[TCML] Tesla inspired Christmas tree

[Peter Terren]

Your tree and pumpkin won't work. Corona will choose the region of greatest 
field gradient and will not evenly come off any surface.  Just look at the 
corona off a single straight wire for example. It is highly irregular.  A 
pumpkin will not be effective in my opinion - ie sparks will not outline 
eyes and mouth.
If you try to do a pumpkin, it will just carbon track and burn.
An aluminium xmas "tree" will just radiate corona from the apex and a few of 
the more prominent branches. It won't be a regular tree representation.
If you really wanted a tree then have your corona point (breakout point) 
arranged to spiral down mechanically. This will be tricky to do and I have 
considered many variations of this.
If you want to represent a shape, you have to use your corona point to draw 
it.  If it is a circle then you have the "Eye of Sauron effect" which will 
be nice and regular.
Or you can highlight it with sparks like I have although the effect is 
coarse. Any shape is possible really but you need a completely dark 
surround, long exposure (91 seconds for this shot) and care with colour 
saturation.
http://tesladownunder.com/Xmas.htm
Of course, the top load can be changed to the Red Alert style multiple 
toroids and sphere for graphic effect but it is actually quite a reasonable 
topload.
http://tesladownunder.com/Red%20Alert%20Tesla.htm
Peter


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Pierson" <davep at quik.com>
To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla at pupman.com>
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 11:47 PM
Subject: Re: [TCML] Tesla inspired Christmas tree


>>I have completed my 15 foot Tesla inspired Christmas tree.
>
> Random, nonserious thought.  Inspired by a different holiday.
> And, was there a humour piece about this?
>
> We have heard of singing Tesla coils, chemical doping for
> colouring the arcs/sparks.  Has anyone tried 'forming' the
> top electrode for 'graphic effect'?  My original though was a
> halloween theme (did i lift this from the humour piece?), with
> a more or less spherical top load, with face cut in to promote
> spark/corona at the edges?
>
> Nonconductive (plastic?) Punkin shape, with top terminal
> discharging 'inside'?
>
> For Christmas:
>   Aluminum tree, sized to be self corona illuminating?
>
> Small coils using Chirstmas Balls as top terminals?
>
> Or am I being too silly?
>
> best
>  dwp
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