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Re: Plexi Spark Shield

to: Ted, Dale

Forget the plex -- it'll block off too much of the exciting noise.  I
suggest chicken wire (cheap) but a double wall of it.  First wall to catch
the sparks and second wall approx 10 inches out to keep them from poking
their fingers through a single wall.  With this double wall of chicken wire
you should only need to keep the coil at the edge of the striking distance
to the first wall of chicken wire --- that should scare the heck out of the
visitors.  We used this technique on a Halloween house with a coil with 6 ft
long sparks and it really scared everyone.

One word of caution:  No kids under 10 years of age permitted in this
section --- they tend to wet their pants to easily.  We also discovered this
the hard way on the first night of operation.  Kids over 10 might too but
they won't admit it.

Use an opaque shield around the lower part of the coil to shield the
sparkgap so only the secondary spark is visible --- no UV damage due to
lower current in sec. spark.

Dr. Resonance


-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Date: Wednesday, December 15, 1999 5:50 PM
Subject: Plexi Spark Shield


>Original Poster: Ted Rosenberg <TRosen1-at-Tandy-dot-com>
>
>Dale: You raise an interesting point. While I can't draw the plan I have
for
>the scene, I simply want to make sure people who walk by are kept at least
3
>times the distance from the longest spark distance.
>If my coil is successful, I hope to achieve 36" sparks. The output should
>jump to a 1" diameter grounded conduit overhead to 'contain' the display.
>(From Frankenstein's head to the arched bar above the monster)
>Therefore, I figured if the distance to the viewers is another 10 feet or
>so, a 'dutch door' made of plywood on the bottom and plexi on top would be
>suitable.
>But, chicken wire would be visually and audio-wise much better.
>When the time comes, I will try the chicken wire first and see if any
sparks
>or anything else goes further.
>I would be on the side using a foot switch to my Variac.
>Ted
>===============================================
>Subject: RE: Plexi Spark Shield
>
>Original Poster: Dale Hall <Dale.Hall-at-trw-dot-com>
>
>Ted,
>Plexiglas may be inadequate as a shield from a Sec Spark Discharge.
>It may serve to keep people from physically touching the innards, though.
>
>Being a dielectric, Plexiglas is likely to channel discharges
> to people leaning against or near it.
>People are simply another plate of the secondary capacitor separated by
>Plexiglas being a more dense (thus preferred arc path)
> dielectric than air.
>
>I take advantage of the air/dielectric boundary affect to limit,
> i.e. 'control' discharges to 2 dimensions.
>
>Use chicken wire mesh or similar, with continuous edge ground.
>(else it may re-radiate induced sparks those close to the wire)
>An advantage it will pass the full dynamics of the less harmful sound
waves!
>
>BTW I used my manual controlled bang battery powered DC TC
>this Halloween with great success.
>28" power arcs on demand.
>Want a picture ? (((YES)))
>
>Regards, Dale
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Tesla List [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
>Sent: Monday, December 13, 1999 4:37 PM
>To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: RE: Sealing Plexiglas
>
>Original Poster: Ted Rosenberg <TRosen1-at-Tandy-dot-com>
>
>snip....
>
>It's use is planned for a local Haunted House for next October. Between the
>noise and the sparks it should scare the %$&-at- out of the patrons (who will
>be kept an appropriate distance by plexi sheeting and 2x4 walls).
>
>Regards, Ted
>Snip............
>
>
>
>