Re: HELP WIRING NST PLEASE WEIRD

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

Original poster: brent meyer <res095fx-at-verizon-dot-net> 

Hello, Ravi.

I have been watching the responses to your TC questions from others on the
list, and have decided to offer a few alternatives to going straight to a
Tesla coil for a first HV project.  I have been building high voltage
devices for about 20 years now, and thusfar, none of them have (yet) been
Tesla coils.

May I suggest building a much safer DC induction coil?  Being powered by DC,
there is no chance of coming into contact with line voltage, and you can
safely gain the experience of experimenting with high voltage without the
spector of accidental electrocution!  Induction coils require a slightly
more regimented construction technique if you choose to build one from
scratch, but properly constructed, they can be used as a power source for
further demonstrationŠ  Like powering a small Tesla coil.

The road is somewhat longer this way, but the coil winding practice alone
makes it a great tool for getting into high voltage projects as a hobby.  If
you choose not to wind your own coil, there are plenty of alternatives,
including the tens of thousands of model "T" ignition coils on ebay and the
like.  They are great for experiments, as they have healthy output, and
require nothing more than 12 volts and a few feet of hookup wire to bring
them to life, as long as they are in working order. A small resonant (Tesla)
coil should be possible using one of these as a power source, though I will
ask the opinion of the others regarding this question.  It would be a most
interesting project.  Induction coils can hit you HARD, but except under
rare circumstances, they won't kill you when you make a mistake.  And
believe me, you WILL make mistakesŠ

Induction coils offer a glimpse into the origins of our hobby, and most
often, that is the best place to start your journey.