Re: HV accident (Ceiling strikes) (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:50:51 -0700
From: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: HV accident (Ceiling strikes) (fwd)

At 12:36 PM 8/5/2007, Tesla list wrote:

>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:26:11 -0300
>From: Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz <acmdq@xxxxxxxxxx>
>To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: Re: HV accident (Ceiling strikes) (fwd)
>
>Tesla list wrote:
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 18:38:22 +0000
> > From: Jeff Behary <jeff_behary@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > The inert gas in the bulb ionised from the coil and caused a direct short,
> > likely a lot more current in that short burst than the 20 amp 
> line that fed
> > the socket.   Had to replace the wiring, the socket, the lamp, a 
> section of
> > wall, and (very nearly) the pants I was wearing!
> >
>This gives the idea of an interesting experiment with Tesla coils: A
>burned out lamp could be used as a switch
>to light another lamp in series with it and the power line, or a
>battery. Would this really work?


Why not.. there are fast switches that rely on a field emission diode 
blasting into the gap and laser ionization as well.  And, of course, 
old standbys like the ignitron.  Shouldn't make much difference 
whether you get the ions from a spark gap, from E-field, or from 
dropping a bar of metal.

For that matter, some trigatrons work this way.


>Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz