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Red Alert Tesla project

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Tesladownunder

Sat Sept 29 2007, 03:51PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

I have let out hints that I was working on a Tesla coil to simulate the Red Alert Tesla coil. Red Alert was a real time strategy game that was very popular since its release in 1996. It is also many people's only contact with the concept of a Tesla coil. The TC was a major Soviet base defence unit, able to fire long sparks at intruders. It was augmented by Telsa troopers for extra power.

The TC as depicted in RA had multiple toroids and a sphere on top and had coloured supports and could shoot spark over long distances. The sparks were usually white with some yellow ones.

I can make the multiple toroids and have shown how to get the coloured sparks. The other structures and Tesla trooper can be modelled.
The long sparks I am now in a position to show with the first shot below. This was the first major hurdle.
Note that like all my pics, this is a single exposure with no photoshopping.

Sulaiman

Sat Sept 29 2007, 05:11PM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

Now that's truly amazing....

You've done it again Peter,
this one's sure to get about a billion hits!
Great stuff.

How's it done?

Dr. H.

Sat Sept 29 2007, 06:17PM

Registered Member #931 Joined: Mon Jul 30 2007, 05:25PM
Location: Bulgaria
Posts: 486

How long is that spark ????

Capper

Sat Sept 29 2007, 06:20PM

Registered Member #914 Joined: Fri Jul 20 2007, 06:22PM
Location: South Bend, IN
Posts: 85

>>Note that like all my pics, this is a single exposure with no photoshopping

I'd call it a fraud - the bottom of some of the sparks are flat and cut-off. You overlaid multiple images.

C@P

Bauerb2

Sat Sept 29 2007, 07:29PM

Registered Member #973 Joined: Tue Aug 28 2007, 07:32PM
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 66

i dont believe the pic though.. it looks as if the metal garage is closer than the hoop. and as capper said, they look cut off at a few spots.

mentiroso.... hehe

Marko

Sat Sept 29 2007, 07:34PM

Registered Member #89 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:40PM
Location: Zadar, Croatia
Posts: 3145

It looks like he dragged two conductive wires/breakout points separated by a non-conductor in the line between the coil and hoop. The same thing used for his ball as it appears.

Tesladownunder

Sat Sept 29 2007, 07:39PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

Capper wrote ...

>>Note that like all my pics, this is a single exposure with no photoshopping
I'd call it a fraud - the bottom of some of the sparks are flat and cut-off. You overlaid multiple images.
C@P

People regularly call my stuff photoshopped. It still hurts a bit though. Usually they don't bother to read the simple explanations on my site. Although this is not on my site yet I have explained how I was going to do it here or here in Mystery photos. The thing is that this must be easier than photoshopping. Particularly when I have many photos and out-takes.

Span is about 19 feet. The spark is 3 feet not 19 feet and it gets pulled along during the exposure.
I repeat that all my photos are single exposures with only minor adjustments such as brightness and cropping.

Pic 1 is a shorter (18ft) span with a 20 second exposure.
Pic 2 is an outtake. Out of focus and the wire fell off the hoop. Burnt some grass which the kids thought was cool and what we really should be photographing.
Pic 3 shows the spool closeup with the connection to the short length of nylon line.
Pic 4 shows the spool and you can just see the line up to the hoop. From there it joins to a nylon line again which I pull on.

TDU

1191094672 10 FT32031 Teslara18fttriala1000

1191094672 10 FT32031 Teslara18ftouttaketrial1000

1191094672 10 FT32031 Teslara18ftspool1000

1191094672 10 FT32031 Teslara18ftspoolb1000

Steve Conner

Sat Sept 29 2007, 07:41PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

Well Capper, technically it is fake, it just wasn't faked digitally. I agree that it must use the wire method.

It still looks awesome though, proper job TDU

Shaun

Sun Sept 30 2007, 04:04AM

Registered Member #690 Joined: Tue May 08 2007, 03:47AM
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 616

It obviously is not hitting the shed even though that's closer to it because it is targeting the hoop. I mean, come on, the Red Alert TC didn't just hit random ground objects, it only struck non-Soviet grounded objects (and people).

I guarantee you on some random geekblogosphere site's comments: "wow how do u get that thing 2 target stuff?!"

And then the essential Youtube comment that we've all gotten on TC-related videos: "OMG how u do that?

Tesladownunder

Sun Sept 30 2007, 12:42PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

I haven't been very clear I guess. This is not a 19 foot spark. It is a 3 foot spark which is pulled out on a wire over 15 seconds over that distance towards the basketball hoop. The cameras long exposure over 20 seconds makes this look (sort of) like a very long spark. That is entirely the effect I want to give to simulate the Red Alert TC which was able to target things with "microwave beam ionisation guidance".
Now that I can do that I will proceed to the other modelling aspects and the next problem which is trying to tune a sphere and 3 toroids plus a 25 foot wire. I am using 13 of 17 turns to tune a small toroid with say a 6 foot wire. I may have to make temporary primary turns as I would prefer this to making another cap bank to add on.

Here is the topload as per Red Alert. The upper part is my 4 inch secondary which died recently with internal flames and smoke. Looks perfect on the outside though. It happened that it was a simple fit to the top of my big TC and also to the sphere and allowed room for a spool. Nearly 12 foot high without adding to the base so has to be disassembled before going back into the carport.
The photo below is just a bit of fun using multiple gaps in the wire. A Tesla "plasma cannon" if you wish.
A 10 second exposure with no wire movement.

TDU

1191154507 10 FT32031 Teslarateslaballisticstrail1000

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