There
are a host
of dangers associated with Tesla coiling, high voltage, and high energy/pulsed
power systems. Capacitors can sometimes explode with no warning, spewing
hot oil and capacitor innards all over you and your lab. High voltages can
create irritating or even toxic levels of ozone and poisonous oxides of nitrogen.
Arcs and spark gaps can generate dangerous levels of ultraviolet light,
high-energy discharges can create an Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) that can
disrupt, or even permanently damage nearby solid state equipment.
High power
discharges can also cause wire or component fragmentation, permanent hearing
damage, and pulsed magnetic fields can even erase nearby credit cards. High
energy systems can even result in the fragmentation of the experimenter if he's
not careful! Never experiment alone, and provide training to nearby folks
on how to safely "kill" power.
If you are considering
building your own Tesla Coil, please read the Tesla List Safety Sheet BEFORE
building your first system. This can be found on Chip
Atkinson's excellent Pupman site (the hosting site for the Tesla Coil
Builder Mailing List). A more up to date Safety FAQ can also be found
at Terry
Fritz's great site .
Some Candid Shots taken in Stoneridge
Engineering's Research Labs...
Another successful "shot" in our Pulsed Power Lab!
Our mascot, "Thang", is always
eager to chew the fat with a new lab visitor!
Stoneridge Engineering excels at
innovative power monitoring...
Just one more little tweak...
We're on the verge of beating Ruhmkorff's
latest spark length record!
Setting up for another delicate
voltage measurement...
Readying our new 2 MJ capacitor bank. Shrunken coins worked well. Next step: squishing school buses into minivans!
Stoneridge Engineering
Official Org Chart
Bert's version of a Hot Toddy
after a hard day's work in the lab... Why is all the GOOD stuff heavy?
Our High Voltage engineers
just love to kid around...
Our company physician prepares to beta test his
prototype pulsed-power prostate prober...
We take pride in having clear warning
notices on all dangerous equipment.
And, all of our equipment is dangerous...
Time to wax the
ole' bushing again...
Stoneridge Engineering's shipping department
proudly uses Quantum Express:
"When you absolutely, positively, don't know
where it's going or when it needs to be there"
