Re: Help making tesla coil and jacobs ladder

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

Original poster: "Steve Greenfield by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <alienrelics-at-yahoo-dot-com>


> At 10:57 AM 2/13/2002 -0600, you wrote:

> >Also, i want to make a jacobs ladder. Correct me if
> im wrong, but cant
> >I just take 2 coat hangers, bent away from each
> other, and shove them
> >in a piece of pine wood.  Position the
> bottom/closest point so its close
> >enough its not that hard for the 12kv to arc
> across, then let air
> >ionization and the spread of the wires do the rest.

Yes, with a few caveats:

Bend them in and then out again so the spark is not
starting where it will burn the wood, or it will start
your chunk of wood on fire. Once it starts it will
spark right through the carbonized wood.

Clean them off, or just go buy some cheap welding rod.
Coat hangers are laquered or painted and will give off
nasty fumes as it burns off.

I built a Jacob's Ladder into a plexiglass covered
unit. It has to be safe at an indoor party and look
sorta like a 1950's B movie Mad Scientist equipment so
it has an exhaust fan that connects to a hose to run
out a window. Otherwise you get a build up of ozone
and nitrous oxide in the room, very nasty. I also used
TV HiV flyback wire (it is what I had) and ceramic
insulators. All corners are rounded off to reduce
corona and unpredicable sparking.

Here's a bad picture of it with me looking like an
idiot:
http://groups.yahoo-dot-com/group/mad_scientist/files/Misc%20Mad%20Scientist%20E
quipment/JacobsLadderPix0013.jpg

If that link gets munged up, look in the "Files"
section for "Misc Mad Scientist Equipment":
http://groups.yahoo-dot-com/group/mad_scientist/

Or here under "Files" and "Steve Greenfield" there is
also a closer photo:
http://groups.yahoo-dot-com/group/nwpropmasters/

Sorry about the picture quality. Getting a better
photo of it is kinda low on my priorities right now.

-snip-
> >Will I need to use spark plug wires, to handle the
> voltage?

No, spark plug wires typically have built in
resistance to reduce RFI. Why not go to a neon sign
shop and ask them?


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