Re: All pain no gain

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

Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>



Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>"
<Mddeming-at-aol-dot-com>
> 
> In a message dated 3/8/01 12:17:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> writes:
> 
> >
> > Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <
> > jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> >
> > What you really need is a decent RF counterpoise... A piece of screen on
> > the floor (chicken wire, e.g.) would probably do nicely.  I happened to
> > have a 4x4 sheet of copper which worked very nicely with a 15/30 coil.  No
> > discernable RF on any of the power lines, etc.
> 
> Counterpoise sounds like a good way to go. Wire mesh is much better than
> solid as it reduces eddy surrents.A large number of thin bare wires laid out
> radially, (like a daisy) would be better yet.
> 
> >
> > You should, for safety, also ground to earth ground (i.e. third pin of
> > electrical outlet), however, that isn't a particularly good RF ground (and,
> > actually, may make a fine antenna).
> 
> >
> > You could ground to the third pin ground through a suitable RF choke; which
> > would still allow DC and 60 Hz fault current to flow, but would block RF.
> 
>       Did I miss something here? If you block the RF going to ground then
> you again have no RF ground.

The RF ground is your counterpoise...  The ideal (from an interference
standpoint) is to make the RF power just stay near your coil.  i.e. rather
than your top load C being between the toroid and "earth" (in which case,
RF currents flow through earth, and any wire from the bottom of the coil to
earth), your topload C is between the toroid and an artificial ground plane
(counterpoise), with a very short wire from bottom of coil to counter
poise.  The short wire minimizes RF radiation.

You still DO want some connection between counter poise and real ground,
for safety.  If it were totally isolated, your counterpoise might start
acting like a topload (or a bottom load, more accurately) on a bipolar
coil, and reach high voltages.  Add to that the very real possibility of
corona rectification, and your counterpoise could wind up being charged to
a pretty high DC voltage, which, if big, could be a significant energy (not
lethal, but annoying painful to take the spark from).


> 
> Tesla list wrote:
> 
> >
> > >
> > > Original poster: "Garry Freemyer by way of Terry Fritz
> > <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <garry-at-ndfc-dot-com>
> > >
> > > I wonder if trying to ground it to the metal faucet would be better than
> > > hooking to the mains in my case where all the pipes are plastic and there
> > is
> > > no "Yard" to drive a pipe in. In my case it's an apartment. Output sparks
> > > are about 30" and I've not have any trouble yet. If it were any bigger
> > > output I would probably not run it at all.
> 
> >
> > > I thought I read something like it wasn't a good ground, but maybe it's
> > > better than nothing?
> > >
> 
> If your plumbing supply lines are indeed plastic, then your faucet is not a
> ground. IMO it is an electrocution device if you wire to it !!
> 
> Matt D.