ELECTRUM: A documentary video tape on Greg Leyh's large tesla coil project.

Reviewed by Chip Atkinson

Electrum is a well made, professional quality documentary in a thoroughly modern video style. It is a video that is suitable for both tesla coil enthusiasts as well as the general public. It is quick paced, yet informative. The other non-coilers that have watched it with me also found it both interesting and informative. This video is designed to show the non-coiler how a tesla coil works while appealing to the dedicated coiler with accurate information and excellent footage of Electrum during construction and operation.

Since it is a documentary, I needn't worry about spoiling the plot. The video starts out with an introductory discussion of what the artist, Eric Orr, wanted and what the builder, Greg Leyh, could do (electrically). From there, the video progressed through the fabrication stage, the test stage, and finally the setup stage. After the final setup, there is a brief mention of what could be done in the future with a lightning research park concieved by Mr. Leyh. This adds a nice closure to the whole thing, rather than leaving the audience wondering what's next.

The top terminal of Electrum is made of 30 rings of 15 different size arranged to form a sphere. This allows a person to sit inside the top of the coil while it is operating. There are even some shots taken from inside the operating coil. A very interestng toroid's eye perspective.

A notable aspect of this video is that I didn't come away feeling like important information was being deliberately withheld as is often the case in news features on dangerous subjects. As I mentioned earlier, this video is designed to appeal to a broad audience, including non-coilers and therefore the detailed design parameters are not covered. However, the information is presented in an honest and rapid pace, thus allowing people to get an idea of how Tesla coils work.

To summarize, Electrum is an excellent, high quality video that should be on any coiler's shelf. It is excellent for showing people just how big coils can be while maintaining their interest as well as providing a good source of information.