Re: Just starting out

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

Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>



Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Dan_Gallagher%PULSARNOTES-at-pulsartech-dot-com>
> 
> Hi guys,
> I may not be worthy of this group because you all sound like highly
> intelligent engineers to me. But I've been involved with electronics all my
> life. I've been a repair lab tech for years.

I'm not entirely sure that "intelligent" and "tesla coil" are totally
compatible.  It's a sick addiction, but fortunately, not entirely socially
reprehensible.

Certainly, one does not need to be an engineer to build a decent coil.  If
one wants to understand the gory details of the fine points of the theory,
perhaps some background is useful, but I daresay that the vast majority
(>90%) of coil builders do not come from a "electrical/electronic
engineering" background. (Perhaps I should change "understand" to "argue
about"? <grin>)


> 
> My question is I am interested in building my own tesla coil. I'm not
> talking about a huge one with 10 foot arcs, maybe 12" or so arcs.

A great size... fits on a table top, relatively inexpensive, won't require
a truck to move it.

> 
> Would you guys have any recommendations for where to start. I work for an
> electric utility communications company dealing with communications via
> power-line carrier and fiber optics. I am the technical writer here. This
> seems to me like it could be a valuable resource for this interest of mine.


Scrounge parts!  The two hardest things to come by will be the high voltage
transformer (typically, a neon sign transformer) and the primary capacitors
(MMC is highly recommended).  Everything else is easy "Home Depot" kinds of
stuff.   Bear in mind that if you bought everything you need brand new,
full list price, no shopping around or scrounging, you could probably build
a decent coil that puts out 2 foot sparks for around $200-300.  With a
substantial investment of your time (or, getting lucky), you could build a
decent coil that puts out 2 foot sparks for free.

> 
> Like right now I took from their discards a huge coil that looks like a
> cigarette butt stand. You know those cigarette butt stands with the tray of
> sand on the top. It seems to me I should be able to use this in some way in
> making my tesla coil but without expert advice like from you guys I don't
> know.
> 
> I'm very interested in starting and I am aware of the safety protocol of
> working with high voltage.
> 
> Thank you very much.
> 
>   Daniel Gallagher -- Graphic designer/Technical writer
>                        Pulsar Technologies, Inc.
> "THE BRIGHT STAR IN UTILITY COMMUNICATIONS"
>    4050 N.W. 121 Ave. Coral Springs, FL 33065 U.S.A.
>        954-344-9822 ext. 243 (www.pulsartech-dot-com)