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Registered Member #61373
Joined: Sat Dec 17 2016, 01:45PM
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 87
Assuming that primary voltage was purely isolated. I know this isn't realistic.
In this scenario, a streamer from the secondary cannot strike any primary components. Your coil is 6 feet tall, and well tuned. It puts out 500kV in the kHz range (10s--hundreds?). You are standing barefoot on the ground, and you're holding a metal rod. You conduct a streamer to the metal rod for 10 seconds.
You do this only once, and of course you may get major RF burns. Since the frequency is so high that it doesn't affect the nervous system, will a coil that size (secondary HF only) be lethal?
The reason I ask this is because I've seen people on TV shooting streamers from large 1MV coils out of their fingertips with no apparent harm. They do this over and over at shows too.
Registered Member #205
Joined: Sat Feb 18 2006, 11:59AM
Location: Skørping, Denmark
Posts: 741
ScottH
This question has been pondered upon for decades and the the short answer is: Nobody knows. I guess if it really mattered, a pig would be sedated and put to the test.
Registered Member #61373
Joined: Sat Dec 17 2016, 01:45PM
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 87
Dr. Slack wrote ...
People who do this at shows tend to wear chain-mail suits and gloves. Whether everybody who does this at shows does is another matter.
I seen a thing on TV years ago where some dude sat on top of a coil unprotected (short sleeves if I recall, so no suit underneath), and he had metal tips on each fingertip so the arcs wouldn't burn him. The lightning shot out of those metal pieces on his fingertips into the air. The coil was large, and it was stated to be at 1 million volts. I can't find that video online, but if I do I will place a link.
People who do this at shows tend to wear chain-mail suits and gloves. Whether everybody who does this at shows does is another matter.
I seen a thing on TV years ago where some dude sat on top of a coil unprotected (short sleeves if I recall, so no suit underneath), and he had metal tips on each fingertip so the arcs wouldn't burn him. The lightning shot out of those metal pieces on his fingertips into the air. The coil was large, and it was stated to be at 1 million volts. I can't find that video online, but if I do I will place a link.
Registered Member #61373
Joined: Sat Dec 17 2016, 01:45PM
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 87
loneoceans wrote ...
ScottH wrote ...
Dr. Slack wrote ...
People who do this at shows tend to wear chain-mail suits and gloves. Whether everybody who does this at shows does is another matter.
I seen a thing on TV years ago where some dude sat on top of a coil unprotected (short sleeves if I recall, so no suit underneath), and he had metal tips on each fingertip so the arcs wouldn't burn him. The lightning shot out of those metal pieces on his fingertips into the air. The coil was large, and it was stated to be at 1 million volts. I can't find that video online, but if I do I will place a link.
Do not try this at home!~
How is he not at least unconsious? Why is he not affected by those sparks? That must be a couple hundred Kv.
Registered Member #135
Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735
I watched those videos too, they state that the demonstrator feels a buzzing in their whole body.
One was not careful and their hands went below their head for a moment and an arc broke out of their skull, then quickly raised their hands again. So they definitely felt something, but it did not knock them unconscious.
If the breaks are fast enough on a SGTC its going to operate more like a continuous source and should be less painful if there is a mishap, and I think they were running the coil with the demonstrator at a higher break rate because the streamers seemed to be continuous.
Whenever I'm running my coil I'm running at the lowest break rate for longer arcs and you can see and hear the difference between 120 and 240 B.P.S. (240 is no longer peak charging so there is less energy)
They were most likely running off a pole pig, so they had lots of power and they could run easily at a higher break rate.
When running my coil (~ 1KW) I prefer to ground the end of fluorescent tubes because I am running at the lowest break rate and the topload tends to dump its charge which is very uncomfortable. With more power and a higher break rate you probably would just feel a tingle, but the lower break rate tends to zap you in pulses and it can be pretty intense, but not lethal.
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Can the Secondary Output of a Tesla Coil be Lethal?
