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From: ron@A60.UUCP (Ron Burns)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Tesla Coil
Message-ID: <824@A60.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 9-Dec-86 10:50:45 EST
Article-I.D.: A60.824
Posted: Tue Dec  9 10:50:45 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 10-Dec-86 04:41:58 EST
References: <4815@reed.UUCP> <823@A60.UUCP>
Reply-To: ron@A60.UUCP (Ron Burns)
Organization: Sperry Corporation - Roseville, MN
Lines: 25
Keywords: frustration

In article <823@A60.UUCP> lee@A60.UUCP (G. Lee) writes:
>In article <4815@reed.UUCP> shadow@reed.UUCP (Matthew Giger) writes:
>>
>>	Does anyone out there know much about tesla coils?  They are a
>
>  A friend of mine and I build a tesla coil last spring with great results.

       Um.... that would be me.

Gene did forget one very important item.  As a series resonant LC circuit,
you need a capacitor.  this is placed in series with the neon sign xfmr
secondary, the spark gap, and the Tesle coil primary.

I built mine from several sheets of plexiglass/aluminum foil sanwiched together
it is important to have the plexiglas a few inches larger than the foil, or 
it will arc around the edges, and burn down.  It is also a good idea to clean
everything with alcohol to prevent skin oils an dirt from providing a path.

at these frequencies, voltages and powers, you will see some very unusual
effects, not all of which occur on top of the Tesla secondary.
-- 
Ron Burns
UUCP: ...ihnp|{rosevax,dayton,meccts}|ems!A60!ron
612 635-6042