RE: My TC on Canadian Discovery Channel

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Nick Andrews <nicothefabulous@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Peter,

Let us know when it airs, I get Canadian channels off the satellite, 
so I can try to record it and watch it.  Just need to check for Disc, 
if it's even different.

Nick A

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> Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:45:12 -0600
> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> From: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: My TC on Canadian Discovery Channel
>
> Original poster: "Peter Terren" <pterren@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Two days ago I had a 15 hour day doing video for a Discovery Channel
> Canada segment. They shot 3 hours of tape during that time and it
> will go to one (possibly more) 5 minute segments to be edited on May
> 10 and to play on within a few weeks to Canada. It was shot using a
> local crew of 3 and telephone interview from Canada.
> I spent a long time doing storyboards and planning shots in the 
weeks before.
> We shot the following:
> 1 Opener with my shed and sparks and smoke coming out, then big bang
> and sparks shower out from my cap bank and I walk out. 'I always
> wanted to do that'.
> 2 Smoke ring generator at home and in a huge gymnasium. My best
> shots ever with slow vivid smoke rings going the length of the hall
> at walking pace and hitting the wall.
> 3 Interview for about 1/2 hour.
> 4 Electric shock demonstration with small shocks to my arm with first
> my Candybox HV 30kV then with a medical pacer going up to about 20mA
> if I recall to show my hand contracting forcefully. The retakes for
> the closeup were the a bit stressfull.
> 5 Can crushing and shooting cans into the air. (no time for magneforming)
> 6 Set up of Tesla coil car thief protection. I tried about 5 car
> firms and the local motor club. No-one wanted to donate a car
> (surprise) so back to the car rental for yet another Hyundai Getz.
> 7 Set up and construction of my 18 inch coil including new things
> like the toroid. Double truck tubes covered with chicken wire plus a
> central motor/battery for the rotating rod. Pretty resilient stuff
> particularly since it fell off at one stage but was undamaged. Try
> doing that with an Al spun toroid. Also had a series blower gap in
> series with my ARSG to improve quenching. Power of 16kV from two
> potential transformers of a 240V 32A line. 0.09uF Tank cap.
> 8 Capacitor bank firing at 3-4 kJ into steel wool and aluminium
> showering me with sparks. (I had high efficiency ear muffs) This was
> a night shot.
> 9 Running the Tesla coil car thief protection. They will do a post
> production job on it so it should look more like the photos but in 
real time.
> 10 Pool shots with a TC sparking into the pool. I get in (in a hired
> wetsuit) and have sparks jump onto my chain mail gloved hand while I
> am in the water. I then put on an "tin foil hat" that I made up on
> camera. Actually on an aluminium frame also using Al tape. Big wires
> on each side dangle into the water. Fine wire loops project and
> protect my face. I could feel absolutely nothing when the sparks were
> hitting my head.
> 11 Some concern here as to whether to proceed. Nearly 11pm and the
> biggest noise yet to come. Budget for the crew was becoming an issue
> too I gather. Press on, I said, I have sent letters to all the
> neighbours within a few hundred yards warning them. Out of wetsuit
> and back into white shirt and tie and scramble to get the big TC
> wired. Ran OK for 3 foot sparks to check. Push out to 5 ft then 7
> foot. Only just at 7 foot with 13 turns on the primary. Push to 8
> foot. No sparks reached the grounded ladder. Tune another turn out to
> 14 turns and 8 foot spark caught on video. Next run the rotating rod
> and leave it running for a while with filming with lights on and off.
> After a few shots everything dies. Not sure what the problem is but
> the video is in the bag. Another hour packing up and off to bed.
> A lot of that 3 hours is going to end up on the cutting room floor
> (97% by my calculation). Possibly 100% if someone sends some NIB
> magnets through the mail at the same time.
>
> I am working at getting some of the pics the kids took on my camera
> to the website in the next day or so.
>
> Peter http://tesladownunder.com
>
>
>