RE: Garage door opener vs. Tesla coil

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>

Yes, killing the garage door opener seems to be a rite of passage ;-)

Consider that the wires to the optical sensors and pushbuttons typically
traverse the length of the garage, and make very good targets and
antennas even if no direct strike is involved.  I found some 3 or 4
position connectors and broke the wires at the opener-end going to the
switches and sensors.  So whenever I run my coil in the garage, I 1)
disconnect the connectors, 2) tuck the antenna wire into the box, 3)
unplug and coil up the AC cord on top of the box, and of course, make
sure that no strikes land on the now-isolated box.

And the one time I forgot to do these things, guess what happened?  :-O

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

> Original poster: otmaskin5@xxxxxxx
>
> I looks like my coil murdered my garage door opener. While running
> the coil in the garage, the garage door  opened on it's own & then
> died. I now have to open & close the door manually. I was careful to
> position the coil far enough away so that no arcs could strike the
> opener or anything connected to it, and it still seems to have
> succumed to the coils effects somehow.
>
> My question is, other than unplugging the opener, are there any
> preventative measures I can take to protect the garage door
> motor/receiver? Or is there just no safe way to run the coil indoors?
> I imagine the repairs won't be cheap so I'd like to avoid a
> repeat.  Thx for any advice.  Dennis Hopkinton MA