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Re: [TCML] can you help my son and i with this Please
Roger Smith wrote:
I would recommend starting with a small one especially if cost is a
factor. In some ways the small Tesla coils can be more fun than the big
ones. You can get closer to them and see more corona and the finer
sparks and smell more ozone. Start with one based on a small neon
sign transformer or oil burner transformer and save the 10" pvc pipe for
later. A piece of 3" pvc won't set you back much.
If you could tell us where you live it might help with donations
since shipping cost can be a big factor and you might even find someone
in your aria that you could get together with for help.
3-4" cardboard mailing tubes are a good form for a first coil. You want
about 700-1000 turns of some convenient sized wire. I tear off a bunch
of 1" pieces of scotch tape and stick them on the edge of a table before
I start, and every 100 turns or so, I use it to stick the last turn down.
Don't use black plastic sewer (ABS DWV) pipe! not only is it conductive
(carbon black as the pigment) but it's actually a foam core, which
breaks down under high voltage.
Get yourself a can of clear Krylon spray paint (or equivalent) to coat
the coil with after winding. Or, you can use a polyurethane varnish and
brush it on..
If you've got two people, having one person spin the form with a
variable speed drill makes life pretty easy. Get a 3 ft long piece of
#10 or 1/4" threaded rod and use it as an axle.
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