Re: Safe parameters for stupid human Tesla coil stunts

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2004 10:27 AM
Subject: Re: Safe parameters for stupid human Tesla coil stunts


> Original poster: "Hydrogen18" <hydrogen18@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>  >From what I understand Transtrom died when the corona from his fingers
hit a
> curtain rod and bam too much current I guess. Since relatively small
> currents are deadly, how can I hold a metal rod in my hand and draw arcs
off
> my SSTC without instant death? I discovered it on accident while playing
> with inducing currents into nearby objects.
>
> Eric
>

Relatively small currents "might" be deadly. Relatively large currents  are
"more likely" to be deadly.

lowish powers might only cause a painful RF burn and not instant death.

The canonical tesla coil electrocution incident might be one of the
following:

1) The spark goes somewhere it shouldn't and forms a low impedance path
between the primary (high current at 10+kV) and you and ground.  This would
be like grabbing onto the output of the pole transformer.

2) The spark goes somewhere it shouldn't, the performer is startled, falls
off the platform, and electrocutes themselves on the primary circuitry.

3) The current goes in a path different than normal, or today, your heart
happens to be slightly more sensitive, or, everything just happens wrong,
you go into fibrillation and die before anyone can get to you to save you.


I think the real problem is that in a casual "take the spark from the TC"
scenario, the whole circuit is sort of uncontrolled, so what works one time
might not work the next.  With the "fear factor" kind of stunt, the whole
system was carefully planned, and controlled. There really wasn't a place
for current to go that was unexpected.