Spark disk toy

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Spark disk toy
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 22:56:18 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

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From:  Jim Fosse [SMTP:jim.fosse-at-bjt-dot-net]
Sent:  Tuesday, February 03, 1998 5:23 PM
To:  Tesla List
Subject:  Re: FW: Spark disk toy


>From:  Gary Lau  03-Feb-1998 0954 [SMTP:lau-at-hdecad.ENET.dec-dot-com]
>Sent:  Tuesday, February 03, 1998 9:02 AM
>To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject:  Spark disk toy
>
>I recently saw a cool toy at a store (something like a Spencer Gifts) in
>the mall.  The unit is a disk, about 2 feet in diameter.  The disk is
>made of two plates of glass with a small seperation between them.  When
>running, sparks appear to originate from the center of the disk and
>continuously and randomly shoot outward to the edges of the disk.  The
>inside surface of the disk appears to be coated with something that gives
>it a pixelated appearance.
>
>Anyone know what might be going on here?  Is this something one could
>easily construct, powered by a flyback transformer based power supply?
>
>Gary Lau
Hi Gary,
	This is being discussed on the Halloween mailing list right
now.

	cheers,

	jim
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>To: <halloween-l-at-netcom-dot-com>
>Subject: Re: Lightning disk
>From: "Shawn Somers" <somers-at-tgi-dot-net>
>Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 05:36:31 -0800
>
>
>> 
>> On the 28th McBride wanted to know about "Lightning Disk" in Japan.
>> 
>> They are sold in Spencer Gifts think they were about $120. Called "Luminglas".Invented by Strattman check out
>> http://www.strattman-dot-com/products/luminglas1.html for pictures & spec sheet. Also U.S. Pat.No 5,383,295 for details. They show up
>in StarTrek film & your better borg holmes everywere.Would make a great addition to any "mad" science lab.
>> 
>I dont know how these people got a patent on this one, I've seen a picture of MR Tesla Next to one he built quite a while ago...
>
>and besides, I've built 3, ranging from 30-60 dollars, and had quite a reasonable success rate with them, two were built for
>friends, and the original was mine (until it was stolen) they are simply a a pair of plexiglass plates filled with poly-styrene
>beads (same little hard beads that come out of bean bag pets, hard little translucent-white ones) and a 75-25 argon-helium mix at
>atmospheric preasure, with a tesla-coil electrode in the `rear' plate...
>A small tesla coil (2-5kv) is all thats required, (my first was 2.1kv) and will often generate `lightning' discharges to the edge
>of a 12" diameter disk.
>
>If enough people are interested, I'll try and find my old plans and convert them to web-friendly documents...
>
>
>Shawn Somers  AKA Razer
>ICQ UIN:1867109