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tesla.txt

> Updated 10-22-94

I have (with the assistance of others) put together a list of a 
references for those who are interested in Tesla and his work. 

> Tesla Book Company, PO BOX 121873, CHULA VISTA, CA. 91912
This catalog has pretty much everything: Oscillator handbooks,
Tesla Coil handbooks, Tesla Coil design manuals, coil plans,
Tesla's Complete Patents, Tesla's Lectures, Colorado Springs
Notes, Vacuum Tube Tesla Coils, and many other titles. The
catalog has a 1-800-398-2056 information line. I steer clear of
the time travel, free energy, scalar wave, etc. crackpot stuff... 

> Twenty First Century Books, Box 2001, Breckenridge, CO. 80424.
Twenty First Century Books has a very complete Tesla book
catalog, again I steer clear of free energy, zero point, etc..

> Lindsay Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 12, Bradley, IL. 60915
Lindsay also offers a good selection of Tesla literature, classic
electronics publications and reprints, and Coil Design software.
I avoid the scalar-wave, free-energy, time-travel, etc., stuff.

> High Voltage Press, 4326 S.E. Woodstock, #489, Portland, OR., 
> 97206, USA
Carried coil plans, manuals, classic reprints, etc..

> INTERNATIONAL TESLA SOCIETY, INC, (ITS) P.O. Box 5636, Colorado
> Springs, Colorado, 80931, USA
They have a book shop that does mail order, again I steer clear
of the crackpot free-energy-time-travel-scalar stuff. 

> The TESLA COIL BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, (TCBA) Harry Goldman, 3 
> AMY LANE, QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK, 12804, USA. 
Publishes a quarterly newsletter NEWS, with parts mart, Q&A,
reader project, historical project, topical reprints (such as the
two Popular Science projects recently mentioned here), etc.. Back
issues and index are available, tell Harry I sent you.

> Information Unlimited, P.O. Box 716, Amherst, NH., 03031, USA
Coils, rail guns, lasers, tasers, stun guns... you name it.
Completed units, kits, parts, or just plans.

> High Energy Enterprises, P.O. Box 5636, Security, CO. 80931
This firm had several publications and literature on high voltage
devices.

> The U.S. Patent Office, Washington, DC. 
Copies of Tesla's patents are available for $1.50 each. You must
specify patent numbers.

> Tesla Information, 18321 Edgewood Ave., Villa Park, CA. 92667
They carried Tesla coil design instructions, manuals, and
supplimentary papers and manscripts.

> Barnes & Nobel Booksellers, 126 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011
Tel: 1-800-242-6657. I list them because they have been
increasing their number of Tesla titles. In addition to a couple
of books reviewed below, they also have a video tape that takes
the viewer inside the Tesla museum in Belgrad Yugoslavia where
some of Tesla's handmade exhibition equipment was still opera-
tional, and his original demonstrations are reproduced.  

... Books to look out for:

> THE COLORADO SPRINGS NOTES, 1899-1900
By Nikola Tesla... Hardcover, 440pp, Published by NOLIT, Beograd,
Yugoslavia, 1978. At the time of his death, Tesla was actually a
Yugoslavian dependant. Recognized as a national hero, the govern-
ment of Yugoslavia had set up a small trust fund to insure Tesla
had rent and food. At his death in 1943, his personal effects
were examined, plundered a bit, then forwarded to his next of
kin, Yugoslavia, who built a museum in Belgrad (spel Belgrade &
Beograd) to house them. In the mid 1970s the Tesla Museum
organized Tesla's notes from the 1899-1900 experiments at
Colorado Springs, CO., and sent them to the museum publisher
NOLIT. This edition ran in 1978. Prefaced and annotated by
Aleksandar Marincic, Assoc. Prof. of EE Beograd Univ. and advisor
to the Nikola Tesla Museum, Yugoslavia; it accurately transcribes
Tesla's original english manuscript. It includes schematics, and
many B&W photos.

> NICKOLA TESLA ON HIS WORK WITH ALTERNATING CURRENTS 
> AND THEIR APPLICATION TO WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY, TELEPHONY,
> AND TRANSMISSION OF POWER 
This is a fine product of a modern legal research, edited by
Leland I. Anderson, published in 1992 by Sun Publishing, Div. of
Boyle & Anderson, Denver, CO., 80219. Library of Congress Catalog
#92-60482, ISBN 0-9632652-0-2; this book is the transcript of
Tesla's pre-hearing interview conducted by his legal counsel in
1916. The interview was precipitated by a number of pending court
cases in the fledgling radio industry. One of the attorneys
conducting the interview held an EE degree. Photos, patent
covers, schematics, mechanical drawings, etc. were submitted by
Tesla as the stenographer recorded his answers and explanations.
None of this material was intended for print, and there is no
question as to accuracy or authenticity. His testimony and
depositions led to a US Supreme Court decision in his favor 1943.
Highly recommended. 

> THE INVENTIONS RESEARCHES & WRITTINGS OF NIKOLA TESLA 
Nikola Tesla, 1893 (edited and prefaced by Thomas Commerford
Martin), ISBN 0-88029-812-X, published by Barnes & Nobel (1992
second edition). 512pp, hardcover, (Item #1774447, $9.98 US)
Transcripts of Tesla's famous lectures and articles up to
December 1893, with many sketches, schematics, and wiring
diagrams of Tesla polyphase systems, bulbs, RF systems etc.. 

> GUIDE TO COLORADO SPRINGS NOTES
Richard Hull, 1994, published by Twenty First Century Books, or
available from the author: Richard Hull, 7103 Hermatiage Road,
Richmond VA, 23228. Cost is $22.50 (which includes shipping and
handling in the U.S.), and well worth the price. Richard Hull is
head of an informal group: Tesla Coil Builders Of Richmond
(T.C.B.O.R.), which is currently the world leader in Tesla
Magnifier development. Mr. Hull also offers a video tape series 
which includes a video presentation on the construction of
homemade pulse discharging high-voltage capacitors (Video #3).

> THE COMPLETE PATENTS OF NIKOLA TESLA
Nikola Tesla, edited by Jim Glenn, and just available from Barnes
and Nobel at the time of this update (I am waiting on my copy).
The paperback is priced at $14.98 (plus a couple of bucks in
shipping and handling in the U.S.) Barnes & Nobel item # 1903210 

> VACUUM TUBE TESLA COILS 
James F. Corum, Ph.D. and Kenneth L. Corum, 1987, published by
Corum & Assoc, Inc., 8551 State Route 534, Windsor, Ohio, 44099,
USA. ISBN 0-924758-00-7. Good Tesla Math. 

> TESLA, MAN OUT OF TIME 
Margaret Cheney, 1981, published by Dorset Press, ISBN 0-88029-
419-1; available from Barnes & Nobel, 126 Fifth Ave., New York,
NY, 10011, tel:800-242-6657. 320pp, hardcover, (item #1611151,
$7.98 US). Well balanced and researched biography of Tesla.

> ELECTRICITY AT HIGH PRESSURES AND FREQUENCIES 
Henry L. Transtrom, orginally published: 1913, second edition
1921, Joseph G. Branch Publishing, Chicago; Reprinted 1990, ISBN
1-55918-054-4, Lindsay Publications, Bradley, Illinois, 60915.
Paperback, 247pp. Excellent technical book; useful in designing
coil control systems, coils, (calc.) inductance, field strengths,
capacitance, etc.. Classic transformer reference text, but Tesla
coil/capacitor designs are primitive by today's standards. 

> HIGH FREQUENCY APPARATUS
Thomas Stanley Curtis, 1916, Everday Mechanics Co., Inc., New
York; Reprinted 1988, paper ISBN 1-55918-003-X, cloth ISBN 55918-
004-8, Lindsay Publications Inc., Bradley IL. 60915. Paperback,
246pp. Classic coil text, much of which was reprinted in 1985 by
R.A. Ford in his book "Tesla Coil Secrets". "Classic" means
before the age of plastics, and these historical coils and coil
components frequently lack efficiency, reliablity, and safety.

> TESLA COIL SECRETS: Construction Notes and Novel Uses
R.A. Ford, 1985, Lindsay Publications, Inc., Bradley IL 60915
ISBN 0-917914-31-7, paperback, 74pp. Ford researches and repro-
duces several classic Tesla coil and component designs from
publications of yesteryear; but he updated nothing... 

> TESLA COIL DESIGN MANUAL
 
> TESLA HANDBOOK 
> TESLA COIL CONSTRUCTION GUIDE
J.H. Couture, 1992, 1988, & 1994 JHC Engineering Co., 10823 New
Salem Point, San Diego, CA., 92126 USA. No ISBN or Lib. of
Congress catalog #, but available from one or two of the
bookdealers listed previously. The first two titles are John
Couture's input towards a more modern Tesla Coil design theory
based on empirical data. The basic math for 1/4 wave coil
winding, tank circuit design, performance, etc., is well laid out
here, but when it comes to using his charts for actual design
parameters, it falls short. Many of my best coils would never
have been built if I had gone by his data. His JHCTES Tesla Coil
design program also kicks out my coil designs, saying they exceed
the construction voltage breakdown limits! The program is based
on the same data. Also he does not adequately address proper
grounding of these systems. I have not yet reviewed his most
recent title, TESLA COIL CONSTRUCTION GUIDE.

> TESLA COILS! 100 Years of Electrical Magic
Brent C. Turner, 1991, no ISBN or publisher. Briefly covers
three basic coil types; Spark Gap, Vacuum Tube, Solid State.
Useful to have for the wiring diagrams, specs, and basic math. 

> TESLA COIL
George Trinkaus, 1986, 1987, & 1989, Third Edition, Extensively
Revised. No ISBN, published by High Voltage Press, 4326 S.E.
Woodstock, #489, Portland, OR., 97206 ($4.95). Mr. Trinkaus has a
few Tesla booklets out for under $10.00. This one is a simple
Tesla Coil built from scratch: neon sign xfrmr, beer bottle salt
water capacitor, brass bolt spark gaps, PVC plastic pipe
secondary, primary wound on a Rubbermaid "Servin' Saver" bowl,
copper toilet tank float for a discharger... Need I say more?

> THE TESLA COIL COMPENDIUM
Randall S. Peterson, no date, ISBN, publisher, etc.. I guess it
is available from Randy at: 16671 T.R.51, MT. Cory, Ohio, 45868
This publication is a compilation of Randy's favorite designs.
Pretty good coils, and he used to ship out complete kits and
fully assembled coils in his spare time...

> MODERN RESONANCE TRANSFORMER DESIGN THEORY
D.C. Cox, no date or ISBN, published by the Tesla Book Co..
I will quote from the inside jacket: "This book was written and
dedicated to the young coil builders who will design, modify,
measure, test, and evaluate today's technology, and then, design
and develop tomorrows highly efficient Tesla coil systems." 
I don't think I ever got a thing out of this book, although it
does have design math, toroid math, etc.. DC Cox is a pro, and
his company Resonance Research, designs and builds museum coils;
but never forget he is in it for the $$$$$... 

> Resonance Research Corp. RTE. 1, Shadylane Rd. Baraboo, WI
> 53913 USA, Tel: 608-356-3647
This is D.C. Cox's company (see publication notes above) and I
assume he sells completed coils, plans, and parts. But he won't 
reply to even an information request without $10.00 in his hands
(no personal checks accepted: bank money orders or cashiers
checks only).... Go figure...

> Tesla Technology Research, 2527 Treelane Ave, Monrovia, CA
> 91016 USA
Bill Wysock is a well known, respected coiler, and (at least
until his the July 94 ZAP SHOW at the Colorado Springs Tesla
Symposium) reliable coiler. His 1/4 wave coil work supplies big
sparks for some Hollywood producers and museums. 

> THE BELL JAR
Journal on vacuum work written by Steve Hanson and published
quarterly, $15.00, 35 Windsor Drive, Amherst, NH, 03031
Many high voltage projects.

> THE TESLA COIL DESIGNER
IBM DOS coil construction software by Walt Noon. Available from
Lindsay Publications, Bradley IL., this is a first class Tesla
Coil design package that reduces the hours and hours of paper,
pencil, and calculator time to mere seconds. All constants and
formulas are already programed into the menu driven package, just
"plug n chug" for a fast accurate custom coil design. Or write:
Walt Noon III, 3283 Belvedere, Riverside, CA 92507

> October 1992, Popular Electronics pp 69-71, Fun With Tesla 
> Coils, by Charles D. Rakes 
This article builds a small solid state coil using a driver
oscillator which base feeds the HV HF Coil. The project uses
a 567 tone decoder IC, a few resistors, caps, and a power supply 
to drive a small coil to light bulbs etc.. The secondary is wound
on a piece of 4" PVC, looks simple and inexpensive.

> November 1993, Electronics World + Wireless World, (magazine)
pp 937-942. "The spark that gave RADIO to the world", by George
Pickworth: "Marconi" this and "Marconi" that; Tesla mentioned
only once; but it did have clear photos and diagrams of what not
to do... As well as useful photos of damped wave trains produced
with authentic gap systems. A good general explanation of spark
gap types and functions.

> Vacuum Tube Industries, Inc., 506 North Warren Avenue,
> P.O. Box 2009, Brockton, MA.  02405  USA
> tel: 508-584-4500, tel: 800-528-5014, fax: 508-584-0096
Specialize in new and rebuilt 450 KC power tubes for commercial
RF induction heaters and the supply & control xfrmrs, cooling
loops, etc.. These are the type tubes I would use for a CW coil.  

> The Condenser Products Corp., 2131 Broad Street, 
> Brooksville, FL  34609
Manufacturers of commercial high voltage plastic film pulse
discharge (Tesla) capacitance. Minimum order $150.00, minimum
shipping time about 6 weeks. These are where my big commercial
capacitors come from, as they will build them to your specs.

 >                    Larry J. Rebman
 >               The Transformer Bank, Inc.
 >              University Technology Center
 >                  1313 Fifth St. SE
 >                Minneapolis, MN  55415
 >       Tel: (612) 379-3958, Fax: (612) 379-5962
Suppliers of surplus high voltage transformers and transmission
equipment. Good source of non-shunted step up xfrmrs.

 TS>             NWL Capacitors
 TS>  1 Industrial Dr., Snow Hill, NC 28580
 TS>        voice 908-842-5757
 TS>        FAX   908-842-1161
I was given the following address from a very reliable coiler:
> NWL CAPACITORS, 8050 Monetary Dr., Riviera Beach, FL., 33404
> Tel: 407-848-9009
Custom manufactured high voltage pulse discharge Tesla caps...
 TS> NWL Transformers is a sister company in Bordentown, NJ, BTW. 
 
 TS> Is Plastic Capacitors, 2623 N. Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 99120 
 TS> also on your list?  Their voice is 312-489-2229.  

 TS> How about Cornell-Dubilier, 1605 E. Rodney French Blvd., New 
 TS> Bedford, MA 02744, voice 508-996-8564 ?  They bought out the 
 TS> old Sangamo plant and trademark a number of years ago.  

 TS> Danny Churchill at Commercial Radio Co. in VT, 802-226-7582, 
 TS> sometimes has some interesting stuff around.  I bet you'd    
 TS> find him interesting even if he didn't have whatever model   
 TS> you currently need.  Among other things, he manufactures     
 TS> custom high voltage inductors and transformers, in an old 3  
 TS> story brick schoolhouse converted to a factory/warehouse. 

THANKS TERRY SMITH (203)732-0575 BBS (1:141/1275) for your input!

> Hipotronics, Inc., RTE.22, Brewster, New York, 10590
> TEL: 914-279-8091
Manufacturers of high-voltage test equipment. Capacitors,
transformers, bussing, toroids, etc. are available. These are 
the guys who make the equipment that commercial utilities use to
test/destroy their equipment to determine breakdown limits.

> CSI Capacitors, 810 Rancheros Dr. San Marcos, CA, 96069
> TEL: 619-747-4000
Another source of custom made, commercial plastic film, high-
voltage, pulse discharging, (Tesla type) capacitance. Ask about
left over units from production runs, sometimes you will find a
bargin in a top quality cap. 

> Maxwell Labs, Inc., 8888-G Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA, 92123
> TEL: 619-279-5100
Manufacturer of commercial high-voltage equipment, capacitors,
power supplies, etc..

> Antique Electronic Supply, P.O. Box 27468, Tempe, AZ, 85285
> TEL: 602-820-5411
Source for the tube coil builder, many old/rare vacuum tubes and
related equipment (sockets, caps, etc.) for projects like the
"Lil Tesla Coil" of the 1960's Pop. Electronics era. 

> Weisner Electronics, 149 Hunter Ave, Albany, NY, 12206
> TEL: 518-438-2801
Another source for the tube coiler. Plate xfmrs, mica caps,
tubes, etc..

> Richard T. Quick II, 10028 Manchester Rd., Suite 253, Glendale,
> Missouri, 63122, USA
I have a two hour video tape that documents my 10" diameter
secondary coil and 10 KVA power supply in operation. It covers a
wide area of related high voltage experiments and techniques.
(Jacob's Ladder, RF choking, spark gaps, critical coupling, etc.)
Due to the dangerous nature of this work I cannot be responsible
for the safety of life, limb, or property should anyone choose
to, or attempt to, reproduce any of the equipment or experiments
featured on the video. To obtain a copy: send a blank, high
quality, VHS video tape; a first class postage pre-paid, self
addressed mailer; and $10.00 US. I will happily trade tapes.

This text file gets regular updates for posting here, as I both
see and receive, many requests for information on this subject.
YOUR references or review would be welcomed additions to this
file. While I always try to be as accurate as possible, there are
no assurances that ANY of the information posted here is error
free, or, that there is no risk in acting on this information.

The complete text files from this (and related threads), my GIF
file spark gap diagrams (and text instructions) are available
on this BBS in file TESLA?.ZIP. This information is also mailed
out at no charge to anyone who sends me a SASE and a blank 1.44.