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Open Letter



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To All,
The only way that Project Coiler is REALLY going to amount to anything
Useful is if we have More DATA from Everyone involved. By the way, info
about LOSER coils is ALSO useful, in that all of us can learn what Doesn't
Work also. It is handy in this case if we can pinpoint what the problem
was. 

I hope we get a reasonable response. So often it is the same questions that
people are asking over and over again, and SOME People Out There already
know the answers. But that information needs to be gathered and put into a
form that is understandable. I cannot Pass On what I Haven't Received!

My own philosophy is that If Something Is Still Debateable, then, Let's
Debate It! But if it's a Known Fact to Somebody, then Let's Share that Fact
and MOVE ON. Too much re-inventing the wheel. What if guys like Richard
Quick just kept their thoughts on Capacitors and Spark Gaps to themselves?
Where would WE be now? What we need is a Good Repository of Up-To-Date
Information of USE to ALL COILERS and Available to ALL Coilers (and
Would-Be Coilers, too!). I see THIS Tesla Site as being important in
accomplishing at least Some Aspects of that Dream. It is ALREADY doing MUCH
of that. That is one reason I have put so much of my own time into
answering other people's posts, commenting on ongoing discussions, and
attempting at least to do Some things that I think will make the List even
More useful to ALL of us. 

That's why I wrote the Idiot's Guide Stuff. I really hope that if anyone
spots a flaw or weakness in any of my writings, that they will communicate
that to me so that I can CORRECT it. I have already received some good
constructive feedback from some List members, and I will incorporate that
into my Idiot's Guide so that future readers are not subjected to any
substantial errors or personal biases. Where there is a Difference of
Opinion I want to NOTE that and Pass On BOTH Sides of the Discussion
Equally. I am not interested in defending This or That Point of View. If
something is a Proven Fact, then let's Acknowledge that and MOVE ON.
Sometimes there really **IS** More Than One Cause for Something Happening.
Look at how we are now beginning to see more and more the Electrostatic
Effects and Influences as regards Tesla Coils. I would LOVE to put some of
That Stuff into simple terms for people If I Could Get My Hands On The
Pertinent Information. Anybody out there willing to Help me Learn Something
New so I can Increase my Own Knowledge and then PASS IT ON to others? Have
you come across some tidbit that you think should be Made Available To ALL?
Share it in a Public Post, and I will try to integrate it into my own
Compendium of Good Things To Know. Then I can incorporate it where
appropriate in my own responses to individuals, and in my Public Postings. 
If you know of someone who is NOT on the Tesla List, but who you think has
something worthwhile to share, please give them my e-mail address and have
them contact me.


List Members would be doing me a great service if they would report back to
me on any errors or omissions they may find in any of my posts. Public
Posting of such errors or omissions would, in my opinion, be Beneficial to
All. It would allow anyone who had read the original post to correct it
themselves instead of just waiting for me to come out with a New Revised
and Corrected edition. I will incorporate such information into my local
documents as soon as I read any posts that bring anything to my attention. 

By the way, I want EVERYONE to feel free to SHARE **ANYTHING** I post with
others. This includes Newsletters and Periodicals and Web Sites. You might
want to check with me personally, though, just so that I can provide you
with the latest Revision Level. Like Most Things In Life, this is a Work in
Progress.

Anyone requesting info on the state of Project Coiler from me will be
e-mailed the full set of information received so far. I will edit out
Typographical Errors whenever I am aware of that. Same goes for The Idiot's
Guide Series. I will try to maintain these documents as best I can.

*****
Do We WANT More IDIOTS Here?

If you read this far and haven't Dumped this into the Recycle Bin yet, then
maybe you are the Kind of Person that will respond to a Request I have. I
want to continue the Idiot's Guide to include, ultimately, ALL the aspects
of Tesla Coils. So far I have only done a Little Bit on Primaries. THAT
needs to be expanded to include More Stuff, both in the Theoretical and the
Practical and CONSTRUCTION Areas. Here's what I need from YOU: QUESTIONS.
What Questions do YOU want to see answered, or what information do You
think should be included? Do you have Strongly Held Views (or even better,
Hard Cold Facts) about whether Capacitors should Ever Be Allowed Across the
Neon's Secondary? Have you found Filter Capacitors Useful or do you Think
They May Have Destroyed your favorite Neon? What about this Center Tapped
Transformer Stuff. What is YOUR experience? What is YOUR Theory. Why do you
believe that? THINK ABOUT IT. What ISSUES do you think should REALLY be
discussed in the Idiot's Guide? What Fairy Tales and Old Wives Tales and
DOWNRIGHT LIES have you heard about Tesla Coils or their component parts
that you think need to be addressed? Think I'm going to Really Screw Up my
explanation of something? Then Tell me how YOU would explain it. Tell me
BEFORE I have a chance to Screw It Up and Look like a COMPLETE IDIOT in
front of Everybody. This Idiot's Guide is not about ME! It is something I
hope will be for YOU, or even Better, ALL of US, Together. And I hope that
no one gets Offended if I include in the Idiot's Guide not only what YOU
think, but Also what some Other People think as well. 

If Each of us Gives a Little, we will ALL of Us Gain a Lot. I need YOUR
Input!

If all else fails, try something else.
Fr. Tom McGahee