716, Amherst, NH., 03031, USA
Coils, rail guns, lasers, tasers, stun guns... you name it.
Completed units, kits, parts, or just plans.

> High Energy Enterprises, P.O. Box 5636, Security, CO. 80931
This firm had several publications and literature on high voltage
devices.

> The U.S. Patent Office, Washington, DC.
Copies of Tesla's patents are available for $1.50 each. You must
specify patent numbers.

> Tesla Information, 18321 Edgewood Ave., Villa Park, CA. 92667
They carried Tesla coil design instructions, manuals, and
supplimentary papers and manscripts.

> Barnes & Nobel Booksellers, 126 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011
Tel: 1-800-242-6657. I list them because they have been
increasing their number of Tesla titles. In addition to a couple
of books reviewed below, they also have a video tape that takes
the viewer inside the Tesla museum in Belgrad Yugoslavia where
some of Tesla's handmade exhibition equipment was still opera-
tional, and his original demonstrations are reproduced.

... Books to look out for:

> THE COLORADO SPRINGS NOTES, 1899-1900
By Nikola Tesla... Hardcover, 440pp, Published by NOLIT, Beograd,
Yugoslavia, 1978. At the time of his death, Tesla was actually a
Yugoslavian dependant. Recognized as a national hero, the govern-
ment of Yugoslavia had set up a small trust fund to insure Tesla
had rent and food. At his death in 1943, his personal effects
were examined, plundered a bit, then forwarded to his next of
kin, Yugoslavia, who built a museum in Belgrad (spel Belgrade &
Beograd) to house them. In the mid 1970s the Tesla Museum
organized Tesla's notes from the 1899-1900 experiments at
Colorado Springs, CO., and sent them to the museum publisher
NOLIT. This edition ran in 1978. Prefaced and annotated by
Aleksandar Marincic, Assoc. Prof. of EE Beograd Univ. and advisor
to the Nikola Tesla Museum, Yugoslavia; it accurately transcribes
Tesla's original english manuscript. It includes schematics, and
many B&W photos.

> NICKOLA TESLA ON HIS WORK WITH ALTERNATING CURRENTS
> AND THEIR APPLICATION TO WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY, TELEPHONY,
> AND TRANSMISSION OF POWER
This is a fine product of a modern legal research, edited by
Leland I. Anderson, published in 1992 by Sun Publishing, Div. of
Boyle & Anderson, Denver, CO., 80219. Library of Congress Catalog
#92-60482, ISBN 0-9632652-0-2; this book is the transcript of
Tesla's pre-hearing interview conducted by his legal counsel in
1916. The interview was precipitated by a number of pending court
cases in the fledgling radio industry. One of the attorneys
conducting the interview held an EE degree. Photos, patent
covers, schematics, mechanical drawings, etc. were submitted by
Tesla as the stenographer recorded his answers and explanations.
None of this material was intended for print, and there is no
question as to accuracy or authenticity. His testimony and
depositions led to a US Supreme Court decision in his favor 1943.
Highly recommended.

> THE INVENTIONS RESEARCHES & WRITTINGS OF NIKOLA TESLA
Nikola Tesla, 1893 (edited and prefaced by Thomas Commerford
Martin), ISBN 0-88029-812-X, published by Barnes & Nobel (1992
second edition). 512pp, hardcover, (Item #1774447, $9.98 US)
Transcripts of Tesla's famous lectures and articles up to
December 1893, with many sketches, schematics, and wiring
diagrams of Tesla polyphase systems, bulbs, RF systems etc..

> GUIDE TO COLORADO SPRINGS NOTES
Richard Hull, 1994, published by Twenty First Century Books, or
available from the author: Richard Hull, 7103 Hermatiage Road,
Richmond VA, 23228. Cost is $22.50 (which includes shipping and
handling in the U.S.), and well worth the price. Richard Hull is
head of an informal group: Tesla Coil Builders Of Richmond
(T.C.B.O.R.), which is currently the world leader in Tesla
Magnifier development. Mr. Hull also offers a video tape series
which includes a video presentation on the construction of
homemade pulse discharging high-voltage capacitors (Video #3).

> THE COMPLETE PATENTS OF NIKOLA TESLA
Nikola Tesla, edited by Jim Glenn, and just available from Barnes
and Nobel at the time of this update (I am waiting on my copy).
The paperback is priced at $14.98 (plus a couple of bucks in
shipping and handling in the U.S.) Barnes & Nobel item # 1903210

> VACUUM TUBE TESLA COILS
James F. Corum, Ph.D. and Kenneth L. Corum, 1987, published by
Corum & Assoc, Inc., 8551 State Route 534, Windsor, Ohio, 44099,
USA. ISBN 0-924758-00-7. Good Tesla Math.

> 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:800-242-6657. 320pp, hardcover, (item #1611151,
$7.98 US). Well balanced and researched biography of Tesla.

> ELECTRICITY AT HIGH PRESSURES AND FREQUENCIES
Henry L. Transtrom, orginally published: 1913, second edition
1921, Joseph G. Branch Publishing, Chicago; Reprinted 1990, ISBN
1-55918-054-4, Lindsay Publications, Bradley, Illinois, 60915.
Paperback, 247pp. Excellent technical book; useful in designing
coil control systems, coils, (calc.) inductance, field strengths,
capacitance, etc.. Classic transformer reference text, but Tesla
coil/capacitor designs are primitive by today's standards.

> HIGH FREQUENCY APPARATUS
Thomas Stanley Curtis, 1916, Everday Mechanics Co., Inc., New
York; Reprinted 1988, paper ISBN 1-55918-003-X, cloth ISBN 55918-
004-8, Lindsay Publications Inc., Bradley IL. 60915. Paperback,
246pp. Classic coil text, much of which was reprinted in 1985 by
R.A. Ford in his book "Tesla Coil Secrets". "Classic" means
before the age of plastics, and these historical coils and coil
components frequently lack efficiency, reliablity, and safety.

> TESLA COIL SECRETS: Construction Notes and Novel Uses
R.A. Ford, 1985, Lindsay Publications, Inc., Bradley IL 60915
ISBN 0-917914-31-7, paperback, 74pp. Ford researches and repro-
duces several classic Tesla coil and component designs from
publications of yesteryear; but he updated nothing...

> TESLA COIL DESIGN MANUAL

> TESLA HANDBOOK
> TESLA COIL CONSTRUCTION GUIDE
J.H. Couture, 1992, 1988, & 1994 JHC Engineering Co., 10823 New
Salem Point, San Diego, CA., 92126 USA. No ISBN or Lib. of
Congress catalog #, but available from one or two of the book-
dealers listed previously. The first two titles are John
Couture's input towards a more modern Tesla Coil design theory
based on empirical data. The basic math for 1/4 wave coil
winding, tank circuit design, performance, etc., is well laid out
here, but when it comes to using his charts for actual design
parameters, it falls short. Many of my best coils would never
have been built if I had gone by his data. His JHCTES Tesla Coil
design program also kicks out my coil designs, saying they exceed
the construction voltage breakdown limits! The program is based
on the same data. Also he does not adequately address proper
grounding of these systems. I have not yet reviewed his most
recent title, TESLA COIL CONSTRUCTION GUIDE.

> TESLA COILS! 100 Years of Electrical Magic
Brent C. Turner, 1991, no ISBN or publisher. Briefly covers
three basic coil types; Spark Gap, Vacuum Tube, Solid State.
Useful to have for the wiring diagrams, specs, and basic math.

> TESLA COIL
George Trinkaus, 1986, 1987, & 1989, Third Edition, Extensively
Revised. No ISBN, published by High Voltage Press, 4326 S.E.
Woodstock, #489, Portland, OR., 97206 ($4.95). Mr. Trinkaus has a
few Tesla booklets out for under $10.00. This one is a simple
Tesla Coil built from scratch: neon sign xfrmr, beer bottle salt
water capacitor, brass bolt spark gaps, PVC plastic pipe
secondary, primary wound on a Rubbermaid "Servin' Saver" bowl,
copper toilet tank float for a discharger... Need I say more?

> THE TESLA COIL COMPENDIUM
Randall S. Peterson, no date, ISBN, publisher, etc.. I guess it
is available from Randy at: 16671 T.R.51, MT. Cory, Ohio, 45868
This publication is a compilation of Randy's favorite designs.
Pretty good coils, and he used to ship out complete kits and
fully assembled coils in his spare time...

> MODERN RESONANCE TRANSFORMER DESIGN THEORY
D.C. Cox, no date or ISBN, published by the Tesla Book Co..
I will quote from the inside jacket: "This book was written and
dedicated to the young coil builders who will design, modify,
measure, test, and evaluate today's technology, and then, design
and develop tomorrows highly efficient Tesla coil systems."
I don't think I ever got a thing out of this book, although it
does have design math, toroid math, etc.. DC Cox is a pro, and
his company Resonance Research, designs and builds museum coils;
but never forget he is in it for the $$$$$...

> Resonance Research Corp. RTE. 1, Shadylane Rd. Baraboo, WI
> 53913 USA, Tel: 608-356-3647
This is D.C. Cox's company (see publication notes above) and I
assume he sells completed coils, plans, and parts. But he won't
reply to even an information request without $10.00 in his hands
(no personal checks accepted: bank money orders or cashiers
checks only).... Go figure...

> Tesla Technology Research, 2527 Treelane Ave, Monrovia, CA
> 91016 USA
Bill Wysock is a well known, respected coiler, and (at least
until his the July 94 ZAP SHOW at the Colorado Springs Tesla
Symposium) reliable coiler. His 1/4 wave coil work supplies big
sparks for some Hollywood producers and museums.

> THE BELL JAR
Journal on vacuum work written by Steve Hanson and published
quarterly, $15.00, 35 Windsor Drive, Amherst, NH, 03031
Many high voltage projects.

> THE TESLA COIL DESIGNER
IBM DOS coil construction software by Walt Noon. Available from
Lindsay Publications, Bradley IL., this is a first class Tesla
Coil design package that reduces the hours and hours of paper,
pencil, and calculator time to mere seconds. All constants and
formulas are already programed into the menu driven package, just
"plug n chug" for a fast accurate custom coil design. Or write:
Walt Noon III, 3283 Belvedere, Riverside, CA 92507

> October 1992, Popular Electronics pp 69-71, Fun With Tesla
> Coils, by Charles D. Rakes
This article builds a small solid state coil using a driver
oscillator which base feeds the HV HF Coil. The project uses
a 567 tone decoder IC, a few resistors, caps, and a power supply
to drive a small coil to light bulbs etc.. The secondary is wound
on a piece of 4" PVC, looks simple and inexpensive.

> November 1993, Electronics World + Wireless World, (magazine)
pp 937-942. "The spark that gave RADIO to the world", by George
Pickworth: "Marconi" this and "Marconi" that; Tesla mentioned
only once; but it did have clear photos and diagrams of what not
to do... As well as useful photos of damped wave trains produced
with authentic gap systems. A good general explanation of spark
gap types and functions.

> Vacuum Tube Industries, Inc., 506 North Warren Avenue,
> P.O. Box 2009, Brockton, MA. 02405 USA
> tel: 508-584-4500, tel: 800-528-5014, fax: 508-584-0096
Specialize in new and rebuilt 450 KC power tubes for commercial
RF induction heaters and the supply & control xfrmrs, cooling
loops, etc.. These are the type tubes I would use for a CW coil.

> The Condenser Products Corp., 2131 Broad Street,
> Brooksville, FL 34609
Manufacturers of commercial high voltage plastic film pulse
discharge (Tesla) capacitance. Minimum order $150.00, minimum
shipping time about 6 weeks. These are where my big commercial
capacitors come from, as they will build them to your specs.

> Larry J. Rebman
> The Transformer Bank, Inc.
> University Technology Center
> 1313 Fifth St. SE
> Minneapolis, MN 55415
> Tel: (612) 379-3958, Fax: (612) 379-5962
Suppliers of surplus high voltage transformers and transmission
equipment. Good source of non-shunted step up xfrmrs.

TS> NWL Capacitors
TS> 1 Industrial Dr., Snow Hill, NC 28580
TS> voice 908-842-5757
TS> FAX 908-842-1161
I was given the following address from a very reliable coiler:
> NWL CAPACITORS, 8050 Monetary Dr., Riviera Beach, FL., 33404
> Tel: 407-848-9009
Custom manufactured high voltage pulse discharge Tesla caps...
TS> NWL Transformers is a sister company in Bordentown, NJ, BTW.

TS> Is Plastic Capacitors, 2623 N. Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 99120
TS> also on your list? Their voice is 312-489-2229.

TS> How about Cornell-Dubilier, 1605 E. Rodney French Blvd., New
TS> Bedford, MA 02744, voice 508-996-8564 ? They bought out the
TS> old Sangamo plant and trademark a number of years ago.

TS> Danny Churchill at Commercial Radio Co. in VT, 802-226-7582,
TS> sometimes has some interesting stuff around. I bet you'd
TS> find him interesting even if he didn't have whatever model
TS> you currently need. Among other things, he manufactures
TS> custom high voltage inductors and transformers, in an old 3
TS> story brick schoolhouse converted to a factory/warehouse.

THANKS TERRY SMITH (203)732-0575 BBS (1:141/1275) for your input!

> Hipotronics, Inc., RTE.22, Brewster, New York, 10590
> TEL: 914-279-8091
Manufacturers of high-voltage test equipment. Capacitors,
transformers, bussing, toroids, etc. are available. These are
the guys who make the equipment that commercial utilities use to
test/destroy their equipment to determine breakdown limits.

> CSI Capacitors, 810 Rancheros Dr. San Marcos, CA, 96069
> TEL: 619-747-4000
Another source of custom made, commercial plastic film, high-
voltage, pulse discharging, (Tesla type) capacitance. Ask about
left over units from production runs, sometimes you will find a
bargin in a top quality cap.

> Maxwell Labs, Inc., 8888-G Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA, 92123
> TEL: 619-279-5100
Manufacturer of commercial high-voltage equipment, capacitors,
power supplies, etc..

> Antique Electronic Supply, P.O. Box 27468, Tempe, AZ, 85285
> TEL: 602-820-5411
Source for the tube coil builder, many old/rare vacuum tubes and
related equipment (sockets, caps, etc.) for projects like the
"Lil Tesla Coil" of the 1960's Pop. Electronics era.

> Weisner Electronics, 149 Hunter Ave, Albany, NY, 12206
> TEL: 518-438-2801
Another source for the tube coiler. Plate xfmrs, mica caps,
tubes, etc..

> Richard T. Quick II, 10028 Manchester Rd., Suite 253, Glendale,
> Missouri, 63122, USA
I have a two hour video tape that documents my 10" diameter
secondary coil and 10 KVA power supply in operation. It covers a
wide area of related high voltage experiments and techniques.
(Jacob's Ladder, RF choking, spark gaps, critical coupling, etc.)
Due to the dangerous nature of this work I cannot be responsible
for the safety of life, limb, or property should anyone choose
to, or attempt to, reproduce any of the equipment or experiments
featured on the video. To obtain a copy: send a blank, high
quality, VHS video tape; a first class postage pre-paid, self
addressed mailer; and $10.00 US. I will happily trade tapes.

This text file gets regular updates for posting here, as I both
see and receive, many requests for information on this subject.
YOUR references or review would be welcomed additions to this
file. While I always try to be as accurate as possible, there are
no assurances that ANY of the information posted here is error
free, or, that there is no risk in acting on this information.

The complete text files from this (and related threads), my GIF
file spark gap diagrams (and text instructions) are available
on this BBS in file TESLA?.ZIP. This information is also mailed
out at no charge to anyone who sends me a SASE and a blank 1.44.
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-21-94 23:34
From: Bruce Lane
To: Lou Farris
Subj: Re: JACOBS LADDER
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
LF> LAF: With the voltages and danger factor, wouldn't it be a
LF> lot safer to contstruct a tesla coil instead.

Not necessarily. I've heard of people getting knocked on their
derrierre by a Tesla coil as well.

In any case, a TC is much more complex and difficult to build in
a short time. ==Bruce (1:138/198)

ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ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: 10-20-94 08:00
From: Rick Morlock
To: James Meyer
Subj: Mineral oil for capacitor
ﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄﾄ
JM> My point was that if you're considering real,
> honest-to-goodness, high voltage transformer oil, then you
> might as well use a good grade of kerosene. They are
> practically the same. If kerosene is dangerous, then so is
> transformer oil.

Of course I haven't compared the flammability of both. I am not
an underwriter. Just seems that the Kerosene would be more
flammable. In all the high voltage transformers that I have
seen they use PCB's. Of course this is outlawed now.
Rick Morlock 716-646-5438 (1:260/165)

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