Re: caps, spark gap, and more

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: caps, spark gap, and more
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 22:33:19 -0500
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	Robert W. Stephens[SMTP:rwstephens-at-headwaters-dot-com]
Reply To: 	rwstephens-at-headwaters-dot-com
Sent: 	Thursday, September 11, 1997 9:45 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: caps, spark gap, and more


> 
> From: 	Kevin[SMTP:wawa-at-spectra-dot-net]
> Reply To: 	wawa-at-spectra-dot-net
> Sent: 	Wednesday, September 10, 1997 8:39 PM
> To: 	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: 	caps, spark gap, and more
> 
> I remember when I made my capacitors that I put oil on the top part. 
> Well, they haven't been preforming so hot lately and I decided to take
> one apart.  The oil does not resemble oil any more.  It looks like bacon
> grease after it has cooled to a solid although the oil is still liquid. 
> It smells pretty bad too.  What happened to it?
> 
> Also, I just had a thought but I don't know if it is any good or what. 
> Would it be somehow beneficial to place something grounded between my
> safety gap?
> 
> One last thing.  I'm a senior in high school and last year, for the
> first time, a science fair sponsored by IBM was opened up to the
> highschool level.  (I did research on chaos thoery and won first place
> in the math catagory :-)  ).  Anyway, I was hoping I could enter my coil
> in the competition.  There's just one thing, and it seems to bother me. 
> The judges that they have aren't the brightest people in the world and
> for most of them the first thing they'll ask is, "what practical
> purposes does this serve?"  I've already been asked this by some people
> and it really frustrates me.  Maybe because I don't have anything that I
> can tell them or maybe it's just that I'm think, "hey, I spent three
> months building this thing, you don't know what it is, you've never seen
> one before, I think it's pretty darn cool, and you want to know what
> it's used for."  Personally, I loved making, I love running it, and I
> just amazed by my coil.  Sure I think they have a legitiment question,
> but I just don't know how to respond.  Anyone want to help?  
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> Kevin
> 

Kevin,

IBM people eh?  OK.   Remind them that they know what an eprom eraser 
is, but to use one you have to take the cover off the computer and 
remove the eproms and put them in this special machine for a period 
of time.  Too much hassle.  Way too time consuming!  Well this Tesla coil here
will erase the whole damned computer!  Instantly!  Without having to remove
the cover!  This little Tesla coil represents a gigantic leap in 
technological progress!  You don't even have to know what an eprom 
looks like to use it effectively!  : )

Need more marketing jive?  It looks way more cool than a conventional 
eprom eraser when running, and you don't have to know what an eprom 
eraser is or what it looks like to appreciate it!

rwstephens