I’ve been on this list since about the turn of the century, approaching 20 years. Back around 2000, the internet was still a relatively new novelty for many of us and it was an info feeding frenzy for many of us coilers who were craving more pertinent info on Tesla coil building, that had been few and far between in from the previous traditional sources for scientific and technical based information i.e. libraries. Many of us 50+ coilers were subscribers to the Tesla Coil Builders Association (TCBA), a snail-mail quarterly news letter that was authored by the late Harry Goldman from 1982 - 2001. It was our “go-to” source for info on Tesla coils during that time frame.
Seems to me the traffic on this forum began to wane in the 2008 to 2013 timeframe, as the DRSSTCs became the newest rage among the younger coilers and access to the real time dialogue of social media started becoming more widely available.
I personally still have yet to build a DRSSTC, as I’ve already dumped plenty of time and money into getting to the apex of my coiling escapades, my pole pig powered “Green Monster” Tesla coil (which is around 13 years old now), but I still would eventually like to try my hand at a DRSSTC. Plus I just do not have the available space to actively pursue another large coil project at this time, either. Guess it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, too. 😉 These days, I’m more of a lurker myself, but I still do follow most of the threads on this forum.
David Rieben
Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 20, 2018, at 2:21 PM, derstrom8--- via Tesla <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> "I have not built a solid-state Tesla coil since around 2008, but I finished my latest DRSSTC (4" secondary) just a couple of years ago."
> Correction, I have not built a spark gap Tesla coil since 2008.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: derstrom8--- via Tesla <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: tesla <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tue, Nov 20, 2018 2:50 pm
> Subject: Re: [TCML] Where is everyone?
>
> I just joined this list in August/September after learning that it was still going. I first started reading the archives back when I was 12, while building my first coil. I'm now approaching 26 and I have moved into DRSSTCs mostly. I still read the posts here but I'm generally just a lurker, rarely responding to the topics being discussed. I have not built a solid-state Tesla coil since around 2008, but I finished my latest DRSSTC (4" secondary) just a couple of years ago. I'm in the process of designing my next one, an 8" coil controlled by a FPGA-based driver of my own design. There's still a lot of work left to do, but I'm sure I'll share the results here on the list once I get the design squared away.
> Regards,
> MattFairlee, Vermont
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve White <steve.white1@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: Tesla Coil List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tue, Nov 20, 2018 10:00 am
> Subject: [TCML] Where is everyone?
>
> When I first joined the TCML back around 2002,I used to receive about 20 messages per day from the TCML. Now, I am lucky if I see a single message every few days. On occasion, I will see periodic bursts of postings in response to specific questions from members. Have all the members moved on to other interests or died? We need to determine a way to get new people interested in this hobby. I fear that most of the potential younger members are absorbed in computer-related things. There is nothing wrong with that. I spent most of my engineering career developing real-time embedded DSP software. We just need to discover a way to expand their interests into the world of physical hardware, especially high voltage. I built my first tesla coil, a small VTTC, when I was 16 and this is what got me interested in electrical engineering as a career. I periodically display my coils to kids in my neighborhood. I also plan to take my smaller coils around to schools for demonstrations.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Steve White
> Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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