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Re: New to the group



Tesla List wrote:
> 
> >From sroys-at-umabnet.ab.umd.eduFri Aug 23 22:11:15 1996
> Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 09:48:39 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Steve Roys <sroys-at-umabnet.ab.umd.edu>
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Re: New to the group
> 
> > P.S.: Rotary spark gaps are used for High energy
> >       Spark gap coils. The spark gap is used as
> >       part of the oscillator in this design. This
> >       is for ->NON<- Vacuum Tube designs. Get a book
> >       before you burn hardware.
> 
> This is not necessarily true.  I'm not sure of the details, but John Freau
> from the Tesla coil builders of New Jersey, an avid tube coiler, is
> building a tube coil designed by Dave Sharpe of the Richmond group that
> uses a rotary spark gap.  Maybe Richard Hull would be able to give more
> information if we asked nicely (please, please, please Richard!).
> 
> Steve Roys


Steve, All,

Dave Sharpe's design was tested first not by Dave but by the #1 tube coil 
 guru in the land!  John Freau (pronounced FRAY - OH) of the New Jersey 
Tesla coil builders.  What John does know, or hasn't tried in Vacuum tube 
systems, probably isn't worth knowing about!! I have known John for a few 
years now and he really digs in to his subject and introduces a nuber of 
novel concepts.  I see him about 3 times a year and we swap stories and 
info on a personal basis.

Dave's original idea about storing energy in the tube's tank circuit and 
commutating it with a rotary gap was a BUST!  John worked with it about 
year ago and it didn't pan out.

Since then John has produced a fabulous mode of tube coil operation 
which he has dubbed the "Staccato Mode"  there are many variants to this 
method.  (all pioneered and investigated by Freau.)  Proof of John's 
incredible work is scattered all over our Report tapes.  John is not on 
the internet.  John has published nothing concerning his methods except 
in a recent TCBA news. (but you all saw this- right?).

 We have been putting his video taped accounts on our reports.  It would 
be far to complicated to explain every facet of his work on this list 
without creating a thread which I am not totally familiar with.  I can 
breifly list some of his notables.  

Some feats-  

38" of straight line point to point arc from a tube coil in continuous 
run mode.  (to my knowledge, unequaled in the Tesla coil community.)

Staccato Modes:

Standard.-  Continously variable pulse rate/duty cycle pulsed sparks from 
a tube coil. long sparks, low power. Complicated hybrid circuitry.

Stored Discharge- A large cap is charged ala disruptive style and 
computated through a tube by a rotary gap.

Normal disrurptive staccato- A normal coil with no tube circuitry is 
fired from a large capacitor with TWO rotary type gaps to produce 53" 
arcs (pulsed only) with under 600 watts!

I saw John this weekend at a Tesla gathering and his work continues.

Richard Hull, TCBOR