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RE: streamer hit

Terry: I am not certain it was due to my coil.. but I wonder.
I am an apherisis donor.. so I get a hand workout every two weeks, for
90 minutes I sqeeze a ball to force the blood into the machine. When
I was fooling around taking hits from my 360VA 3.5" coil, I would have
pain in my joints during the donation. Now that I am running at 1.4KVA
(and soon to move up to 3KVA or more ) I don't go near the coil. I also
don't have the pain in my hands during my donation.
The pain was localized to the joints.
Was it the coil? Dunno. But I don't intend to be a target anymore anyway.
I have my requisite RF scar on the back of one hand to remind me. (another
story)

Michael Baumann
Coiler, Homebrewer, Nerd. mycroft-at-access1-dot-net
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesla List [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
> Sent: Thursday, November 12, 1998 4:44 PM
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: streamer hit
> 
> 
> Original Poster: Terry Fritz <terryf-at-verinet-dot-com>
> 
> At 10:51 PM 11/11/98 -0600, you wrote:
> >Tesla List wrote:
> >snip>
> >Terry and all,
> >
> >I've been reading the many interesting posts on this topic! Lots of
> >rather exotic methods of estimating the current distributions. However,
> >you can get a quick estimate of skin effect by using the operating
> >frequency of a typical operating Tesla Coil by using the permeability
> >and conductivity of sea water to model the EM inside of your body.
> >
> >The bottom line: 
> >===============
> >At the relatively low operating frequencies used in Tesla Coils, there's
> >virtually NO "skin effect" at work - the effective "skin depth" of your
> >body is "deeper" than you are thick! For example, the RF current from a
> >100 kHz system has a "skin depth" of about 31 inches inside your body.
> >Unlike a good conductor, the current will NOT be confined only to the
> >outer surface of you body.
> >
> >The fact that you may not "feel" the RF current (particularly from a CW
> >coil) does NOT mean that it won't do any physical damage - your nerves
> >are simply not responding to the RF current - sort of like being unable
> >to hear a damaging level of ultrasonic sound. Any current flowing
> >through your body (once it penetrates your skin), will be concentrated
> >through the best conducting portions of your body - your nervous and
> >circulatory systems. And make no mistake, excessive/prolonged current
> >flow can result in temporary or long-term nerve or organ damage. 
> >
> >Worse yet, if you happen to be grounded through an accidental flashover
> >to some other part of your body (toes, elbows or kneecaps...), the
> >discharge from a fully-charged topload and coil self-C is actually a
> >direct current capacitor discharge through your body. Taking a "hit"
> >from a multi-Joule coil will most definately "smart"... a hit from a
> >larger system can kill! Ao, don't buy into the old skin effect folklore,
> >guys - it ain't true!!
> >
> >And, SAFE coilin' to you!
> >
> >-- Bert --
> >
> >
> 
> Thanks Bert,
> 
> 	I had heard the skin effect stuff for so long I really 
> didn't question it
> till recently.  I think you pretty much hit everything right on the head.
> I never was a big fan of getting shocked or taking arcs.  The fact that
> these high frequency currents travel through ones guts and all is pretty
> important to understand.  Just like X-rays, we need to know as much about
> our risks as possible.  Large coils are pretty ominous when operating and
> not too many people run TOWARD them :-))  Smaller coils don't have the
> freight factor to keep us away and we need to be aware of what they are
> doing to those of use who like to "play" with the arcs.
> 	It would be interesting to know is anyone has noticed any long term
> affects of arcs through the body aside from the obvious burns and the
> mentioned short term tingling muscles?
> 
> 	Terry
> 
> 
> 	
> 
>