DIY Ball Lightning

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: DIY Ball Lightning
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 00:16:58 -0500
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net


----------
From:  Malcolm Watts [SMTP:MALCOLM-at-directorate.wnp.ac.nz]
Sent:  Sunday, April 05, 1998 5:55 PM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: DIY Ball Lightning

Hi Dan,

> From:  ntesla-at-ntesla.csd.sc.edu [SMTP:ntesla-at-ntesla.csd.sc.edu]
> Sent:  Friday, April 03, 1998 4:30 AM
> To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:  DIY Ball Lightning

> ><snip>
> >The power nescesary to produce fireballs is not very high. We have seen 
> >fireballs from small table top machines operating around 200-300 watts. The 
> >power levels will determine the size and lifetimes of the fireballs. At 200 
> >watts or so, the fireballs will be points of bright light out towards the
> tips 
> >of the streamers. Running the coil mentioned in the previous emails, will 
> >produce fireballs 1 to 2 cm in size. The key is "lots of ozone and lots of 
> >carbon" and the long thin wispy sparks. The thick bright discharges do not 
> >produce fireballs. So, backing off on the power sometimes produces better 
> >results.
> >
> >
> >Hope this answers your questions.
> >
> >Ken Corum
> 
> That's interesting. So from where did Tesla's carbon originate? Carbon from
> wooden forms? That seems likely as I seem to recall Tesla writing that the
> "fireballs" would destroy the coil. I have a few boxes of arc-lamp
> copper-clad carbons....I think I'll give this a try soon. :)
> 
> Dan

He put carbonized discharge points on the coil terminal I think. Must 
check that section out in CSN. Perhaps Richard Hull knows the answer 
more readily. This all sounds quite easy enough to do.

Malcolm