Tesla Coil in Action
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As promised, here's the test of my handheld Tesla coil. I found this thing in our supply room (probably from the 70s) and have kept it as a fun toy. The only identifying mark is the manufacturer's mark: Electro-technic Products, Inc. A google search leads to the following:
BD-10A High Frequency Generator
Handheld Tesla Coil (BD-10A) High Frequency Holiday Detector and Vacuum Leak Tester. Used to detect leaks and to light spectrum tubes and florescent bulbs.
Output voltage is adjustable from 20,000 to 50,000 V. Output frequency is 500 kHz. Output current is approximately 0.1 mA maximum.
TL;DW--it will ignite a birthday candle, relatively easily (over a second or two in the arc). Burning through light paper requires very close proximity and short arc (so high arc-density).
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@benjamin-hall It's Holiday detector? As in it detects when it's X-Mas and New Years and stuff? That's pretty cool.
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
Why would you position the camera such that your hands and arm would get in the way??!! We're missing the best part!
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
my handheld Tesla coil
Where's the coil? All I see is a tapering cone of solid metal sticking out of a big plastic mounting.
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@tsaukpaetra Having three hands would help. But whatever. There isn't a good place in my classroom to have a camera positioned--I was doing that with my ipad on a fold-out stand. Sorry.
@masonwheeler the tesla coil is inside the housing. Tesla coil != van de graaf generator. If you're thinking of the big metal balls that make your hair stand up or shoot lightning, that's a van de graaf electrostatic generator. This one uses extremely high frequency AC current to achieve the same effect. The graphite rod serves as an electrode.
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
If you're thinking of the big metal balls that make your hair stand up or shoot lightning, that's a van de graaf electrostatic generator.
I wasn't. I was just thinking that something called a "coil" should look like... well... a spring, rather than a rod.
the tesla coil is inside the housing
OK, that makes more sense.
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@masonwheeler Yeah, the rod is just a replaceable graphite electrode. The guts are inside that insulating housing. It doesn't even open--it's sealed shut. That reduces, but does not eliminate, the EFI the sucker produces.
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@tsaukpaetra Having three hands would help. But whatever. There isn't a good place in my classroom to have a camera positioned--I was doing that with my ipad on a fold-out stand. Sorry.
You're at a school which doesn't own a single tripod? I find that hard to believe.
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@blakeyrat Are there iPad tripods? Sure (maybe, the video class has lots of that stuff). That I can get on 35 seconds notice? Because that's the lead time I had for making that video. That they aren't using, because I'm filming this during one of my free periods? Yeah, right.
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@benjamin-hall They probably also have proper cameras.
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@blakeyrat Yes. But see the part about "not for school purposes" and "35 second lead-time between doing other school stuff"? Also see the part about "throw-away video to demonstrate something real fast"? And the part where I'm wearing my "I don't give a crap" beard?
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@benjamin-hall You should talk to the guy who's in charge of the audio-visual room.
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@blakeyrat said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall You should talk to the guy who's in charge of the audio-visual room.
...Your reading comprehension is lacking. What part of "not for school purposes" and "short lead time" makes you think that disturbing another class (which is using that equipment for its actual purpose), setting up the equipment, filming a 1 minute video, and then editing it down (I removed some stupid pauses) is worth it?
You're treating it as something other than what it was. An off-the-cuff, throwaway demonstration because I'd promised it to someone in another thread. The total time involved was dominated by the upload process (because I had to transfer it from my iPad to my laptop for raisins). Going down to the film room, finding the instructor, etc would have been WAY more than it was worth.
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@benjamin-hall Just call him a stupid moron idiot and call it a day.
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@benjamin-hall I bet the school secretary would know who to talk to, try them first.
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@boomzilla said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall Just call him a stupid moron idiot and call it a day.
Or tell him off for offering help in a non-help category. I heard from someone that's something you're not supposed to do.
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@blakeyrat said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall I bet the school secretary would know
whowhom to talk to, try them first.
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@boomzilla said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@blakeyrat said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall I bet the school secretary would know to
whowhom to talkto,; try them first.If we want to edit into incomprehensibility for maximum
ry points. :PEdit: Hey, cool, new
bug – if you edit a post with nested quotes, they're empty (with no button to expand) until you refresh the page.
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@heterodox Ask not to whom the secretary talks. They talk to thee.
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@blakeyrat said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall I bet the school secretary would know who to talk to, try them first.
I know exactly who to talk to. He's one of my fellow colleagues. But do I want to disturb him (and take time I didn't really have) for something like this? No. Again, your reading (and people) comprehension skills are not being exhibited here. Fix that, don't say stupid stuff.
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@benjamin-hall If you have trouble finding the secretary, maybe you should consider leaving a post-it on their door.
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@blakeyrat said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall If you have trouble finding the secretary, maybe you should consider leaving a post-it on their door.
... I think you're trying to be funny. But failing. Hard.
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@blakeyrat said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall If you have trouble finding the secretary, maybe you should consider leaving a post-it on their door.
... I think you're trying to be funny. But failing. Hard.
I think he's baiting us into calling him dumb. Which is fine by me.
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@boomzilla If the shoe fits...
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
I think you're trying to be funny. But failing. Hard.
Speak for yourself, this thread is hilarious.
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
If the shoe fits...
You ignite it and blow up the plane?
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@tsaukpaetra Having three hands would help
There's a penis joke in there somewhere
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@doctorjones said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@tsaukpaetra Having three hands would help
There's a penis joke in there somewhere
Isn't that usually the case?
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@benjamin-hall
Yeah but the size can vary
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@benjamin-hall said in Tesla Coil in Action:
handheld Tesla coil
As it's not ten foot long it's most likely an Oudin coil not a Tesla coil. Neat toy though!
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@doctorjones said in Tesla Coil in Action:
There's a penis joke in there somewhere
http://www.electrotechnicproducts.com/bd-10a-high-frequency-generator/ said:
It is lightweight, self-contained hand held. For light duty, intermittent use. Not to be operated for more than 10 minutes at a time, with a cool down period to follow.
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@luhmann said in Tesla Coil in Action:
Yeah but the size can vary
The smaller it is, the more people find it funny.
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@dkf
Just keep telling that to yourself boy, maybe someday someone will believe it
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Tesla Coil: what happens to an electric car when it crosses a rotating singularity's Schwartzchild radius.
Filed Under: where the FSM lives
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@scholrlea Geeky Jokes Thread is
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@heterodox you've only just now noticed that?
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@pie_flavor said in Tesla Coil in Action:
@heterodox you've only just now noticed that?
I almost never use nested quotes in my posts, I trim to the highest level, to which I generally am replying.
