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kVA closes MESA Expo Energe (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 24 Apr 1998 16:27:06 -0700
From: Dale Hall <Dale.Hall-at-trw-dot-com>
To: TESLA List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: kVA closes MESA Expo Energe
To ALL: (report of a stimulating So Calif event)
After Judging at the LA County Science Fair (~850 entries) the Physics category
~100 entries, 1st=10th grade Sr built a Cyclotron from scratch to study
accelerated alpha particles) from 6am to 7pm, I drove to Simi Valley arriving a
little after 8 to meet and speak with Jeff Parisse, Brent Turner & crew setting
up their 4kW (120VACrms 35Arms) 2 megavolt pk w/~5.5' discharge classic
cfgd RSG coil and roll out their twin triode 500 W tube model (& the aches &
pains of trying to find 120vac at the end of 100' extension cord {ie not 100v} in
the middle of an outdoor college park "stage").
Not to worry, Brent simply wired into a park electrical distribution panel,
though by the end of the show many surmise it could have been run from the
stored charge Brent must contain after sitting atop that pedestal with those
high currents passing toe to head (and head to toe once recently -- ask Brent
about the 5.5 foot power arc he recently took, by accident, to the left elbow,
while staging a stunt - studios thought they'd killed him as his contracting hip
musles through him over backwards. Amazingly, not even a arc contact cut,
puncture or RF burn !, just some bruises from the tumble).
This brings to mind a question. Since skin affect prevails, what mechanism
causes intermuscular contractions to occur ? We've all experienced it, right !
Perhaps the nerves near the skin surface conduct a small current triggering the
mechanism related to the knee jerk reflex action ??
The show was expertly MC'd by Jeff lecturing in a pleasant form on Tesla and
related phenomena. After some test firings and demo's, Brent mounts the
pedestal and waves wands, a ring, a 40W fully illuminated incandescent lamp
indicating the secondary "average" of peak discharge spark power ~40W rms !,
though I surmise peak current is high 10's of Amps.
And then the FINALE of the 10 finger (last count) 5' spoked discharges into the
air including power arcs to ground and his cute "six shooter spark thrower"
(Brent, are you SAG licensed ?). A thoroughly enjoyable show ! and must see
if you get an opportunity. I made a VHS-c video, but have no way of posting
electronically. I'll have the tape with me at the TRW swapmeet this Sat.
Thanks to the kVA folks for a great show to conclude Science Exposition day.
I sat next to Brian Basura and his brother (may have name confusion). One of my
coil building goals is to get the longest spark from the least input power.
I told them about my battery powered 9v .04A <.5W to 5kVDC tesla which issues
8" to 10" arcs at one to two power discharges per second from 8"D 20"H sec
topload: 4ea galvanized elbow 8" x 23" toroid, .1ufd ruby mica cap, 4T 1/8" Cu
Pri and a vacuum "T/R" relay/switch spark gap.
I should have brought it to the show :( maybe next time.
Special thanks to the cordial Environmental Science professor who escorted me
to the Quad after her rigourous day teaching (this was my 1st visit to MoorPark
College - Quad was not ID'd on any signs).
Anyone interested in seeing it at the Sat 4/25 TRW swapmeet in Redondo Beach,
CA (corner Aviation & Marine 7am - noon), RSVP personal to both these:
dale.hall-at-trw-dot-com and stimpus-at-msn-dot-com
Accuracy disclaimer: standard engineering "within an order of magnitude"
applies to all numerical data above !!
Watchin anothers coil is Fun, too !
Dale