Re: [TCML] Tesla's spinning egg of Columbus

[William Beaty <billb@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 18 Nov 2008, Ed Phillips wrote:
> William Beaty wrote:
> >It's in his patent drawings ...but did any earlier inventors
> >already use the idea?  It comes from an odd viewpoint, using coils 90deg
> >from usual orientation, so I wouldn't be surprised if NT was the source.
> >
>      I believe the original idea probably goes back to Gramme:
>
>      http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/history/gramme.html

Bingo!  That's the datum I've been missing.  Wow, Gramme used the same
idea to create a rotor.  The rotor spins, but rotor's poles remain still.

It's the best lecture-demos which even initially confuse other physicists,
and not just the poor undergrads.


> Tesla certainly seemed attracted to that configuration but it was around
> before his time, or at least long before the Columbian Exhibition.

Tesla's patents also depict transformers as closed circular hoops.
Perhaps it's an eccentricity, since the transformer history I've seen is
all about Stanley's 2-coil devices.  On the other hand, for awhile I had
an old low-volt utility co. transformer that would have been perfect for
an Egg: about 2ft diameter ring, covered with #8 windings and tar.  I had
it for years, then gave it to some other local guy who was considering the
"wok maglev" device.  IIR, if the coil for a "Columbi Egg" has six poles,
it can levitate a copper plate.  Or aluminum bowl, or frying pan.  Then
you of course must fry an egg via induction heated hovering metal.  The
Pacific Science Center in Oregon had one of these as a pushbutton exhibit.
(I mean the flying bowl, not the fried egg.  Their system had a shut-down
timer to keep people from holding down the switch and setting it on fire.)



(((((((((((((((((( ( (  (   (    (O)    )   )  ) ) )))))))))))))))))))
William J. Beaty                            SCIENCE HOBBYIST website
billb at amasci com                         http://amasci.com
EE/programmer/sci-exhibits   amateur science, hobby projects, sci fair
Seattle, WA  206-762-3818    unusual phenomena, tesla coils, weird sci
_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla