[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: Electrical Frankenstein Show


In a message dated 11/4/98 11:58:29 AM, you wrote:

<<Way to go Robert! My brother-in-law in Texas called me - he also saw
your picture in a San Antonio newspaper over the weekend! What do you
use for a secondary base-ground when demonstrating the system? Do you
encounter any interesting problems when running in different
environments?>>

Hi Bert,

Traveling with the Tesla coil, I run into all sorts of interesting challenges.
Surprisingly, (and a bit scary) I have never had any problems with the
airlines.  The first time I flew on Delta, I called ahead and told them that I
would be traveling with some strange equipment that might look like a bomb.  I
asked what sort of documentation I should bring along.  The lady told me now
to worry, as no one would check it unless I was traveling out of the country.
Now isn't that a comfroting thing to know.

As far as operating the coil, I notice a BIG difference from one site to
another.  Part of this is due to differences in the current from place to
place.  What I always thought of as standard 110 volts varies a LOT.  I am
using an unpotted 60 milliamp, 15,000 volt NST with the shunts removed.  It
pulls 20 amps and really gives good sparks for its size and weight.  It does
heat up after a while, but for use in my shows, it is perfect.  The spark
varies from 3-5 feet, which is quite a bit of variation.  Five feet is about
the max spark I can safely use in most of the areas I work in, although I keep
tinkering to make them brighter.

I occasionally manage to activiate theater lights, score boards, and on two
occasions the fire alarm.  This usually occurs in older buildings and places
that are poorly wired.  Otherwise, very few problems,  I frequently operate my
laptop within 12 feet of the coil without frying it and have never run into
problems with museum exhibits, etc.  

For the demo that was in the paper, I have attached a large, commercial pizza
pan to a piece of high voltage wire that connects to the top of the secondary.
The pizza pan rests on three plastic milk crates that are stacked to insulate
me from the ground.  I pour a little water in the pan, and stand barefoot on
it. (That gets lots of crowd reaction and gives me a chance to talk some more
about electrical safety)  I have a hat made of copper strips with wire points
projecting upwards and a copper mesh glove for my hand.  While my hand is out,
most of the spark jumps from it.  When I pull my hand in, I get more sparks
from my head and large sparks leaping from the pan to the ground.  It really
makes a great finale for the show.

A while back there was some discussion about high voltage going around or
through a body.  I have been doing this demo for 13 years, often 5 or 6 times
a day, and have not cooked myself yet.  With my original coil there was quite
a bit of sensation, but I have managed to tune this one to the point where you
hardly feel it at all.  Aside from the extra pair of arms I am growing, there
have been no side effects.

Robert Krampf
Robert Krampf's Science Education Company
http://members.aol-dot-com/krampf/home.html
Get my Free Experiment of the Week by sending an e-mail to krampf-at-aol-dot-com