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Re: Restoration of an old electrostatic machine / Piffard Hyperstatic Tesla Coil



Hello,

What an incredible machine!  Those are the nicest static electric machine 
pictures I have seen in a long time, and the only "real photograph" pictures 
of a multi-plate machine that I have seen.
A real work of art!

As for running a Tesla Coil from a Static Machine, there was a small gadget 
from the turn of the century called a "Piffard Hyperstatic Transformer", 
that was merely 2 leyden jars with a spark gap across the top posts, and a 
small bi-polar Tesla Coil connected to the outer terminals.  (basic 
old-style 2-series condenser arrangement for TC: like spark gap across 
induction coil with 2 condensers in series with TC)

I have made one of these in the past, and it was powerful enough to light up 
one of the geissler type vacuum electrodes, and the frequency was extremely 
high from the Tesla Coil -- sparks were very soft, low current, very high 
frequency.  I was using a Wimshurst machine that was adjusted to make 2-3" 
sparks to power it.
So far as sparks go, the results weren't terribly impressive, but show how 
to get Tesla type currents from static type currents. (well, "sort of" in my 
opinion)

16 - 20" induction coils were used to power Oudin Resonators, as were to a 
smaller extent large multi-plate static electric machines.  You might not 
get the longest sparks from a static-electric driven Tesla Coil, but perhaps 
a very interesting display of "effluve treatments" from a Tesla Coil and a 
pointed set of metal electrodes for the top terminal directed towards the 
patients--er, spectators!

Gee, some people find the neatest toys...

Jeff

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