Re: Expensive hobby

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Yurtle Turtle <yurtle_t@xxxxxxxxx>

You may want to simply salvage anything with wires,
including any high voltage relays, door limit
switches, the control panel, fan, motor, light, cord,
MOT, cap, etc. You can always throw them away later. I
even have a box full of wires i've salvaged. Be sure
and keep the high voltage wires separate; you may use
them some day. The newer HV wires are labeled 5 kv but
many older ones aren't.

Be careful when dealing with older microwaves
capacitors, as they may not all have bleed resisters?
I've found several that have external ones.

As to washing machines, you may want to grab the
solenoid switch that turns the hot and cold water on
and off. Not really HV related, but you could always
use this to control a stream of water from your
topload to make a "death ray".

I've not had much luck finding suitable motors in
washers or dryers. I have found a number of suitable
motors in air conditioner condensor fans, though they
are usually 240 volts. Many treadmills have good
powerful dc motors, though mounting them may pose a
challenge.

Bug zappers have a small HV transformer. Also look out
for electric fence controllers.

You may want to check if there are metal recyling
centers nearby. We routinely throw away BIG vfd's
rated at 480 volt, hundreds of horsepower. Lots of
good silver-plated bus bars, IGBT's, big reactors,
motor starters, etc. I'd love to salvage them, but am
unable to due to my position. I have to watch them
thrown into dumpsters and hauled off to be recycled.
Try and see if you can hook up with an electrical
contractor doing large municipal or industrial
upgrades or expansions. If they're getting rid of
panels for the price of scrap metal, you may by able
to arrange to strip the goodies out of the cabinet
before it goes to the recycler. Of course, they may
have insurance concerns with you wandering around a
construction site, so you have to find a field guy
(not an office type) who can be persuaded by cases of
beer.

Adam

>
>  > Original poster: "Paul B. Brodie"
> <pbbrodie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>  >
>  > Everybody who responded to my post,
>  >
>  > Well, thanks a million to all of you for all of
> your advice both serious
>  > and not so serious!!! I can't drive, the
> government frowns on blind people
>  > trying to drive for some reason, so my 27 year
> old son came over and took
>  > me around to a couple of appliance repair places.
> One owner was very
>  > friendly and curious about what I planned to do
> with old microwaves. I
> told
>  > him about Tesla coils and some other esoteric HV
> stuff and he got really
>  > interested and said he would like to help however
> he can. How about
> that??!!
>  >
>  > He went in the back and came out with these 2
> honker MOT's that he said he
>  > took out of the biggest, most powerful,
> commercial microwave he has ever
>  > seen or heard of. He said they were both in the
> same microwave and that it
>  > was rated at 2500 watts! He then took us out back
> and showed us 9
>  > microwaves that he said we could have. He also
> said that if I want to
>  > scrounge parts out of old TV's, washing machines,
> refrigerators, stoves,
>  > dryers, or whatever, just let him know. The first
> microwave I opened has a
>  > 4000 V transformer and is rated 1500 watts. They
> all have the HV AC caps,
>  > of course and Peter Terren tells me that I will
> find all kind of HV
> goodies
>  > in the newer microwaves, like HV rectifier
> bridges and such.
>  >
>  > So, now that I have found this goldmine, do you
> guys have any suggestions
>  > about things I can scrounge besides microwaves? I
> was looking at a barrel
>  > he had full of stove top and oven elements that
> appeared to be OK. I
>  > couldn't find any burned out spots or anything
> that indicated they were
>  > non-functional. I was thinking that these would
> make some incredibly
> robust
>  > low ohm resistors for current limiting maybe or
> something similar??
>  >
>  > I am just absolutely sure that you guys have a
> mother load of advice for
> me
>  > about this. Please???!!! I really do feel like I
> hit the proverbial
>  > jackpot. He says for me to check with him once a
> week and I can come by
> and
>  > pick through whatever he has gotten in that
> people have decided not to
> pick
>  > up for whatever reason. He wouldn't even accept
> any compensation.
>  >
>  > I am not a greedy person, at all. I am more than
> willing to share my good
>  > fortune with those of you who don't have access
> to anything like this. If
>  > anyone needs anything that they think I might be
> able to get for them,
> drop
>  > me an email and I'll do my best to help you out,
> within reason.
>  > Best regards.
>  > Paul
>  > Think Positive (it worked for me!)
>  >
>  > The other shop, though not as friendly, said that
> I could come back and
> get
>  > some of their defunct equipment as well. They
> said that they were just too
>  > busy to help me out right then. So, I may have
> access to even more stuff.
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>
>
>


		
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