Hello.Yes it is a tempting thought to have left it on, or even turn it up, but instinct, common sense and I suppose decency, means you turn it off. In the UK though I would have no doubt been prosecuted if I had turned it up, or in the event it had killed someone, even an intruder, I would have faced a murder charge. (It is a complicated area of law in the UK and this forum is not the place)
As to what happened, well I had had several runs earlier that day, nothing over 2 mins I would have thought, as it was still being tuned. I was running the coil early evening (sunset time) when a head suddenly appeared over the top of the rear garden fence which is 5 foot high. The garden the chap was standing in was not actually his own garden, he had gained uninvited access to it to find the source of the noise. My coil *was* actually quiet noisy, I cannot deny that. It was a 6 inch running on a 200bps SRSG at the time from a 12 Kv pig.
Anyway I looked at the chap and was saying something which I couldn't hear because of the coil and I'm also slightly deaf (no jokes please), but as he was also pointing to the coil. I thought he was either interested or admiring it, so I nodded to him, and I turned around to power it down so I could hear him. By then he had climbed the fence and was in the garden and yanking at the earth lead. The scary part was the fact that I had not turned the coil fully off, only turned it right down on the variac so it was not firing. In the scuffle that followed we both ended up on the ground wrestling and at one stage I found myself very close to the spinning SRSG. I could not see it - but it was uncomfortably loud and close (not a sparking noise - just the motor running noise as the rotor had jammed with a lead wrapped around it) Then the 'slow motion' effect kicks in that anyone who has had a bike or car accident will have experienced. I can remember wondering about what voltage the variac had been turned down to. This was the scariest part as I knew it could easily kill me lying on the grass as I was. In fact I found later it was 10v. Now 10v in gives around 460v out! By this time my wife was in the garden and I calling to her to turn the coil off ( Luckily, or should I say very luckily, I had previously shown her the key position in case I ever had an accident) Anyway chap scarpers and several days later after some police enquiries (police had been called by my daughter) he gets arrested. Describing a tesla coil to a policeman is very interesting. In fact the policeman made a note in the statement that a tesla coil "was a machine for making homemade lightning".
My silly and dangerous mistake was NOT switching the coil off completely. Turning down will stop the sparks, but it is still a lethal voltage on the SRSG which afterwards I found out was about a two foot away just above my head . However I had turned it down to talk and certainly did not plan on wrestling on the ground next to it. Now I always turn off when having to approach the coil and actually take the key with me. But to be really safe unless you can foresee the future, which none of us can, you should *always* turn it off, even if it is to talk to someone. You just never know what will happen.
I have had two very short runs since when the chap is (I presume) at work, but it leaves you looking over your shoulder. This is the second incident in the UK like this. I would imagine in America that the idea that the coiler may pull a gun on you gives you more tolerance maybe.
Subject closed for me. PS: I see the other coil incident I refer to has now been posted by Earl Phil -------------------------------------------------- From: "McCauley, Daniel H" <daniel.h.mccauley@xxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 3:48 PM To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: RE: EXTERNAL: Re: [TCML] TC Application - Neighbors
That’s too funny.I would have made sure it was ON when he was about the knock it over though.Dan http://www.easternvoltageresearch.com 20% TCML Discount for July - Mention TCMLJULY at check-out -----Original Message-----From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Phil TuckSent: Friday, July 16, 2010 10:06 AM To: Tesla Coil Mailing List Subject: EXTERNAL: Re: [TCML] TC Application - Neighbors Hello,I had a meeting with my neighbour over my coil last year. The results can be seen herehttp://www.hvtesla.com/damage.html Phil -------------------------------------------------- From: "Miles Mauldin" <teslamiles@xxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 1:14 PM To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: [TCML] TC Application - NeighborsI need a few pointers from the experienced home coilers. What is the proper etiquette for introducing a TC to neighbors? I’m not a late night person so that’s not going to be an issue. I hope to have a first light of my coil this weekend and fear I may have to move outside to run at full power and I have no idea how loud my coil will be. 4 * 12kV / 30mA NSTs Paralleled Richard Quick 5 electrode spark gap (total gap of .14”) w/300 CFM blower 60nF Tank 4.5x20” secondary Double toroid (3x12” & 4x18”) Computed coupling coefficient of 1.44 K at reported by JavaTC Thanks for any advise. Miles M (the other Miles in Atlanta) ________________________________ From: Joe Mastroianni <joe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: Tesla Coil Mailing List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wed, July 14, 2010 11:34:49 PM Subject: Re: [TCML] TC Application Roger that. I've gone my whole life without smoking...etc. Don't need to fry my lungs because I'm coiling. Especially while I'mtweaking the tuning or the gap, I get a garage full of O3 before I realize what's going on.I've been nervous about neighbors - alas the coil is loud. But as long as I'm not buzzing around in the middle of the night, I should be ok. I'm only about 1/4" mile away from a major highway (California Rt 17), which provides a constant background noise unless there's beachtraffic on Friday. Everyone has thick windows. I'm probably overly worried.Joe _______________________________________________ Tesla mailing list Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla _______________________________________________ Tesla mailing list Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/teslaRegards Phil Tuck www.hvtesla.com _______________________________________________ Tesla mailing list Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
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Regards Phil Tuckwww.hvtesla.com
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