van de Graff/Tesla Re: real life applications

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: <davep@xxxxxxxx>

[pardon for leaving this long.]
>> >> A small point.  Someone (Marc Seifer? Apologies if wrong.)
>> >>     found an article where Tesla, originally critical of van de
>> Graaff
>> >>    generators, said, roughly:
>> >>        On second thought, should work, even be useful.
>> >>
>> >>     I wonder, sometimes, how many other 'chganges of mind' never
>> got reported as widely...
>>
>> >     That's interesting because Harry Goldman reprinted an article on
>> > VDG's written by Tesla in the 1930's in which he gave a good
>> > analytical estimate of performance and I can't remember any scorn in
>> it.  Somehow I'm surprised at the suggestion.
>>
>>       At a guess, we are describing more or less the same instance,
>> with me getting the name wrong and perhaps the initial
>>       skepticism replaced after some thought.
>>
>>       Be interesting to know for sure.

>     If I can find the article [don't have those bulletins filed very
> conveniently I'll read it again for hints of criticism.
       Thanks.
       If memory is working (the wetware kind) the 'change of mind'
       was mentioined in one of the presentations at one of the
       TeslaCons held at Colroado SPrings, years back.  The reported
       initial skepticism by Tesla may or may not have appeared in
       the same article or publication, in fact i believe it
       was specifically reported as being a 'previous' comment.

       Historical Background:
        Years ago, long since removed (to make way for a bookstore)
        Smithsonian had one of the First van de Graffs, built by
        Tuve et al(?), for nuclear research in the 30s.  It was
        mentioned that the same team had initially tried a Tesla
        coil based system to get the necessary, but switched
        to van de Graff's design, once that was published.
       Depending on how much of this made it to the Physics, or
       popular press, and how much of either Tesla was reading...

       best
        dwp