Re: Hockey Coil?

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

Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>

Hi,

At 12:03 PM 10/7/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>TCML,
>
>> http://www.teslacoil-dot-com/ >> click on Arena Events >> bottom of the page.
>
>snip 
>
>> Real.  It was for the Colorado Avalanche, but the TC interfered with the
>> scoreboard (or so I hear) and it was removed.
>
>A political/communications failure more than a technical problem.
>
>During installation (and while I was suspended on a 4'x8'
>platform 75 feet above the ice with the controller and pole pig)
>the president of the newly built arena came in and announced
>that he hadn't been informed that we were installing HV
>equipment and that he was uncomfortable with the scoreboard
>"flickering" during our tests (we were tuning the coil, both
>primary system and power system). Apparently there was an
>internal communication lapse between the many parties
>involved (NHL, Avalanche, Arena, City, Production Company).

This was the first big opening night for the new Pepsi center in Denver.
They had all kinds of problems going on (like trying to figure out who was
going to pay for the construction of the stadium :-))) but Jeff's big Tesla
coil was super cool and worked perfectly. 

>
>The flickering would have gone away if we had been allowed
>to continue (as all partied have agreed) but we were killed
>in committee as the parties (35 people in one conference as I
>remember) got into insurance/CYA mode.

The problems were minor, but I think "they" were in no mood for any
problems at all at that point.  I can't imagine what a political mess that
all was :-p  Probably if it was a fuzzy teddy bear they would have felt
better but the big lightning machine probably scared a few folks that
didn't understand...

>
>The effect was really cool and everybody that saw it agreed.
>I learned that being that high up with only a 20kVA Tesla
>coil to grab onto was quite a thrill (the union riggers loved
>my profuse display of fear... Terry Fritz was there, he'll
>back me up on this one).

It was super cool!!  Jeff had nothing to worry about because "I" was
working the on/off switch :-))  There was a chance that if Jeff fell off,
he may damaged the coil or the ice, so the rigging crew bolted him on to
the coil real well with a bunch of safety harnesses ;-))

Cheers,

	Terry

>
>Jeff Parisse
>www.teslacoil-dot-com
>310-328-4024
>