RE: Just starting out

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

Original poster: "Vanderputten, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <gvp-at-pvaintl-dot-com>

What make's a good coiler?

Degree in EEE? - nope?

I believe you need the following:

1. Passionate fascination -  Interest bordering on obsession.
2. Dexterity - being handy is a must as you'd be hard pressed to contract
this stuff out. Primary coils are an interesting challenge.
3. Prudence - this hobby can kill, although I believe only one professional
collier has met his demise this way. Follow any and all safety advice you
can find. 
4. Resourcefulness - the ability to hunt down parts at dumps, ebay,
electronic parts houses - the great scavenger hunt.
5. Commitment to process - most coilers do not just rush to get over the
finish line; you must look forward to each step in the build process and
savor all the hours spent on each component. I spent three months building a
gorgeous plexiglass 1000 watter based entirely upon the collective advice of
this list. It worked the first time - While I remember that moment the most,
each step of the build was just as rewarding.
6. Patience with these threads - there is so much valuable data and opinion
in the list. It must be mined carefully. Just read all the articles on NST
and RF protection - there is no finite answer, only persuasive arguments. 
7. Humility - do not hesitate to ask the dumb question; there are no dumb
questions here.
8. Money - this can be an expensive hobby if you want it to be, say, if you
want to get one of those really neat professional caps, but resourcefulness
and sweat equity will get you by. Keep in mind that the result of your
efforts will have little material value beyond that of  garage sculpture.
With rare exception, coils are a poor investment vehicle, nor do they
qualify for IRA disbursements.
9. Appreciation for the aesthetics - Check out all the web photos of
coiler's work - great geek sculpture. 

Enjoy

Gary

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com] 
Sent:	Thursday, March 28, 2002 3:02 PM
To:	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject:	Re: Just starting out

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



Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Dan_Gallagher%PULSARNOTES-at-pulsartech-dot-com>
> 
> Hi guys,
> I may not be worthy of this group because you all sound like highly
> intelligent engineers to me. But I've been involved with electronics all
my
> life. I've been a repair lab tech for years.

I'm not entirely sure that "intelligent" and "tesla coil" are totally
compatible.  It's a sick addiction, but fortunately, not entirely socially
reprehensible.

Certainly, one does not need to be an engineer to build a decent coil.  If
one wants to understand the gory details of the fine points of the theory,
perhaps some background is useful, but I daresay that the vast majority
(>90%) of coil builders do not come from a "electrical/electronic
engineering" background. (Perhaps I should change "understand" to "argue
about"? <grin>)


> 
> My question is I am interested in building my own tesla coil. I'm not
> talking about a huge one with 10 foot arcs, maybe 12" or so arcs.

A great size... fits on a table top, relatively inexpensive, won't require
a truck to move it.

> 
> Would you guys have any recommendations for where to start. I work for an
> electric utility communications company dealing with communications via
> power-line carrier and fiber optics. I am the technical writer here. This
> seems to me like it could be a valuable resource for this interest of
mine.


Scrounge parts!  The two hardest things to come by will be the high voltage
transformer (typically, a neon sign transformer) and the primary capacitors
(MMC is highly recommended).  Everything else is easy "Home Depot" kinds of
stuff.   Bear in mind that if you bought everything you need brand new,
full list price, no shopping around or scrounging, you could probably build
a decent coil that puts out 2 foot sparks for around $200-300.  With a
substantial investment of your time (or, getting lucky), you could build a
decent coil that puts out 2 foot sparks for free.

> 
> Like right now I took from their discards a huge coil that looks like a
> cigarette butt stand. You know those cigarette butt stands with the tray
of
> sand on the top. It seems to me I should be able to use this in some way
in
> making my tesla coil but without expert advice like from you guys I don't
> know.
> 
> I'm very interested in starting and I am aware of the safety protocol of
> working with high voltage.
> 
> Thank you very much.
> 
>   Daniel Gallagher -- Graphic designer/Technical writer
>                        Pulsar Technologies, Inc.
> "THE BRIGHT STAR IN UTILITY COMMUNICATIONS"
>    4050 N.W. 121 Ave. Coral Springs, FL 33065 U.S.A.
>        954-344-9822 ext. 243 (www.pulsartech-dot-com)