Re: [TCML] RE: Just starting out...

[Scott Bogard <teslas-intern@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve,
     As scary as this may sound, you do not need explicit plans, in fact 
I would advise against it.  Being someone who built my first coil 
without the lists help I can tell you, you will learn the most and spend 
the least if you make your own plans, built around the materials you can 
get cheaply.  If you are worried about not having enough electrical 
experience, don't, The only experience I had when I started collecting 
the components for my first coil was an LED flashlight.  No kidding.  
The best thing for you to do is research spark gap coils, and build one 
of those first.  You will get bigger sparks for less money and power 
input, and there is only like 5 parts.  If you are scared by this 
notion, ask Dr. Resonance for his M-5 plans, very easy and a pretty good 
performer, and I think he stocks all the parts.  I still would advise 
doing a lot of research before you start building, you can look at my 
website for TC theory for a brief overview, but if you want to really 
dig in you should look at Richie Burnett's webpage.
http://bogard.110mb.com/TeslaCoil.htm
http://www.richieburnett.co.uk/tesla.shtml
Don't copy my coil designs, they are not ideal, you would be better off 
modifying Dr. R's plans to suit the materials you can get easily.  You 
should also know there are good programs out there to assist in the coil 
design process if you are not one who likes to punch numbers.  Best of luck.

Scott Bogard.

Stephen J. Hobley wrote:
> Yeah, I have to agree with you. At the time they were the only plans we
> could find that were completely explicit.
>
> Thanks for the link - I will take a look at that. Where did you get the
> toroidal terminal from?
>
> Steve
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> Behalf Of Lau, Gary
> Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 5:30 PM
> To: 'Tesla Coil Mailing List'
> Subject: [TCML] RE: Just starting out...
>
> Hi Steve,
>
> The opinion of most on this list is that products from Information
> Unlimited are extremely overpriced, and there are mixed opinions about
> the quality of their designs.
>
> If the plans call for a .01uF/10kV mica cap, that is a needlessly
> expensive design.  Such a mica cap is very rare and expensive, and a
> much more economical equivalent should be made using polypropylene caps.
>
> The best source for an 18 Amp Variac is at a ham fest or flea market.
> If there are none in your area, eBay always has a large selection.
>
> I just noticed that the product you're talking about is plans for a
> vacuum tube Tesla coil.  I have no personal experience with a VTTC, but
> it's not something I would recommend for a beginner.  Beyond the caps
> you mentioned, there are several other components that will be
> challenging to find, and there are just many more things that are likely
> to go wrong.  Spark gap coils are much more tolerant of part
> substitutions, and there are many more for you to look at on the web for
> you to copy.  You may wish to look at the table top mini coil on my web
> site for something easy to build -
> http://www.laushaus.com/tesla/minicoil.htm
>
> Regards, Gary Lau
> MA, USA
>
>
>
>   
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
>> Behalf Of Stephen J. Hobley
>> Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 3:03 PM
>> To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
>> Subject: [TCML] Just starting out...
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm Steve, just joined the list. My buddy and I are trying to follow
>>     
> the
>   
>> VacTesla plans from Information Unlimited to build a TC each.
>>
>> We've found out the components on the list are kind of expensive, and
>> was wondering if there were alternatives out there.
>>
>> We need
>>
>> 0.004 mfd 1000 volt polypropylene capacitor
>> 0.01 mfd 10 kv mica capacitor
>> VARIAC 18 amp variac
>>
>> Does anyone have any resources on either finding these, or building an
>> equivalent?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Steve Hobley
>>     
>
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>   


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