Re: How to build a Tesla Tower

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

Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
 >
 > Original poster: "Rob Judd by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" 
<canska-at-a5-dot-com>
 >
 > I think this is what you are referring to.
 > http://homepage.a5-dot-com/~canska/tesla/patents/us000685957.pdf
 > http://homepage.a5-dot-com/~canska/tesla/patents/us000685958.pdf
 >
 > Tesla describes his concept rather clearly, albeit using the terminology of
 > his time, which can be confusing. As I read the patents, its an
 > electrostatic charging system, using an insulated elevated plate which
 > becomes charged as it is bombarded with ions. I've never heard of anyone
 > experimenting with this in recent time, but it seems logical that it would
 > work. Given that the charging current to the condenser is very low, it seems
 > that it would be difficult to test/prove how well this works since we have
 > much more interference than Tesla did in his day. It would be hard to rule
 > out that your elevated conductor is not getting power from a man made source
 > rather than the sun's "radiant energy". At the least it would require a very
 > remote testing site.
 >
 > Rob Judd - canska-at-a5-dot-com
 > http://homepage.a5-dot-com/~canska/tesla
 >
 > ----- Original Message -----
 > From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 7:36 AM
 > Subject: Re: How to build a Tesla Tower
 >
 >  > Original poster: "Christoph Bohr by way of Terry Fritz
 > <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <cb-at-luebke-lands.de>
 >  >
 >  > I think what you refere to is another thing than as tesla coil 
but  one of
 >  > teslas inventions as well.
 >  > I once saw a drawing by tesla which showed a large plate of metal mouted
 >  > high above ground, a wire that connects this plate to ground through a
 >  > condenser. This drawing was very "low detail" as tesla dind't want anyone
 > to
 >  > know how it works after several of his inventions were stolen by 
others. I
 >  > believe it had something to do with the field surrounding the earth, not
 >  > necessarily the use of  a tesla coil for that effect. He stated that one
 >  > could simply draw energy from this field on any place of the earth.
 >  >
 >  > Christoph

	Tesla's patents do give plenty of detail of what he proposed.  Note
particularly the reference to the capacitors required. He emphasizes the
necessity of having very high leakage resistance to avoid loss; that
implies a very lower power source.  Since he knew the laws of physics
perfectly well I can't imagine that he ever expected these gadgets to be
of any practical value and regarded them as curiosities only.

Ed