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Violet Ray Tesla Coil
Subject: Violet Ray Tesla Coil
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 17:48:55 +0500
From: "Alfred A. Skrocki" <alfred.skrocki-at-cybernetworking-dot-com>
To: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Hi all, I purchased another hand held "Violet Ray" machine at a
flea market over the weekend for $5.00. The unit didn't work at all
so I opened it up and studied the insides, below is an ASCII
schematic of what I found. Please excuse the ASCII art!
| |
socket for evacuated tubes ---> | |
|___|
)
)
)
)
) S
)
__________________)
VG ____ _|_ )
| | ___C )P
#( |__|__________)
C #( |
O #( |
I #( |
L #( |
| |
115V
AC
There is an iron core coil connected at one side of it's windings to
the line. The other side of the coil connects to a vibrating armature
almost identical to those found on the old induction coils. The
stationary contact of the interrupter is connected to a 5 turn tesla
coil primary P made of 2 no.20 double cotton coated wires, the other
side of the primary is connected to the tesla coil secondary S which
is very fine wire (No.36 - 40) wound on a wooden form 3/4 inch in
diameter and 2 1/2 inches long. the primary also connects to the
moving contact of the interrupter and there is a paper capacitor C
across the vibrating spark gap VG. There is an adjusting screw that
pushes the moving armature of the vibrating spark gap closer to or
further away fro the stationary contact. The spring was over bent in
the unit I purchased so I rebent it back into position. The unit then
worked and yielded snappy thin bluish white sparks about 2 inches in
length at the best position of the adjustable control. Sorry I can't
provide any measured values for the inductance, capacitance, voltages,
ect. but one of my kids stole my multimeter! Grrrrrr. The unit is
about 10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter and made of black
bakelite, it looks identical to the Tesla coil vacuum testers except
it is designed to hold evacuated glass tubes instead of the pointed
metal probe. The only markings on the unit were;
20w 115V
No. M66
The Master Electric Co. Chicago
I find their use of a vibrating spark gap in series with the line
through a choke to be interesting. Its circuit looks identical to the
circuit described in Thomas Stanley Curtis's "High Frequency
Apparatus" 1916 (reprinted by Lindsay Publications 1988)in chapter
VIII "Kicking Coil Apparatus".
Sincerely
\\\|///
\\ ~ ~ //
( -at- -at- )
-----o00o-(_)-o00o-----
Alfred A. Skrocki
alfred.skrocki-at-cybernetworking-dot-com
.ooo0 0ooo.
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