[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: Steel structure - appropriate ground?
Subject: Re: Steel structure - appropriate ground?
Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 22:37:19 -0500
From: "Robert W. Stephens" <rwstephens-at-headwaters-dot-com>
To: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
> Sat, 26 Apr 1997 16:25:35 -0400 (EDT) Aaron Datesman
> <ADatesman-at-aol-dot-com> wrote;
>
> > My Tesla coil is set up in a school building which has the steel girder
> > frame
> > very typical of institutional buildings. Instead of sinking copper
> > pipes
> > into the ground, couldn't I just attach my ground wire to these steel
> > girders? It seems the same idea to me, but possibly there is some
> > aspect of
> > this idea I don't see. I don't want to blow up any computers in the
> > building, for instance.
>
> Aaron steel is a lousy conductor compared to copper! on the outlet
> you use to power your coil there is three prongs one for hot another
> for return ground and a third round one for safety ground USE IT!
> There is a good conducting copper path to an already established good
> ground through the safety ground. It is required in all 50 states as
> part of the Utility code.
>
>
Alfred,
I have to dissagree with you here. The third prong ground in a wall
outlet does indeed terminate in a fairly good ground, but only after
travelling considerable distance in parallel with the ac mains
conductors. It is quite inductive and at Tesla coil frequencies can
become quite a RFI radiation source. The drop along the length of
the oulet ground wire will be impressed on the AC mains, causing
mayhem to computers and the like everywhere in the building.
In some smaller coil applications you'd actually be better off not
using the ac ground and using a large metal counterpoise (large metal
desk, cluster of filing cabinets wired together, etc.?) in the vicinity
of the
TC instead.
rwstephens