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Re: [TCML] Safely Grounding a Tesla Coil



Hi Brandon,

I don't know what part of the country that you are located in, but
here in west Tennessee the ground (or at least the top 2 ft. of it)
is of the consistancy a saturated sponge at this time of year! I could likely just push the first 18" to 24" of an 8 ft. grounding rod into the ground by sheer tricep power ;^> Now, if it was about mid-August, that would be an entirely different story ;^0 Once you get past that first 2 ft. or so, then you will need to proceed according to Rev.
Fuzzy's instructions. A step ladder and a 3 lb. shop (blacksmith)
hammer should work good to "get it started" then once you get it driven in enough that you can comfortably swing at it and strike it
from ground level, upgrade your hammer to a 10 lb. sledge ham-
mer. Others have also mentioned flowing water into the hole to
soften up the soil to ease starting the ground rod if the soil is hard.

David Rieben


----- Original Message ----- From: "Brandon Hendershot" <brandonhendershot@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 9:31 PM
Subject: Re: [TCML] Safely Grounding a Tesla Coil


Hi "Fuzzy"'

These things are like 8 feet long. Unless I'm hiring Micheal Jordan to help me, I'm going to need to know how to start it in. (That's supposed to be funny, just in case it came off the wrong way.)

Thanks,
Brandon

On Feb 6, 2010, at 8:23 PM, "Reverend Fuzzy" <cmayeux@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Best way to sink a ground rod (with all seriousness intended) is with as large of a hammer or maul, as you are physically capable of handling. If your aim leaves something to be desired, hold a chunk of 2x4 on top of the rod, and pound that... much bigger target, and less likely to smack your hand. And above all, it is highly recommended that you slip the clamp, or other attachment device onto the rod BEFORE driving it in, as there is more than likely to be some "mushrooming" on the end of the rod, and it's a HUGE possibility that you won't be able to slip it on after. Stop hammering when there is just enough rod showing to comfortably deal with the clamp.
---
Reverend Fuzzy
Pastor, MSB Ministries
Hattiesburg, MS
http://www.msbministries.org





-----Original Message-----
From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Brandon Hendershot
Sent: February 06, 2010 7:30 PM
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Safely Grounding a Tesla Coil

Hi Richard,

A lot of what you guys are trying to explain seems way over my head.
How about some advice for sinking a ground rod? Lol, but I think I
will try the chicken wire counterpoise before I do any permenant
damage to the lawn.

Thank you all for your patience with me,
Brandon

On Feb 6, 2010, at 5:27 PM, "Richard Schmuke" <rdj@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Lets try this Brandon , if you have a antenna, the standard is a
dipole ,
1/4 wl out the center of the coax and 1/4 wl out the shield side.
You can
set this on the ground and have a rod going up from the center 1/4
wl, now
from the shield side spread out several wires 1/4 wl length to act
as the
other half of the antenna. This is sometimes called a counterpoise.
It gets
more involved but did this help? If not I can sent you some simple
drawings
I use for my radio classes.

Rich , KDZZ
Disclaimer: Any errors in spelling or facts are transmission errors.




-----Original Message-----
From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf
Of Brandon Hendershot
Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 11:11 AM
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Safely Grounding a Tesla Coil

Hi Jim,

Could you explain the concept of "counterpoise" for me or provide a
link to some documentation? I've never heard of anything like it...

Thanks btw,
Brandon

On Feb 5, 2010, at 9:39 PM, jimlux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Brandon Hendershot wrote:
Hi all,
I know that it's said that you need an entirely seperate ground rod
when opperating tesla coils because the high voltage grounding
through the house wiring is extremely dangerous to anything plugged
into any other grounded outlet on the same circuit.


Not precisely..
You need a separate RF return for the coil, be it a counterpoise,
good grounding system, etc.
The reason you don't want it interconnected too well with the "house
ground" is that it will propagate HV transients into your house
wiring system (by capacitive and inductive coupling).. those
transients wreak havoc on most consumer electronics.

I wouldn't say "extremely dangerous".. I'd reserve that for
something like juggling chain saws.



But what if you attached the coils
ground wire directly to the ground rod. It would be bypassing the
house wiring, so the high voltage won't be running by any precious
electronics inside the house. It shouldn't be running back up into
the house right?

Exactly.. But there is a problem because at some point, you need to
bond to the "green wire ground" at least for things that are plugged
in or that you might touch (e.g. equipment cases).

I'm trying to be minimalistic so I don't have to try to pound down
a ground rod of my own.

Think counterpoise.. a big conductive sheet.. chicken wire works
well. A circle that has radius = the height of the top load above it.


Hook that to the bottom of your secondary.
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