RE: teach me

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

Original poster: "David Thomson" <dave-at-volantis-dot-org> 

I would assume you are not looking for a technical description of the Tesla
coil, but a layperson's description?

A Tesla coil is like a musical instrument.  Have you ever blown across the
top of a glass jug?  If you blow with just the right pressure you will hear
the jug resonate.  But a Tesla coil is more like a flute, where the sound
comes out the opposite end of where you blow.

With the Tesla coil, electricity is used instead of air.  The primary
capacitor(s) and the secondary coil make up the musical instrument part.
The spark gap is the part where the electricity is "blown" across to make
the sound.  If the electrical pressure at the spark gap is just right, and
there is sufficient electrical current, then the coil will resonate and
produce electrostatic pressure waves off of the terminal (ball or other
topload.)

With the flute, you can increase the amplitude of the sound by increasing
your air flow into the mouth piece.  In the Tesla coil you can increase the
spark length by increasing the amount of electrical current going to the
spark gap.  With the flute, you need the right air pressure to make it
resonate.  In the Tesla coil you need the right electrical pressure for it
to resonate.

Just like a musical instrument, Tesla coils are more about tuning than
finding the right electrical pressure or current.  If you try to play in an
orchestra with a piece of plastic pipe with holes drilled at random, you
probably would not sound very good.  But if you bought an expertly crafted
flute, the quality of the music might sound good even with an amateur
playing it.

Your husband is likely practicing for his place in the orchestra of Tesla
coil artists.  He will be experimenting with better capacitors, better
coils, better over all geometry, better spark gaps, and better over all
materials.  He might also be wanting to play louder and replace his flute
with musical fog horns.

The mathematics behind musical instruments and Tesla coils tend to get a
little complicated, but they can be understood by anyone who applies
themselves to learning.  However, the real skill of a Tesla coil builder is
in craftsmanship and tuning.

So if you want to truly appreciate what your husband is doing, learn to see
him as a type of musical artist, only he is replacing air with electricity.

Dave

 > -----Original Message-----
 > From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
 > Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 10:31 PM
 > To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
 > Subject: teach me
 >
 >
 > Original poster: "fred11" <fred11-at-cox-dot-net>
 >
 > my husband has a tesla coil. and i think that it is the coolest thing i
 > have ever seen. but i dont know anything
 > about them.i was wondering if there is somebody that an teach me about
 > them. So that i can understand. them. and know what he is talking about.
 >
 >
 >               THANKS A BUNCH.