Re: How to explain what a Tesla coil is....

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Steve White by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <slwhite-at-zeus.ia-dot-net>

Hello Bob,

Back in the 60s when I was a teenager, I too experimented with such things.
I even built a small vacuum tube coil from a Poplular Electronics article.
Today, I am an electrical engineer designing satellite communication
terminals with high voltage as a hobby. My dad dropped out of high school in
10th grade and knew nothing about technical things. My mom was a high school
graduate and was a houswide. All of my relatives have a farming or ranching
background. So, I always felt like a fish out of water in family gatherings
because my interests were so much different than that of anyone else in my
family.

I would say to your parents that a tesla coil is a device that generates
very high voltages and is capable of sending arcs of electricity up to 10
feet long for large home-built devices. I would stop there and don't try to
explain what a resonant-tuned air core transformer is or anything like that.
They will never understand it. You will also be asked "What is it good
for?". Be honest and say "practically nothing". It is just fun to build and
watch. What good is golf or water skiing or 1000 other leisure activities?
They are just fun. I should say that I surpassed my parents understanding of
such things when I was about 10 years old. I gave up trying to explain such
things to them shortly after that and just enjoyed it all myself.

Steve: Coiling in Iowa

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 6:17 AM
Subject: How to explain what a Tesla coil is....


> Original poster: "Bob Bozarth by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<jbdetails-at-prodigy-dot-net>
>
>     Hi all, \
>
>     This has been my biggest problem when I go up to my Parents house, or
to
> visit my Grandmother. I try to explain, but I start off wrong, or I just
am not
> making sense. I am the only one in my entire family with interests such as
> coiling. Granted, I knew nothing about them either a year ago, but as soon
as I
> found out such a thing could be fabricated I had to investigate. What
might be
> a good way to explain in a paragraph or two what a Tesla coil is and does?
Is
> it important to explain anything about Nic. Tesla and how it all started
or
> should I keep it real basic. Remember that my Dad is a truck driver, my
Mom has
> been a housewife for 30 some years, as well as my Grandmother. I even need
a
> simple way to explain to my Brother who is a father of three boys and
works in
> the shipping dept. of a CNC machine shop. Just to give you an idea what I
have
> to deal with.
>     Thanks for any input, I already tried to fumble my way through it.
> Bob Bozarth
>
>
>
>