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Re: TC Question and Discharge Safety



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

Not necessarily.  Folks who do the lightning from the fingertips kind of
stunt often wear a metallic harness under their clothes to safely conduct
the power.  (Makes one wonder if this is why the dancer Cynder Moon is no
longer doing the standing on a TC thing... not much concealment possibility
there)


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2004 6:31 AM
Subject: Re: TC Question and Discharge Safety


 > Original poster: "Richard Modistach" <hambone-at-dodo-dot-com.au>
 >
 > so i take it the guy sitting on top of the tesla coil in the hvfx
 > video,
 > http://www.hvfx.co.uk/video/lightningman.mpg
 > is slowly toasting himself to an early grave?.
 >
 > regards
 > richard
 > aus.
 >
 >
 > ----- Original Message -----
 > From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
 > Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2004 10:15 AM
 > Subject: Re: TC Question and Discharge Safety
 >
 >
 >  > Original poster: dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com
 >  >
 >  >
 >  > There is no such tesla coil capable of what you ask.  There are always
 >  > dangers involved.  Sure, you could take a metal rod and pull the arc of
 >  > most small tesla coils (up to about 4kV/30mA) as well as VTTCs and
STTCs
 > and
 >  > not really feel anything at all, but the RF currents are still
 >  > flowing through your tissue and causing damage.  Due to the high
frequency
 >  > nature of the electricity, your nerves do not feel the current, but be
 >  > aware,
 >  > that damage is likely being done.
 >  >
 >  > Also, many will state that skin effect will protect you from the
dangers
 > of
 >  > high frequency tesla coil discharges, but that is a myth.  Skin effect
 >  > really
 >  > has no effect on the human body.  Most of the RF current is flowing
 > through
 >  > your body and not on the skin.
 >  >
 >  > So when you ask if its safe to come into contact with the discharge of
a
 > TC,
 >  > the answer is, no.  Sure, you may not feel any immediate pain
 >  > when doing something like this, but doing this repeatedly may cause
long
 >  > term damage which may not show up for years to come.  Its always
 >  > best to watch from distance and not become part of the demo.
 >  >
 >  > Dan
 >  >
 >  >  > It appears I mis-stated my question. I am aware of the safety issues
 > with
 >  >  > the output of the NST or any AC source. What I was wanting to know
is
 >  >  > whether or not there is any size TC that it is safe to come in
contact
 >  > with
 >  >  > the output streamer, baring a strike to the primary while touching a
 >  >  > streamer.  If so, what are the specs for such a coil?
 >  >
 >  >
 >  >  > > > Can someone tell me the power range (ie. volt/amp rating) that
is
 >  >  > > > safe.  I am assuming that there is a point at which they become
 >  >  > >potentially
 >  >  > > > lethal and below that point they are safe. I have a 7.5 KV NST I
 > would
 >  >  > >like
 >  >  > > > to do something with but I don't know if I can use it for the
this
 >  > type
 >  >  > >of
 >  >  > > > coil. Thanks in advance for your assistance.
 >  >  > > >
 >  >  > > > Emmett
 >  >  > >
 >  >  > >You are incorrect in your assumption.
 >  >  > >Any voltage above 30V or so is considered hazardous at least by
 > various
 >  >  > >safety standards etc...although this
 >  >  > >is debated among different schools of thought.
 >  >  > >Although voltage doesn't kill, it is current that does the job.
 > However,
 >  >  > >given some value of resistance in the human body, the higher the
 >  >  > >voltage, the higher the current.
 >  >  > >
 >  >  > >There are no safe NSTs.  Any sized NST has the capacity to injure
or
 > even
 >  >  > >kill someone especially when connected to
 >  >  > >a circuit that contains capacitors such as a Tesla Coil.  For
example,
 > if
 >  >  > >you turn off your NST power at the peak point and have
 >  >  > >a primary tank capacitor with no or little bleeders, the primary
tank
 >  >  > >capacitors could be fully charged to the peak output voltage
 >  >  > >of the NST.
 >  >  > >
 >  >  > >Also, there are many things that will affect how dangerous a NST
can
 > be.
 >  >  > >For example, the impedance (resistance) of the human body
 >  >  > >for one.  The resistive path of the human body is greatly affected
by
 >  > many
 >  >  > >things including moisture, point of contact, and physical skin
 > thickness
 >  >  > >(such as
 >  >  > >broken skin or sores, callouses, etc...)  While you may survive to
 > coil
 >  >  > >another day with a shock from a 15kV/60mA in dry, normal
conditions,
 > your
 >  >  > >life
 >  >  > >may be abrubtly by a small 4kV/20mA NST if you happened to touch
the
 > high
 >  >  > >voltage through a sore or wet hand or something.
 >  >  > >
 >  >  > >The important thing here, is that no high voltage is safe and that
 >  > includes
 >  >  > >any type of NST whether its a small 4kV/10mA unit or a large
15kV/60mA
 >  >  > >unit.
 >  >  > >All should be treated with the utmost respect and no one should
become
 >  >  > >complacent around them.
 >  >  > >
 >  >  > >The following document on my website describes electrical safety
and
 > its
 >  >  > >effects on the human body.
 >  >  > >http://www.easternvoltageresearch-dot-com/datasheets/safety.pdf
 >  >  > >
 >  >  > >Dan
 >  >  > >
 >  >  > > > I am wanting to build a small coil that would be safe to run
 > connected
 >  >  > >to
 >  >  > > > the supply ground and also safe if someone should come in
contact
 > with
 >  > a
 >  >  > > > streamer. Can someone tell me the power range (ie. volt/amp
rating)
 >  > that
 >  >  > >is
 >  >  > > > safe.  I am assuming that there is a point at which they become
 >  >  > >potentially
 >  >  > > > lethal and below that point they are safe. I have a 7.5 KV NST I
 > would
 >  >  > >like
 >  >  > > > to do something with but I don't know if I can use it for the
this
 >  > type
 >  >  > >of
 >  >  > > > coil. Thanks in advance for your assistance.
 >  >  > > >
 >  >  > > > Emmett
 >  >  > > >
 >  >  > > >
 >  >  > >
 >  >
 >  >
 >  >
 >
 >