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Electrum in NZ (fwd)





---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 10:44:03 +1200
From: Malcolm Watts <MALCOLM-at-directorate.wnp.ac.nz>
To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Electrum in NZ

Hi all,
         I just got back yesterday from a trip up North to meet Greg 
and see Electrum. I was unable to stay long enough to join the 2MV 
club but did witness the single shot tests on the previous night. The 
coil was throwing air streamers about  7'+  at Vp around 44kV 
corresponding to Ep of around 250J. Unfortunately there was no way of 
rigging a ground discharge rod for the secondary discharges to strike.

     The engineering of the gap system is magnificent and (this'll 
make you spew :), the RF choke is a closewound coil measuring 12" dia 
x 39" long and is mounted on wall brackets. Three 37.5kVA pigs line 
one wall of the bunker with the three phase rectifiers mounted 
directly above them. The cap bank is mounted adjacent to the gap 
(which is about 5' high) with conductors consisting of brazed 
sections of copper pipe leading to the gap and primary coil and heavy 
thick copper busbars linking the caps in the cap bank together.

     I enjoyed spending four or five hours on site talking with 
various members of the crew including Greg, then Greg came out to the 
hotel the following day and we had a 1-1 conversation for about an 
hour and a half before I had to leave.

     Greg is a thorougly pleasant and likeable man with skills and 
knowledge to match. I was grateful for what might be the only 
opportunity I get to have directly spoken with him. It seems we have 
a few things in common. I left a few papers which I thought would 
be of interest for him to read including my coil survey chart. The 
drive up took approx. nine hours.

     Greg plans to do some sightseeing before returning to SF in late 
May/early June. He may yet drop in to see me in my workplace before 
he is done here.

Malcolm