Electronic damage

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

Original poster: "Anthony by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <firework-at-firework.co.nz>

Hi there,

I am new on the list. Years ago when I worked in a University Physics 
Department building lecture demonstrations I built a 2 metre high Tesla 
powered with three neon sign transformers in parallel.

It worked very well and we just charged in to the lecture theatre and used 
it with no thoughts of all the electronics just through the wall in the 
back room. It would dimly light dimly all the fluorescent in a room seating 
350 students when we ran it. They had thyratron dimmers.

We never had any damage problems. But  recently I was asked to run and 
event where a touring artist with his Tesla coil is going to figure on 
stage indoors.

I am very leery of it but am I being too conservative?  Todays electronics 
items are I think vastly less forgiving than those of 25 years ago.

We are also to supply pyrotechnic effects and they will be foil wrapped in 
locked metal trunks  well  away till he is done.

But has any one had a computer blown?  I realise that in a small garage 
damage is easily done, but has any one ever run a coil on stage in a 
theatre with all the lights and sound gear up and running?

Any one fried all the nearby cell phones or killed a walkman or blitzed the 
lighting dimmers on the wall?

I see how damage is possible but does it occur easily in practice?

Interested to hear of your actual experiences in the matter as I am so out 
of touch now.


Kind Regards     Anthony Lealand             Firework Professionals 
Ltd          Web   www.firework.co.nz