RE: NON-static shocks from unpowered secondary?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Lau, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com>

Normally, the base of the secondary coil is tied to ground.  You say that
you get shocks from touching either terminal of the coil.  How can you get
a shock from touching the grounded end of a coil, unless YOU are at some
elevated voltage?  

I'm assuming that by "unpowered secondary", that you mean that the Tesla
Coil is not running.  Or do you mean that there is an operating Tesla Coil,
and near by is another, unconnected secondary coil, and it's this secondary
that is shocking you?  This would be no surprise.

Gary Lau
MA, USA

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com] 
Sent:	Monday, February 18, 2002 3:39 AM
To:	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject:	NON-static shocks from unpowered secondary?

Original poster: "Patrick Leonard by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <transactoid-at-rogers-dot-com>


I live in Southern Ontario, and it gets very dry in the winter. With a bit of
shuffling, I can pull 1"+ static sparks. In fact, I do this all the time on
purpose - I KNOW what static shocks feel like.
 
Now, I've read the discussions on people receiving static shocks from their
unpowered secondaries, but the shocks I've got feel *nothing* like static
shocks. I feel nothing when touching the sides of the coil*, but when I touch
either end terminal of the coil, I get a very sharp, tingling, *painful* shock.
Again, it feels *nothing* like a static shock, there's no "hair raising" Van De
Graaf feel, no loud "pop".......it feels exactly like an AC shock. It's a
pulsating, piercing kind of pain. There is no visible spark.
 
I realize this is fairly subjective. Hopefully someone else has can relate to
what I'm saying. I've felt both static shocks and (thankfully) small AC shocks.
These secondary shocks feel like just like AC. 
 
I know very little about electronics. Is it possible the coils, acting as an
inductor, are somehow maintaining an AC current? Or rectifying any static
charges into AC current?
 
(*Actually, I have received static shocks from touching the sides of the coil -
the small sparks and crackles, the hair on my hand stands on end. This is NOT
what I feel when touching the end terminals.)
 
Thanks,
"This ain't no static shock"
Patrick