TC anecdote

kimbomba, Mon Jun 01 2015, 12:21AM

I can't resist to share this story published as a comment on a video I posted on a g+ community:

(...Talking about a big TC he made..)

My delightful neighbour was especially impressed.

First time I tested it, it was getting dark as peeps came home from work. We lived near the mouth of a cul-de-sac in one of those well-scrubbed neighbourhoods whose pristine appearance was zealously enforced by the so-called Architectural Control Committee, AKA, The Lawn Nazis.

On our street lived a member of that committee who was rabid even by their standards. For instance, at one of their meetings she proposed that everyone on the same street be required to have the same colour drapes in their living-room windows. It was rejected of course, which miffed her no end. 'Control' was their middle name, after all. It should mean something!

Large ugly Tesla Coils were most definitely verboten of course, and so I ran it inside my garage, but with the door open because the ozone became unbearable after a few minutes (as well as rusting anything containing iron. Next day my tools were all covered with a fine patina of rust).

Our mailboxes were all in a cluster at the mouth of the street and so, as I was running the TC with its horrific noise, corona on all the high-voltage parts, the shop lights flickering madly from all the RF bouncing around, the big scary, noisy streamer arcing against the ground-rod at the side, here comes my neighbour on her way to get her mail. She stopped at the end of my driveway with a look of sheer horror on her face, her finger shakily pointing at my machine and mouthing words I could not hear over the noise and my gunner's earmuffs.

I shut down the coil, removed my earmuffs and UV glasses, and asked

"Sorry, what?"

"W-w-what IS that thing!!??"

"It's a Tesla Coil," I said cheerfully.

"W-w-what do you d-do w-with it!?!?"

"I neuter cats with it of course."

(I don't. I love cats actually but couldn't resist yanking her chain)

She immediately turned on her heels and strode home, horrified, and never spoke to me again.

Mission: Accomplished

)