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Do YOU Boo Boo?

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> From: Tesla List <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
> To: Tesla-list-subscribers-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: output
> Date: Thursday, January 23, 1997 12:25 AM
> 
> > Subject: Re: output
> > >Subject: Re: output
> 
> Subscriber: major-at-vicksburg-dot-com Wed Jan 22 21:56:42 1997
> Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 18:36:23 -0600
> From: RODERICK MAXWELL <major-at-vicksburg-dot-com>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: output
> 
> Tesla List wrote:
> > 
> > Subscriber: jim.fosse-at-bdt-dot-com Tue Jan 21 22:54:21 1997
> > Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 17:50:25 GMT
> > From: Jim Fosse <jim.fosse-at-bdt-dot-com>
> > To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> > Subject: Re: output
> > 
> > >Subscriber: major-at-vicksburg-dot-com Mon Jan 20 22:17:03 1997
> > >Date: Mon, 20 Jan 1997 01:50:39 -0600
> > >From: RODERICK MAXWELL <major-at-vicksburg-dot-com>
> > >To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> > >Subject: Re: output
> > >
> > [snip]
> > >
> > >  Thank you for the info, but I think I'll try a Richard Quick style
gap
> > >first I already have the parts on hand and I'd have to buy the vaccuum
> > >cleaner! But I'll keep it in mind.
> > >
> > >
> > >                               Frankensteins Helper
> > >                                       Max
> > >
> > Max,
> >         Contact:
> > 
> >         American Science & Surplus
> >         847-982-0870    order phone
> >         800-934-0722    fax
> >         www.sciplus-dot-com
> > 
> >         Item: 25959
> >         Mean Vacuum Machine
> > `       $12.50
> > 
> >         "It's big, with a 5 3/4" by 2 3/4" blade housing and a 3 3/8"
> > by 3 1/2" motor. It's hungry, operation at 120 VAC and 8 amp. And it's
> > fast, spinning at over 12,000 rpm. Air rushes in through its 1 3/4"
> > inlet and is vented through (41) 3/8" slots in the blade housing. A 2
> > 3/8" fan on one end keeps the motor cool.  And look at the price!
> > Could it really be this cheep?"
> > 
> >         I believe that several people on this list are using this
> > blower (sic) for quenching/cooling their static gaps.
> > 
> >         jim
> 
> 
>    You guys are not going to believe this, and I'm sort of ashamed to
> tell you after you have been so helpful and everything, but I
> disassembled the gap that I've been using and lo and behold it was
> oxidized. So to make a long story short I cleaned up the gap and every
> things back to normal! Sorry for sending everyone on a wild goose chase.
> I guess this is a typical rookie mistake!

Roderick,
Welcome to the Club! Actually, your mistake has done some very real Good.
First of all, now Jim has shared with the rest of US where to Get Really
Cheap Super Fans for Spark Gaps and Other Projects. YOU have reminded every
one of US that we occasionally DO have to Clean our Spark Gaps for Maximum
Efficiency. And it has given Me an Idea that I think would be of Some Use
to all of us here on the List.

I challenge the rest of the Coilers out there, from Rookie to Super Expert
to share a short Boo Boo that is DIRECTLY Related to Coiling, and which
Just Might help PREVENT Someone Else from ever having to make that Same
Mistake Themselves. It will be Cathartic. It will be Useful. It will be
FUN!

OK, so I will start the Ball Rolling with one of my OWN Boo Boos. Last year
I rolled out my old WorkHorse Demo Tesla Coil that I always Fire Up to
Impress the New Students coming into my Electronics Class. I rolled it out.
I plugged it in. I moved the Moveable Gap Electrode back and forth a couple
of times to make sure it was at the proper starting distance. I Threw the
Power Switch. All Hell broke Loose. There was this MAD, Terrible, Awful
RACKET of a NOISE Blasting out of the Spark Gap Box. I have it Partially
Shielded so the LIGHT doesn't Blind Everyone in Sight. WELL, the Secondary
went WILD with these Huge BURSTS of Nasty White Killer Sparks that Broke
Out Seemingly EVERYWHERE All Over the Secondary. Even **I** was STUNNED by
the Display of Awesome RAW Savagery that Tore into the Air. I Quickly
Turned everything OFF before any Real Damage could be done. (The Kids
Clapped. They thought it was all part of the act) **I** was Not Happy. 

My Poor Tessie Was Sick! I was NOT going to Turn Tessie on AGAIN until I
had determined What Was Going On. I immediately checked the Spark Gap,
since it had made such a racket. Nope it LOOKED Perfectly OK. Must be
Something Else. I tested EVERYTHING ELSE, and EVERYTHING ELSE checked out
OK. I checked all connections Visually and with an ohmmeter, because you
Can't Always Believe What You See. I Spent a Fair Amount of Time Checking
Stuff, Tightning Stuff, Scratching My Head. ALL THE CONNECTIONS EVERYWHERE
WERE GOOD. To make a Long Story Reasonably Short, it turned out to be the
Large Flat Copper Connector That Connected to the MOVEABLE Spark Gap. I Had
Covered it with a Slightly Larger High Voltage Insulating Sleeve to reduce
corona. It was its Normal Color - BLACK. When I had ORIGINALLY Checked It I
had gotten an Ohmmeter reading of Zero Ohms. What the Ohmmeter Did NOT Tell
Me was that INSIDE the Insulating Cover was a Flat Strip Of Copper with a
HAIRLINE BREAK. And the Two Pieces were TOUCHING so they measured as
Conducting. Seems that Every Time I Adjusted my Spark Gap I was also
Flexing this Cable. Over the years it had developed a BEND near the center.
When I Flexed it just before the Demonstration, it finally separated
completely. If I had TOTALLY DISASSEMBLED the Spark Gap Assembly, I would
have seen the problem Immediately. NOW I have Several Pieces of Heavy
Braided Flat Cable in Parallel with my New Flat Copper Conductor. OverKill,
but Nothin' is Too Good For Tessie.

If All Else Fails, try something else!
Fr. Tom McGahee