| One time when I was a young boy I saw a | | | | understand. I have broken down the tesla coil into it's 6 |
| documentary on tv, that happened to show a large | | | | main parts or components, with easy to understand |
| tesla coil in operation at some college, from that | | | | terminology on the operation. The 6 main components |
| moment on the Tesla Coil bug had bitten me. I knew | | | | are the transformer, capacitor, spark gap, primary coil, |
| someday I would have to own one of these wonderful | | | | secondary coil and discharge sphere. |
| devices. The loud noise, the powerful arcs of flowing | | | | The TRANSFORMER takes 110 volt wall socket |
| electric was completely amazing. Now that I am | | | | current or current from another source, and steps it up |
| getting older, I am the proud owner of three tesla coils, | | | | to several thousand volts (depending on the |
| a wimhurst machine, van de graff generator, odin coil, | | | | transformer). CAPACITOR - Acts like a battery, and |
| and other high voltage devices. | | | | takes the stepped-up voltage and stores it until it's fully |
| Before I start telling you how a tesla coil works, I should | | | | charged. Once fully charged, the SPARK-GAP fires, |
| take a little time to tell you about it's inventor, Nikola | | | | releasing all of the capacitors stored energy in a sngle |
| Tesla. Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, he was | | | | powerful burst or pulse. From the SPARK-GAP, the |
| an inventor, a mechanical and an electrical engineer. | | | | current flows to the large PRIMARY COIL. The |
| Born in Smiljan, Croatian Krajina, Austrian Empire, he | | | | PRIMARY COIL, is usually made from thick copper |
| was an ethnic Serb subject of the Austrian Empire | | | | wire or even pipe, consisting of 5-25 turns or coils. This |
| and later became an American citizen. Tesla invented | | | | large copper coil produces a strong magntic field as |
| numerous things and had obtained around 300 patents | | | | the current flows through it, the current is then picked |
| worldwide for his ideas. Some of Tesla's patents | | | | up by the SECONDARY COIL. The SECONDARY |
| include such amazing devices as the AC motor, bifilar | | | | COIL, acts like another transformer, and consists of |
| coil, various devices that use rotating magnetic fields, | | | | numerous turns or coils of smaller gauge copper wire. |
| AC polyphase power distribution system, wireless | | | | Here the current continues building by the effects of |
| communication devices, radio frequency oscillators, | | | | the magnetic field on the copper, until it reaches |
| voltage magnification by standing waves, robotics, logic | | | | massive voltage levels. This current moves up into the |
| gates for secure radio frequency communications, | | | | DISCHARGE SPHERE. The DISCHARGE SPHERE |
| devices for x-rays, apparatus for ozone generation, | | | | also acts like a simple capacitor (storage battery), |
| devices for ionized gases, devices for high field | | | | before discharging the current as sparks and corona. |
| emission, devices for charged particle beams, means | | | | There is a website that describes the tesla coil and |
| for increasing the intensity of electrical oscillations, | | | | numerous other high voltage devices in detail, this |
| voltage multiplication circuitry, devices for high voltage | | | | website is called: How a Tesla Coil Works and it may |
| discharges, devices for lightning protection, the | | | | be found at this url: |
| bladeless turbine, and many more. | | | | You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter or |
| If you do some searching on the internet or other | | | | on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety |
| sources for tesla coils, most places try to explain | | | | and without modification except for formatting needs |
| these devices in terms that only a physics expert can | | | | or grammar corrections. |