Re: shocking questions

To: tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: shocking questions
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997 20:04:13 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net
Subject: 
        Re: shocking questions
  Date: 
        Fri, 28 Mar 1997 19:57:25 -0500 (EST)
  From: 
        richard hull <rhull-at-richmond.infi-dot-net>
    To: 
        Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>


At 08:27 PM 3/24/97 -0600, you wrote:
>Subject: 
>        shocking questions
>  Date: 
>        Mon, 24 Mar 1997 00:53:15 -0500 (EST)
>  From: 
>        Noetic1-at-aol-dot-com
>    To: 
>        tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>
>
>Ok..
>
>My sons and I have a pretty standard setup:
>
>15kv/60 ma neon
>approx 15 turns 1/4" copper tubing
>6" diameter secondary, wound 22.5" 22 Gauge wire on a 24" form
>6 doorknob caps, in series/parallel, 4000 pf/15 kv
>Static Gap a la Richard Quick, copper sections gapped at .028,
>and a healthy ground, two five foot copper pipes, buried 8 feet apart
>and the secondary grounded with a big zinc strip directly from the 
>secondary base to the ground. Other ground is safety gap/center tap. No
>other
>
>wires to ground. 
>
>The problem is, we are getting a substantial shock from the sparks
>pulled off the secondary. Kind of takes some of the fun out of it.
>
>Does anyone have an idea why this is occuring? Basic wiring 
>diagram is out of the nic.funet site, nothing strange. I KNOW 
>we have a substantial ground for the secondary..why the shock? 
>
>appreciate any ideas..
>
>Chris Dunagan
>and 
>Evan (13) Andrew (11)
>
>
Chris,

You gotta' remember this is basically a 1 Kilowatt system!!!!  1
kilowatt is
a bit much to be just casually taking arcs off of escpecially if you are
not
standing on plastic milk crates, but on a normal floor.  I make a rule
that
I don't touch any coil arcs produced by systems using over 100 watts
while
standing on a floor in normal shoes!  The 100 watt system I use can
produce
up to 12" arcs and that's enough for me.

Second, if you stand just outside the sparking circle and timidly
approach
the sparks you will charge to a DC potential at each spark as it fingers
to
the tool in your hand.  DC hurts.  I boldly go into the middle of the
spark
and avoid the DC punches.  Likewise, when I break off with the arc, I
pull
away very rapidly to again avoid a DC pop.


Richard Hull, TCBOR