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TESLA'S SMALL COIL

Quoting Steve Roys:

 SR> I was re-reading Tesla's New York Academy of Sciences April  
 SR> 6 lecture, and I could use a little help on one point.  When 
 SR> describing his small, high-potential coil, Tesla says that   
 SR> the secondary is constructed as "two flat spirally wound     
 SR> coils" (p. 49). But to me, S1 and S2 in the diagram on p. 48 
 SR> look more like regular multi-layer solenoidal coils rather   
 SR> than flat spiral coils (which I am assuming are  "pancake"   
 SR> coils).  So what am I missing?  Any ideas or guesses as
 SR> to  how the windings go?   Steven Roys                       

 SR> (sroys-at-radiology.ab.umd.edu)

Look at the photo of the coil on page 183, Appendix I from:

> 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, paper 237pp; 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. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 

The photo I am referring to clearly shows a Tesla quenched gap
nautical transmitter constructed by Fritz Lowenstein under direct
license from Nikola Tesla. Patents No. 645,576 and 649,621 issued
May 1900, detailing Tesla's "flat-spiral" secondary coil.
Remember that Lowenstein worked with Tesla at Colorado Springs
and Wardenclyff, and was a favored assistant privy to many tricks
of the trade. The photo clearly shows a band secondary conductor.

I believe that a wide band of thin copper strip was used to wind
the particular "flat-spiral" secondary coil to which you refer.
The detail in Fig. 11, pp.48, showing a section with what appears
to be rather thin magnet wire making a connection should be taken
with a grain of salt. 

It would seem likely that Tesla insulated the space between the
secondary turns with fine silk cloth and subjected the coil to
several treatments in the apparatus shown in Fig. 10, pp 46 of
your reference.

Richard Quick


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