Re: Damages to Electronic Equipment

To: "David Kronstein" <david_kronstein-at-telus-dot-net>
Subject: Re: Damages to Electronic Equipment
From: Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>
Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 15:39:08 -0700
Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
Cc: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme
In-Reply-To: <001f01bf74ca$fdf0dd60$822535d1-at-bconnected-dot-net>

Hi David,

At 12:02 PM 02/11/2000 -0800, you wrote:
>    Hello
>
>I have a _very_ expensive computer in the room above where I am
>going to run my tesla coil.

This is NOT good!!!

>
>I haven't run it yet because i'm afraid it might damage it.

That IS good!!!

>
>The computer is connected to a network, phone and cable TV

All will act as strike rails or conductive RF ground paths that could allow
say 20 amps of RF to flow through those circuits.  That would lead to total
destruction...

>
>Could the network act as an antena and pick up interference?
>There are three computers on the network.
>
>Could this damage anything?

If you had a really bad day you could totally destroy every bit of it!!!
The phone and network wires could easily pick up destructive currents many
orders of magnitude higher than is needed to destroy the computer circuits.

Tesla coils produce hundreds of thousands of volts, extreme magnetic
fields, extreme electrostatic fields, extreme current fields.  All which
could destroy a nearby computer with ease.  The voltage will easily fry
that 5 volt and 3.3 volt microprocessor buss stuff.  The magnetic fields
could induce equally destructive voltages on long wires or traces on the PC
boards.  The electrostatic fields will raise powerful static voltage
charges on everything.

>
>The coil is powerd by a single 15KV 60mA nst.

Easily powerful enough to do the damage described above.

>
>Would covering the ceiling with some sort of grounded mesh be
>enough to protect it?

Hardy,

	I would strongly suggest two options.  Move the coil somewhere else far
away so it does not use any of the same AC wiring as your computer stuff.
Or, move all your computer stuff equally far away.  The coil must not be
allowed to strike phone lines, cable TV, network lines, or anything else
but lengths of wire connected directly to ground rods. 

I would say running a 900Watt Tesla coil in a room with three networked
computers would almost guarantee extraordinary damage to them.

I'll copy you on this directly incase you are just about to....

Cheers,

	Terry

>
>Thanks
>