Re: Touching/Sitting on your coil

["Mark Broker" <broker-at-uwplatt.edu> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

> it seems that the urge to get as close to or touch a streamer is very
> prevalent in first time observers also.

While testing my coil at school during finals week (or maybe it was the week
before) at night, I routinely had an audience.  At one point, someone went
into the building to get a "couple" friends and returned with about 25.  I
don't know if the 5 foot blue "bolts of lightning" kept them back, or common
sense.  I don't think anyone got closer than I was (about 12 feet).  I'm
hoping that I'll never witness someone gettin hit by that coil.  However,
I'm still intrigued by the idea of sitting on a coil in operation, with
streamers shooting out of my fingers.  But, this won't happen without some
sort of training that I'll probably never get (meaning I'll probably never
do it).

On the other hand, the staff, faculty, and students (including myself) all
seem to get great satisfaction by taking streamers and lighting up
florescent bulbs with the professionally made "250kV" bipolar coil.  It
consists of a 15/30 NST, and an oil cap (probably PCB) with a cardboard
dielectirc (it's in a 5 gallon bucket.... heavy thing, too), and a single
static gap set to about .1".  It gives really pretty purple 3" streamers and
beautiful 6" "indigo" power arcs (attempt at sarcasm) between the two
electrodes (the "toploads" are U-shaped brass-plated rods that can be moved
from almost touching to too far to get a "power arc").  I do believe that
the secondary uses about 34AWG wire (or something else EXTREMELY thin) on a
2.5" form..

I've tried to explain to just about everyone this past semester while
building my baby that taking arcs from a TC is a *bad* idea, and that "skin
effect" even from a coil whose Fo is in the neighborhood 750kHz is total
BS.  I had to show one of the profs (probably one of the brightest ones in
the dpt) a Web page debunking the "skin effect theory" before he'd truely
believe it (or maybe just my explanation was crappy).  I think that the
"smallness" of the output and the fact that "it's been done for years"
contributes to this attitude.


Wow, it's almost time for bed - good night, all!

Mark B.