Re: Pole transformer advice

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Christopher Boden by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <chrisboden-at-hotmail-dot-com>

Comments interspersed....


>Original poster: "Nicholas Field by way of Terry Fritz 
><twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <nick.field-at-hvfx.co.uk>
>
> > Steve, all,
> >
> > You used the intelligent approach. Congrats on your acquisition! :^)  
>And
> > may I add a few thoughts
> > directed to anyone considering a step up to a pole transformer.
> >
> > Please resolve yourself to the fact that it is YOUR responsibility that 
>no
> > one gets hurt or killed
> > using the pole transformer you have obtained and will be using for a
> > purpose other than that which
> > the manufacturer/seller intended.
> >
> > The first time someone goes running back to the seller with "lawsuit" on
> > their lips, the supply
> > will quickly dry up. It has already happened with some capacitor
>suppliers!
> >
> > Personal responsibility is a key phrase to remember in Tesla coiling
> > activities!
> >
> > Ed Wingate RATCB
>
>That as experienced a coiler as Ed has picked up on this should give you
>some idea of what a problem this is getting to be.  These days you mention
>the word 'Tesla' to most capacitor manufacturers and they flee like rats,
>once upon a time (as those veterans among you will know) one or two of them
>actually built Tesla coil specific capacitors.  They put up with our
>whining, the development needed to make them reliable, and sold them for a
>good price at the end of it all. Then someone foolishly mistreated a cap 
>and
>had it blow up, the lawyers got involved and now no-one makes Tesla coil
>caps.

This is the main problem the Group had with getting caps. We operate under a 
few serious handicaps that stack the odds even harder against us.

1. We're rather well known in this state, and getting better known 
elsewhere. People around here have seen our demos and if I walk into a neon 
shop or Consumers Energy they know my face *and* the fact that I'm "that 
lightning kid". This helps as much as it can hinder. The Group has done a 
few demos for CE staff members and they thing we're amazing, and completely 
insane. Remember, most "professionals" (i.e. Substation techs and Linemen) 
cringe at the thought of playing with the things we do. The weird thing is, 
it goes both ways for most of us, lol

2. I have to not only get them to allow us to have it, I have to get them to 
DONATE it as well! If you think it's hard to get them to sell you a pig for 
$800 try getting them to give you one.

3. They know we're a school, and that we operate in a hand's-on atmosphere 
with kids. In a world where a woman can sue for tripping over her own kid in 
a mall (this actually happened recently) they REALLY get scared when you 
have someone like us mixing HV and kids. The only thing I hate more than 
lawyers, is people who believe in the concept of placing responsibility for 
their own screwups on the wallets of others.


The Group has sold thousands of MMC caps. Out of them, only 2 that I know of 
have failed (Terry's test, and one of my tests) and they were both 
intentional. Months ago I mentioned the concept of a guarentee on our caps. 
Once we have a few hundred in stock, I'm going to start it, and yes, it's 
retroactive. I believe we would be the first to not only guarentee a 
Tesla-Coil specific cap, but the first to guarentee ANY TC specific part. I 
believe a properly designed MMC cap should last a private coiler a lifetime 
of service (museums and pro coilers are harder on them and use them more so 
I would say years in that application). Besides, most coilers are 
middle-aged to old guys playing with HV for fun....you won't be around that 
long anyways ;)

It took us over 2 years to get a source for MMC caps for OURSELVES! Once we 
did I spent another 3 months working out a deal with them to help us bring 
them to the world. I'm very proud to see that work become such a huge part 
of the Group's activities. With a 3-month backlog of standing orders we're 
selling to coilers all over the world and every month the orders get larger. 
I'm also working on establishing a UK distribution point for our MMC caps 
making them MUCH more affordable in the European market in the new year :)

Coiling is a safe and worthwhile hobby. The Pupman list makes possible the 
sharing of info among the coiling community in ways never before possible, 
thus shortening the learning curve for everyone. This also makes the hobby 
safer. But remember that coiling, like rock climbing, lugeing, Urban 
Exploration, and even sex, is an assumed-risk sport. If you kill your 
neighbors cat testing your 30kVA pig, it's your ass, not the power 
companies, not the scrap yard, it's all you. The first person who sues will 
set a precedent, and make life heck on the hobbiests, the pro's and the 
Geeks in the middle ;)



>
>Similarly pigs and other 'out of the way' components.  People are becoming
>more afraid of revealing their sources, for fear that next time they go
>there they won't sell them to 'Tesla folks' any more.

The Group is trying to find a happy comprimise. I'm trying to do for pigs 
what we've proven can be done with MMCs. I would like the Group to be able 
to market NSTs (a pain to find), MOTs, Resistors, Tungsten, G-10, LARGE 
diameter flexduct (try to find 24" at home depot), and most every other 
coiling component from variacs to insulators. It's not a HUGE market, but 
it's big enough to make it worthwhile to the Group and wonderfully 
beneficial to the coiling community. I think we've already proven ourselves 
as far as pricing goes (our $2.50 caps sell for around $3.60 to $4.18 right 
now in other places...and they're backordered too, lol). Just imagine if you 
could go somewhere and buy ALL the parts for a coil in one place and at 
reasonable prices.

As one currently in
>the, tortuous, process of equipping a Tesla coil rental business, I can
>attest to the fear instilled in vendors of HV components, particullarly
>impulse capacitors, by the word 'Tesla'.  Prices are higher, warentees are
>shorter and nobody's happy.  As Ed said 'Personal Responsiblity' should be
>our watch words (or in my case 'corporate responsiblity' ;-)
>

You're not alone Nick.

>Safe Coiling
>Nick
>
>_______________
>Nicholas Field
>Director,  HVFX
>www.hvfx.co.uk

duck

Christopher A. Boden Geek#1
President / C.E.O. / Alpha Geek
The Geek Group
www.thegeekgroup-dot-org
Because the Geek shall inherit the Earth!