Re: Final Preparations fo Tesla HD Project, Questions

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

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <Mddeming-at-aol-dot-com>

In a message dated 2/27/01 9:47:34 AM Eastern Standard Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com 
writes: 


>
> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" < 
> ArcStarter3-at-aol-dot-com> 
>
> Fellow Tesla Enthusiasts, 



Snip 

>
> I've hypothesized that this is a capacitive effect; the wire and my hand 
> being the plates of the virtual capacitor and the insulation being the 
> dielectric. Further evidence that supports this conclusion is that the 
> sensation intensifies as more of my hand is exposed to the wire. 
>
> So my main concern is: will it be a problem when running the Jacob's Ladder 
> around many people? I have only tried it with the wire connected to one 
> terminal, and not arcing to the opposite terminal or ground, and yet the 
> sensation was quite strong. Will this "force-field" become a problem with 
> the 
> full 900 VA flowing through the wires, possibly presenting a shock or fire 
> hazard? 
>
> I've already planned out everything I'm going to do to prevent mishaps 
> during 
> the competition, such as a crude lockout mechanism (it won't work without 
> the 
> fuse ;-)), HV wire, insulated terminals, etc. Plus, I'm not planning on 
> leaving the HV stuff anytime during the competition. The Jacob's Ladder 
> will 
> also be run with a fairly low duty cycle (5 seconds on, 30 off) to reduce 
> electrode heating. 



Snip 



>
> Regards, 
>
> Josh Hunsaker 



Hi John, 

I believe that your analysis of the effect is essentially correct. Since the 
intensity will fall off as the square of the distance, "look from a couple of 
feet away, but don't touch" should be adequate safety. However, you might 
recommend that anyone with 
1) A pacemaker 
2) Artificial limbs/joint replacements 
3) Steel cranial plate 
Stand towards the rear of the crowd. 

Matt D.