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Re: RF Interference and Chokes



In a message dated 5/13/99 2:16:06 AM Pacific Daylight Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com 
writes:

> Original Poster: Christopher Michaelis <cmichael-at-xmission-dot-com> 
>  
>  Whenever I fire up the coil, my parents come out screaming and wailing
>  because the phones, tvs (cable, not antenna), radios, and intercom (which
>  is wired, not radio-based) are fuzzing about noisily.
>  
>  I've only got 2 little chokes from radio shack on it -- what do the tesla
>  gurus recommend for protecting my 60hz line from feedback (is that what
>  it's called?)
>  
>  Is there any other way besides a faraday cage to make my coil screw up
>  radios a bit less? I'm quite far away from my house, so the neighbors can't
>  be any happer than by parents.
>  
>  Thanks in advance
>  
>  
>  Christopher Michaelis

Christopher,

I would advise to make sure you have a good RF ground for the bottom of the 
secondary.  Also connect the center contact of your safety gaps here as well 
as the case of the neon sign transformer - if that is what you are using for 
power.

I also use a separate ground rod for my 60 hz ground.  The case of the AC 
line filters as well as the case of the variac and any other items that 
should be grounded in the control system should be connected here.  Nothing 
should go to the house third wire ground.  I use this method of grounding and 
have very little interference on the television.  The cordless phone is 
another story.  It seems to be very sensitive.  When the coil is running, you 
don't use this phone.

You might also invest in some better line filters.  I forget which mail order 
place I ordered mine from but they were relatively inexpensive (surplus).

Ed Sonderman