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Re: Help...Please (fwd)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 98 22:39:28 -0500
From: Adam <absmith-at-tiac-dot-net>
To: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: Help...Please (fwd)



Just a few comments:

>two weeks ougta be enough. first search sign shops and then junkyards
>for neon sign transformers 12 of 15 kilovolts will do. 

9kV and 12kV are easiest to work with and 60mA units are prefered, not 
just for the extra current but for their extra ruggedness.  15kV -at- 30mA 
is the worst combination for neon longevity-  lower voltage higher 
current trannies will take much more abuse.

>ask for a used
>one they might give you one for free but a used one will usually cost 25
>to 30 $ not to shabby.

If you only have two weeks, and you're building a small coil, oil burner 
transformers will work fine.  Heating & Plumbing repair guys will give 
you these for free if you look responsible.  They throw out dozens per 
week in cold climates (working ones) during routine burner replacements.

>find a cardboard tube and go to radio shack. theyll have in the pars
>section a bag with three spools of magnet wire in them each spool is a
>different size
>buy three bags and take the red wire #30 awg outta each bag tape one end
>of the wire an inch up from the bottom of the tube and start windin'
>nice and smoothe no bumps etc.

If you are strapped for cash, there is no need to use just the #30.  Wind 
the thicker gauges at the bottom of the coil, and use the finer wire at 
the top.  Looks a bit funny, but there is much less waste.

>then  get some solid copper wire like they use in house wiring the thick
>stuff. a

#10 to #6 bare copper wire is available at home depot and hechinger's.  
This will do fine and it's easy to bend and form.

>around a plastic cylinder container that the end of the magnetwire coil

I would make an inverted saucer to avoid overcoupling.  All you need are 
a few crude wooden supports.

>put a nail point up at the top and connect
>the top wire to the nail then position the bottom wire about 10 cm away
>from the nail (nice bipolar)

That'll work best as a monopolar coil discharging to ground, not tuned as 
a bipolar.

>this is an awful shake and bake coil but for 2 weeks and makeshift parts
>its pretty good
>and if you go to a school like mine the teachers and most of the
>students there are so daft theyve never heard of tesla so thissl dazzle
>em no matter how weak it is

true.  My 8th grade science fair TC got about 3.5" spark max, but it was 
enough to impress the masses.  I had an oil burner transformer, a cap 
made from a Polypropylene bucket, and a sloppy primary coil- no other 
parts.  I've learned from these list that it there was a lot of room for 
improvement. :-)

-Adam

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