Re: EXTERNAL: Re: [TCML] TC Application - Neighbors

[Brandon Garretson <garretsontech@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wow Phil, that is an awesome story. Thank you very much for sharing it.
I am sure none of us would actually have made the situation worse by trying
to electrocute the crazy bloke.
You are right, instinct would kick it and power would cut off no matter what
else was going on.
In retrospect its very easy to say "I would have turned it up and fried the
bastard", but we are intelligent, decent people and Im sure (at least
I hope) that in the heat of the moment we would first be concerned about the
safety of all, including the lunatic.
I am personally terrified of my coil and the power always goes off, the cord
removed from the control panel, the caps are given ample time to bleed out
and I place an Idiot-Stick across across the gap.
The last thing any of us wants is for coils to get a the reputation of a
killer, then the fun could over for all of us.
But really, WOW! That was an incredible story.
Just for the record, we dont all have guns but we (at least myself and those
I consider my friends) have a great respect for ones right to personal
property and ones right to defend it.
Man, your head was that close to an energized RSG and tank circuit, damn,
 well Im certainly glad youre still with us.

- Brandon (The one from Jersey...)



On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 4:08 PM, Phil Tuck <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 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 Tuck
>> Sent: 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 here
>>
>> http://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 - Neighbors
>>
>> I 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'm
>>> tweaking 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 beach
>>> traffic on Friday.  Everyone has thick windows.  I'm probably overly
>>> worried.
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
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>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Tesla mailing list
>>> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
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>>>
>> Regards
>> Phil Tuck
>>
>> www.hvtesla.com
>> _______________________________________________
>> Tesla mailing list
>> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
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>>
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>> Tesla mailing list
>> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
>> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
>>
>> Regards
> Phil Tuck
>
> www.hvtesla.com
> _______________________________________________
> Tesla mailing list
> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
>
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