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Building advice




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From:  Esondrmn [SMTP:Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com]
Sent:  Monday, March 16, 1998 5:51 PM
To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject:  Re: Building advice

In a message dated 98-03-13 14:26:58 EST, you write:

<< Howdy:
 
 Just joined the list, and am amazed at how many people there are out there
with similar interests.
 
 Built my first coil when I was 15, using an oil ignition transformer, and
some caps out of HV power
 supplies from old RCA TV sets.  It worked OK, and produced 10" sparks, while
lighting up standard
 36" fluorescent tubes from almost 20 feet away.
 
 I'm a little older now (42) and would like to build a more sophisticated
unit, using a 15 kv neon sign
 transformer.  I'm a geologist, not an electrical engineer. Hope no one holds
that against me....Other
 hobbies include chemistry, minerals, fossils, and classic cars.  Have a small
machine shop, and
 fabricating parts is no problem.
 
 Could some folks please advise me on the following:
 
 1) Is Dr. Dave Hall's set of plans a pretty good starting point?
 
 2) Is there a more powerful unit than the above, which can be built, given
the limitations of my present
     power supply.
  >>
Dale,

Welcome to the list.  I am not familiar with Dr. Hall's plans.  Perhaps you
could describe the plans in detail and we could comment.  With a moderate size
coil and a good spark gap, you can usually scale up the power by using two or
three transformers in parallel.

Ed Sonderman