Re: Tiny tesla...

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Tiny tesla...
From: "Gregory R. Hunter" <ghunter-at-accucomm-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 16:44:00 -0700
Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

I built something like that when I was about 13 years old.  I used an
automobile ignition coil pulsed by a 115v dimmer switch for the power
supply.  The capacitor was glass plates and foil.  The primary was 12 ga.
bare aluminum wire wound on a glass cylinder (Coleman lamp globe).  The
secondary was about a foot long and wound on 2" pvc pipe with thin magnet
wire (32, 34 ga?  Can't remember).  I used two machine screws on "L"
brackets for the spark gap.  No top terminal--just a skinny bolt sticking
up.  The coil produced a bright blue/purple brush discharge and harmless 3"
sparks to hand held metal objects.  It looked great in a darkened room and
sounded really cool--lots of loud crackling noise.  I did a lousy job on it
but it still worked.  It was cheaper than dirt.

Best Regards,

Greg

At 07:20 AM 12/16/1999 -0700, you wrote:
>Original Poster: Ken Randall <kcrandal-at-tusc-dot-net> 
>
>Hi, All
>
>     I want to build a small tesla coil to show my mom that high voltage
>isn't really
>that dangerous.  Then i c can make a big coil without my mother thinking im
>going to
>be electrocuted.
>
>    Would it be possible to build a tesla coil like 3 - 5 inches high?
>Would this
>theoretically cost less?  Would it be easier to build?
>
>
>
>