TCBA - Tesla Coil Builders Association

Devoted to the construction, operation and theoretical analysis of the Tesla coil

TCBA Volume 3 - Issue 1

Page 2 of 18

Envelopes!

Those large 9x12 envelopes in which the newsletters are mailed cost TCBA $.10 each. In one year, TCBA uses over 1000 of them. I'm not complaining because a UPS truck just pulled up in the driveway and dropped off a huge box full of them. A small note inside the package stated, “Just picked these up at a store-closing for pennies. Thought TCBA could make use of them.” The note was signed by Ed Aronson. Ed is a member of the Test Engineering Dept. at Hughes Aircraft in CA. Included in the shipment was a photo and description of a Tesla coil Ed built way back in his junior high days (see Membership Activity column). It's nice to have members like Ed with us and TCBA is extending him a one year subscription to TCBA NEWS.

Our Cover

I was meandering through a flea market last summer when my attention came upon the cover of Popular Mechanics magazine for February, 1933. The fellow standing next to me made a grab for it. He nearly lost an arm! Sure enough, the issue contained an article on the use of a Tesla coil at the Ohio Insulator Co. at Barberton. Unfortunately, the article did not mention Tesla nor did it provide details of the parameters of the coil in use.

A letter to the Ohio Brass Co. (parent firm) brought the following response: “We'll try to get the information you requested providing someone has the time for the research.” Thus far, no details regarding the equipment then in use have been received. If at some future date TCBA is the recipient of more information on this coil, I'll be sure to pass it along to our members.

The coil shown in Figure 1 appears to consist of two primary turns of heavy cable. The secondary turns are difficult to count but my guess would place the count at 50+ turns of heavy wire. The dimensions can only be a guess. Overall width seems to be about 4' to 6' in diameter. The secondary height is at least 6'. As the photo indicates, the sparking was awesome.

Figure 2 shows two participants undertaking a high voltage experiment. The Ohio Insulator Co. had a number of Tesla coils and, undoubtedly, the experiment was done using one of their smaller units.