Re: Just starting out

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

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

Hi Daniel,

At 09:27 AM 3/28/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>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.

The members of this list span from kids trying to make their first coil to
the real heavy theory Ph.D. types.  Everyone is welcome with open arms :-))
 There are many beginners that are just trying to learn about coils so you
are not at all alone.  If you work in a technical field you are already way
ahead of many :-)  Questions range from what is + and - in electricity to
high powered math stuff...  It is all welcome here.  We do limit the
subject matter to Tesla coils and posts do have to reach a certain standard
of public decency but other than that everything goes at all levels of
knowledge.  Ask any question you wish and you will probably get more
answers than you ever wanted :-))  Things range from very simple mechanical
construction details, electronics, where to find stuff, local coiling
meetings, equations, web pages, theory, experiments, heavy theory, heavy
math....  Just the whole range of subjects that deal in any way with Tesla
coils.  Topics such as the Tunguska explosion, free energy, anti-gravity,
etc. are not discussed since they are not real practical for people making
real Tesla coils and some of those odd fringe subjects get a little too
goofy...  We are concerned with what it takes to make real practical tesla
coils for fun.

>
>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.

I think we can help there :-)))

>
>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.

Oh!  Terry used to work on 220kV - 375kV line-carrier and transmission line
SCADA stuff ;-)) I was a few years too early for fiber optic stuff but I
used to beg that they should plan for it in all new construction...  They
didn't, and only two years latter they started tearing the new stuff back
up to put it in.  Don't get me started there ;-)))

>
>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.

Not sure what that would be...  Perhaps a blocking inductor for the
line-carrier signals?  They make those in all different ways so hard to
say.  Do you have a picture?  Grab it if opportunity knocks since you can
always throw it alway but you can't go back in time to get it...  Be on the
lookout for potential transformers in the 14.4kV range.  VERY useful!!

>
>I'm very interested in starting and I am aware of the safety protocol of
>working with high voltage.

Our voltages are still far higher but, a few hundred million VA less in
power :-))  You will catch right on since much of the stuff is similar to
the things you do in your work.

For your first coil, "I" usually recommend that you watch the Tesla list
awhile and ask questions and look at what other's have done.  Maybe try to
find a coil someone else has made that you think you can copy.  Copying a
nice working coil is a great way to learn and not too much can go wrong.
You then don't have to know too many details that would be required if you
just made it all from scratch.  Even first coils with no real "design""
behind them almost always work too.  However, "copying" a good working coil
is less trouble.  A nice page is at:

http://home.earthlink-dot-net/~electronxlc/

Also the big Tesla coil webring:

http://j.webring-dot-com/webring?ring=teslaring&list

325 Tesla coiler's sites there :-))  Don't be overwhelmed, you will learn
it very fast and it is great fun.  Once you actually make your first coil
it will all be very clear.

Cheers,

	Terry

>
>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)
>