Re: BEGINNER PLANS FOR SCIENCE PROJECT PLEASE HELP

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

Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

#1 .... download, read, and understand the safety sheet off the 
http://www.pupman-dot-com site.. Have your parents read and understand it 
too!.. Small tesla coils aren't particularly dangerous in the overall 
scheme of activities.  Compare it to, say, a power saw.  You can get hurt 
real bad if you aren't careful, although outright death is unlikely.  Care 
is necessary.

#2 .... What kind of neon sign transformer (NST) is it (output voltage and 
current)?

#3 .... You'll need 6 basic components, in addition to your transformer:
1) a primary capacitor (beer bottles and salt water is the cheapest)
2) a primary spark gap (3 pieces of copper pipe are simple and easy)
3) a primary winding (about 50 feet of bare solid wire like #12 or #10 is a 
good start, 1/4" copper tubing is even better)
4) a secondary winding (magnet wire on a plastic or cardboard tube)
5) a secondary topload/toroid (metal pie plates, flexible metal dryer duct, 
and metal tape is probably the easiest way to go)

6) something to reduce the input voltage to your transformer while you are 
adjusting things.  A "variac" is ideal if you can borrow/scrounge one. 
Failing that, a light bulb socket and some carefully chosen incandescent 
light bulbs will work well.


The magnet wire is probably the hardest thing to come by casually (i.e. 
radio shack won't have it), but it's easily mail orderable, and there are 
sources if you know where to look (motor rewinding shops, etc.).  You'll 
want something in a not-too fine gauge, but not too thick either.  AWG 
#24-#28 will work well for a small coil.  You'll need enough to wind about 
1000 turns on your secondary form, which would be probably 2-4" in diameter.


You'll also need some wood or plastic to assemble everything on (nothing 
worse than random HV components laying all over the place...a recipe for 
disaster).  If you can get some old plastic cafeteria trays, they work 
great.  Those white plastic cutting boards are also ideal. A supply of 
plastic scraps a few inches long and a 1/2" square or thereabouts will be 
very useful (you can saw strips off the end of the cutting board to make 
them) You'll also need some tape and cardboard for mocking things up and 
initial testing.





At 05:26 PM 11/13/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>Original poster: "Nightmare" <nightmare-at-bak.rr-dot-com>
>Hi, i am in 8th grade and want to do a prject with tesla coils, could 
>someone please give me some ideas for hypotheses i could use and questions 
>for the science project?? also could someone give me plans for a SIMPLE 
>tesla coil with easy to get parts from like radioshacks and local electric 
>stores? please help thanks! BTW i already have a neon sign transformer. 
>thanks in advance!!!
>
>An 8th grader in need,
>Ravi