Re: [TCML] My woeful RF ground experiments and lots of questions.

[Jeremy Scott <supertux1@xxxxxxxxx>]

Yeah I think I am going to try the water method that everyone suggests. 

So the home improvement stores sell copper plated pipes (steel?) that are for specifically pounding into the ground? I didn't know that, thank you.

I need an excuse to buy a sledgehammer. :)

--- On Tue, 7/15/08, David Rieben <drieben@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: David Rieben <drieben@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [TCML] My woeful RF ground experiments and lots of questions.
> To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 8:07 AM
> Hi Jeremy,
> 
> I don't think it's good idea to tie in your RF
> ground to your mains ground for your home's
> electrical service. If I read your posting right,
> that's what you're proposing as you state that
> the copper water pipe is tapped by the fuse
> box ground about 5 ft. from where it goes under
> the concrete foundation.
> 
> You can try running water at a trickle from a
> garden hose to the hole that you are starting
> while you're hammering it into the ground.
> Also, get a copper clad grounding rod from
> the electrical department of your local Home
> Depot, Lowes, ect. and use for this purpose
> instead of a copper pipe. The grounding rod
> will take the abuse of sledge hammer strikes
> to fully drive it into the ground. Or you could
> wait until a wetter time of year when the ground
> is naturally softer ;^)
> 
> David Rieben
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jeremy Scott" <supertux1@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 5:38 PM
> Subject: [TCML] My woeful RF ground experiments and lots of
> questions.
> 
> 
> > Hi all,
> >
> > So I tried pounding a short section of copper pipe
> into the dirt outside 
> > of my garage. It didn't go so well, my
> 'soil' is mostly clay with lots of 
> > large rocks. There's just no way I'm going to
> get anything more than a 
> > foot into the ground without augering a huge hole
> first and the only 
> > places that would be acceptable to do that are far
> away from where I'd be 
> > running a coil.
> >
> > In my garage, I have a cold water faucet. The copper
> pipe for this runs 
> > about 20 feet from the faucet before entering the
> concrete foundation of 
> > my house. About five feet or so from where the pipe
> goes into the 
> > foundation, the green ground wire to the fuse box (a
> few feet away)
> > is tied in.
> >
> > What am I risking if I connect the coil's RF
> ground to the faucet in
> > the garage? I am guessing that the path of least
> resistance seems to be 
> > straight to the pipes in ground and presumably not
> through the ground
> > wire into the fuse box and connected appliances,
> although I could be 
> > wrong.
> >
> > Most of my 'sensitive' electronics like the TV
> and computers are all on
> > surge protected battery operated UPS units -- I'm
> not so worried about 
> > frying electronics as I am the risk of electrocution.
> >
> > Could I put an RF choke on that ground wire? What
> about simply 
> > disconnecting the AC ground wire while the coil is
> running? Should
> > I bite the bullet and tear up the yard and make a nice
> ground?
> >
> > Are there any easier ways of making an RF ground that
> don't involve
> > pounding rods into solid clay?
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> >
> > -Jeremy
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Tesla mailing list
> > Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Tesla mailing list
> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla


      
_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla