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A novel top electrode
To all on the Tesla List:
It has occurred to me that a top electrode having the following qualities
might be valuable:
1. A toroid with 13 3/4" mean diameter and (largest) cross-section
diameter of 5".
2. Very uniform & smooth electrical-surface curvature all-around, so
sparks should tend less to stay -at- 1 or a few spots, as can happen with
home-made duct-material or aluminum-foil toroids. Also, it will look a
whole lot nicer.
3. Equipped for varying the effective electrical cross-sectional
diameter from 5" to perhaps half that, at will and uniformly &
simultaneously all-around. This allows for tweaking the breakdown
potential for maximum spark, depending upon the available voltage.
4. Basic materials, aluminum sheet-stock, paper-phenolic sheet-stock &
bronze spring-wire; buildable with moderate skills & simple tools.
Estimated material cost for 1 if all bought new, ~US$125.
As an exercise, I've C-A-D-designed one. It has a lot of parts, but the
vast majority of those are very simple & identical pieces of spring wire;
the few other fabricated items are flat pieces. I haven't built one yet
& may not get to it for a while. If any of you would value this notion
enough to risk US$25 for my 6 sheets of 8 1/2" x 14" (copyrighted)
computer-drawn & detailed plans plus a page of notes, sent post-paid via
snail-mail with authorization to build 1 unit for personal use, send me a
check with your address. As soon as I find it works OK (from feedback or
experience), the price could go up some. If it doesn't work...sorrreee,
I tried; I keep the $, you keep the plans. Perhaps they'll give you an
idea for one that does. However...feedback to the Tesla List could well
put it right, in time. And if someone finds it awful, they should feel
free to flame me right here on the List as soon as possible.
I will accept a certified check or a bank draft, in US$, made out to K.
C. Herrick. Address: 2160 Mastlands Drive, Oakland, CA 94611 USA
Ken Herrick
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