by
cameron, posted March 06, 2010, 10:02:42 AM
Photos from W.W.T. 2010 - Winter Western Teslathon
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10:14:43 PM
Well, we're wrapping things up and packing it in. It's been another great year for the W.W.T. I'll post the remaining photos and a summary report tomorrow, but here's a video for you to check out until then.
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7:04:37 PM
The 'thon is now well underway and the band has just started. Jeff Parisse took the first set as the drummer playing along with the “Stroker II” coil. There is a really impressive turnout of locals to participate in the event. Have a look at the additional photos. We'll wrap this up with a final post later tonight or in the morning.
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2:57:04 PM
We arrived at the school here in Black Canyon City, Arizona and everyone is setting up their coils and displays now.
Phillip, John, Steve, Terry and I took a little hike up to the top of this hill to take some nice panoramic shots. Take a look at the new photos. We'll check in later with an additional update.
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10:02:42 AM
Today is the 2010 W.W.T (Winter Western Teslathon) in Phoenix, AZ and we'll be heading over to help with set up shortly. I'll update this entry a little later with some additional details. For now, please enjoy the photos Phillip and I took of the pre-show get together and testing from last night. Without a doubt, Steve Ward's new Q.C.W. coil was very impressive. Also, please join me in congratulating Phillip for several runs of his D.R.S.S.T.C. with no explosion or leaked smoke. More later...
by
cameron, posted December 22, 2009, 05:41:23 PM
Nikola Tesla Character in New Dark Void Video GameThere have been many video games over the past several years that reference Nikola Tesla but the new “Dark Void” title from Capcom, which is scheduled for release in January, is the first to actually include Tesla as a prominent character.
The plot of the game centers around a pilot that crashes in the Bermuda Triangle and teleports to a parallel universe where he and other survivors must battle against aliens intent on conquering Earth. Tesla's role in the game is somewhat comparable to James Bond's Q. He reverse-engineers the alien technology so that it can be used against them.
Initial reviews of the game are very positive and many critics compliment Capcom for honoring Tesla. There are also reports that a production company owned by Brad Pitt has purchased rights for a film adaptation of the game.
Tesla Motors has teamed with Capcom to give away a new Tesla Roadster in a sweepstakes celebrating the release of the game. You can register for the promotion for your chance to win.
You can also visit the official Dark Void game site for more information.
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cameron, posted December 03, 2009, 03:00:00 PM
Terry Blake as Dr. Zeus Drawing Tesla Coil Arcs
to His FingersOur friends and fellow TU members Terry Blake, Jeff Larson and Steve Ward make up a group they call “Masters of Lightning.” The group was featured in an impressive and well-written Chicago Tribune article yesterday. Here's an excerpt along with a link to the full article:
Under a starry Saturday sky behind a Lake Zurich warehouse, three men unload a small flamethrower, electric cabling, neon-tube “light sabers,” about 80 pounds of chain mail and two 7-foot devices that look like monster-movie props. Terry Blake, 48, Jeff Larson, 39, and Steve Ward, 24, call themselves the Masters of Lightning and are members of a small sect within the hobbyist world: Tesla coil enthusiasts. Their coils -- which generate beautiful, lethal electrical sparks up to 12 feet long -- are a much-modified version of the device Nikola Tesla invented to wirelessly transport electricity.
There are likely only about 1,000 Tesla coil hobbyists worldwide, but they have a growing following as parts have become more readily available over eBay and videos have gone up on YouTube. For obvious reasons, Tesla coils are popular among electrical engineers. And now their appeal is seeping into pop culture, most recently with a fan making a video of a new Flaming Lips song using a musical Tesla coil that the band posted on its Web site.
The Masters of Lightning have won their own measure of fame. Videos of their performances, typically before crowds of 50 to a few hundred, have been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube.
The three use advanced industrial transistors to produce what is essentially 1.6 million volts of lightning to play music from Bach's Toccata and Fugue to the 8-bit theme from Super Mario Brothers. It works by precisely controlling the firing rate of the sparks, using them like a speaker to make music so ear-splittingly loud that last summer people living a half-mile away from the warehouse complained.
To top it off, Blake stands between the coils wearing a metal suit of layered chain mail, sometimes carrying a lit flamethrower. On this night, they are testing a new homemade helmet that Blake, a Motorola engineer from Palatine who performs as Dr. Zeus, hopes will look good but also keep him as safe as a modified flamethrower with a glass insulator to showcase the sparks.
“When I first started making sparks, most people I know just thought that was insane,” says Blake, laughing. “ 'Why are you messing with lightning bolts in your backyard?' When I started putting on the suit and playing around with (the sparks), they were speechless. That was beyond crazy.”
Read The Full Article
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cameron, posted November 19, 2009, 11:30:00 AM
Commemorative Bronze Plaque Donated
by Yugoslavian GovernmentAccording to a recent post on the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe Facebook page maintained by Jane Alcorn, President of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, the bronze commemorative plaque that was commissioned and donated by the Yugoslavian government on the 120th anniversary of Tesla's birth and placed near the entrance of the Wardenclyffe laboratory has been stolen.
Some have speculated that the thieves may have been taking any valuable metals to simply sell for scrap and were ignorant to the true value of the plaque. It would be an extremely selfish act for a Tesla enthusiast to have been involved only to further his personal collection. After all that has been done to save Wardenclyffe and the significant progress that has recently been made, I'm sure this comes as a discouraging blow.
Anyone who may have tips or information may contact the Suffolk County Police Department at (631) 852-8700 or email the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe.
The inscription on the plaque reads, “IN THIS BUILDING DESIGNED BY STANFORD WHITE, ARCHITECT NIKOLA TESLA BORN SMILJAN, YUGOSLAVIA 1856, DIED NEW YORK, U.S.A. 1943. CONSTRUCTED IN 1901-1905 WARDENCLYFFE, HUGE RADIO STATION WITH ANTENNA TOWER 187 FT. HIGH (DESTROYED 1917), WHICH WAS TO SERVE AS HIS FIRST WORLD COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM. IN MEMORY OF 120TH ANNIVERSARY OF TESLA'S BIRTH AND 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF U.S.A. INDEPENDENCE - July 10, 1976”
Hopefully someone will be able to intervene and the plaque will be recovered. There is no word of a reward or any other information at this time. This post will be updated as additional news is made available.
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cameron, posted November 17, 2009, 11:00:00 PM
Scans of the Tesla trading cards.
(Click image to view larger)Other than an entry on their release calendar, the Topps website makes no mention of the recent release of their 2009 Mayo Football set which includes two styles of Nikola Tesla cards. The first is the number 95 base card which is also produced in a relic card, a mini card and limited edition red and blue back versions. The relic card includes an authentic piece of brick from the 1893 Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair.
The back of the number 95 card reads: “Nikola Tesla: Electrical Engineer - Tesla, a Serbian inventor and engineer, developed theories that helped form the foundation for the type of electricity that power companies supply to homes today. In the late 1800s, he worked briefly for American icon Thomas Edison. Later, while partnering with George Westinghouse, Nickola (Editor Note: This misspelling was not my mistake. Take a look at the photo of the card in the gallery. Maybe Topps should consider using spell check next time.) made revolutionary advances in alternating-current theory. Tesla also had a deep interest in radio communication. As early as 1897, he demonstrated remote control of two model boats in New York City.”
The second card is the WF9, or World's Fair number 9, mini card. This card features the famous profile photo of Tesla reading a book in front of his large pancake Tesla coil from the Houston Street lab. I am still waiting on this card to arrive and will update this post with the text from the back of the card when I receive it.
I'm not sure which is worse, misspelling Tesla's name, or implying that Tesla only “theorized” alternating current and the polyphase system we use today. Either way, I'm going to choose to focus on the positive which is the fact that Topps did honor Tesla by featuring him on their cards. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.
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cameron, posted November 03, 2009, 02:34:50 AM
Photos of the 13M Tesla Magnifier
(Click image to view larger)Bill Wysock surprised the Tesla coiling community last week with the following brief and to-the-point post to the Tesla Coil Mailing List (TCML):
Model 13M is for sale. Contact me off list for details.
Best regards,
Bill Wysock
Tesla Technology Research
For those who may have never heard of Bill Wysock, he is one of the pioneers of modern day Tesla coil building. Among many other advancements in Tesla coil building, Bill has been credited for the transition from the sphere to the toroid as the most popular Tesla coil top-load. Bill is also Jeff Parisse's mentor and the chief engineer of kVA Effects.
The 13M is, without a doubt, one of the largest Tesla coils in the world. The “M” suffix in the model number designates it as a 3-coil system to which Tesla referred as a “magnifier.” The primary/secondary assembly of the 13M is over 10 feet in diameter and stands almost as tall. Its extra coil towers over 20 feet and is topped with a spun aluminum toroid with an unbelievable diameter of 8 feet and weighs in at 275 pounds.
The system is powered by a 100 kVA power transformer with a high voltage rating of 34.5 kV, and Bill has stated that the coil is capable of producing an output of more than 14-million volts.
I met Bill at a Tesla-related conference on Long Island back in 2006, and he and I have corresponded by email several times since then. When I saw his post about the 13M, I contacted him and mentioned the idea of posting the notice here on Tesla Universe. I've set up Bill's response as a forum post so that members may have open discussions about the 13M. The email from Bill includes many new details about the 13M system that you won't find anywhere else.
This is an opportunity to own a significant piece of Tesla-related history. There are numerous interesting stories behind the construction and the few public performances of the 13M. Hopefully, in the near future, we can feature them here on Tesla Universe.
In the meantime, please feel free to post any questions to the Bill Wysock Puts the 13M Up For Sale - One of the World's Largest Tesla Coils forum post or as comments to this blog entry.
by
cameron, posted October 24, 2009, 12:25:00 AM
Photos from the T.C.B.O.R. / H.E.A.S. Teslathon
(Click to view larger)The first weekend of October has been the date for enthusiasts of Tesla and high voltage to travel to Richmond, VA where they have met at the home and lab of Richard Hull for the past twenty years. Originally, Richard's group was called the “Tesla Coil Builders Of Richmond”, or T.C.B.O.R., and to the best of my knowledge, they actually coined the term “Teslathon” to describe this annual meeting.
In the late '90s Richard transitioned from experimenting with Tesla coils and high voltage to building fusors and experimenting with radiation and radioactive materials. This led him to give his group the new name of “High Energy Amateur Science”, or H.E.A.S. Where the earlier meetings were mostly dedicated to Tesla coils and high voltage, there is now a blend of very unique individuals with a very broad range of interests. I've had the pleasure of attending twice, the first time in 2007 and again this year. It was certainly a very interesting and enjoyable time on both occasions.
This year marked the twentieth installment of the event and Richard was honored with a plaque presented by Tony DeAngelis and Ed Wingate. The plaque states, “With gratitude from all your friends for twenty wonderful years.” Some wondered if this might be the final year for Richard, which would have, in some way, paid homage to Harry Goldman's twenty-year run of the T.C.B.A. There is now speculation as to a friendly competition between Richard and Ed Wingate to see who can go the longest.
I believe I speak for all attendees in saying, “Thank you, Richard, for establishing the 'Teslathon' and for setting the example of what a 'Teslathon' should be.” I know we all hope the event continues for many years to come and already look forward to next October.
Note: For those who might not be aware, Richard is the author of The Tesla Coil Builder's Guide to the Colorado Springs Notes of Nikola Tesla. This is an awesome book and was just recently brought back into print after being unavailable for several years. Pick up your copy today!
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cameron, posted October 01, 2009, 10:30:00 AM
Photos from the 2009 Winter Western Teslathon
(Click to view larger)A new group page has been set up for our friends from the Arizona Tesla Coil Builders. You can read bios from Christopher Hooper (Dr. Spark), Henry Hurass (Dr. Hankenstein) and the other members of their group, plus see photos from the 2009 Winter Western Teslathon they hosted earlier this year.
One of the major highlights of the 2009 W.W.T. was a full band featuring Tesla coil instruments. Jeff Parisse sat in on a few songs as the drummer. Who knew Jeff was musically inclined?
The 2010 Winter Western Teslathon isn't too far away and we hope to see you there.
If you have a Tesla coil builders or high voltage experimenters group and would like to be featured on Tesla Universe, please use our Group Addition Request Form.
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cameron, posted September 22, 2009, 01:00:00 AM
Statue of the Republic
(Click to view larger)Many know of Tesla's visit to Chicago where he and George Westinghouse proved the superiority of Tesla's Polyphase System by powering the 1893 World's Fair, or Columbian Exposition as it was also called. Some, however, may not know that Tesla made at least two other trips there years later. I was recently in Chicago and took time to visit some of the remaining places related to Tesla.
The first stop was The Republic, a.k.a. Golden Lady. This statue is a replica of the original which stood 65 feet high in the central focus of the Grand Basin Gateway Court of Honor at the Columbian Exposition. The 24-foot-high replica was produced by Daniel Chester French who also created the original statue. The replica stands in the Hayes-Richards Circle on the opposite side of the Grand Basin site from where the original stood and was created to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Exposition. Even though the replica is much smaller than the original, it's still a magnificent site.
Tesla visited Chicago again in May of 1899 where he lectured and demonstrated his radio-controlled boat before the Chicago Commercial Club. There does not seem to be a lot of information about this visit or where the lecture and demonstration took place.
In late 1917, Tesla returned to Chicago to work for the Pyle National Company where he continued to perfect his bladeless turbines. The Pyle National Company appears to now be defunct, but the building they were supposedly in since 1916 still stands at 1334 N. Kostner Ave. This was my next stop and while there wasn't much to see there, it's another landmark checked off my list.
Tesla worked for Pyle National for a little over a year and lived in the prestigious Blackstone Hotel during this time. The Blackstone is located on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Balbo St. and was my final stop. The hotel has been remodeled numerous times over the years, and there is apparently no record of which room Tesla stayed in while he was there. I snapped a few photos and remembered how Marc Seifer wrote of Tesla walking from the hotel to what remained of the Court of Honor and finding the worn but still standing statue of The Republic. I was happy that I had the opportunity to visit the same places.
See all the Chicago photos here.
If you know of further details or information related to Tesla's visits to Chicago, please comment on this post.
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cameron, posted September 02, 2009, 12:45:00 PM
Photos from the RATCB 2009 Teslathon
(Click to view larger)For close to two decades now, coilers and Tesla enthusiasts from across the U.S. converge in Rochester, New York for the annual Rochester Area Tesla Coil Builders Teslathon hosted by Ed Wingate. It's a great time of fellowship, fun and food and many make it a point to never miss. The event is normally held the last weekend of August each year and for 2009, fell on August, 29th.
Highlights include Steve Ward's new 7+ foot tall DRSSTC, Terry Blake's musical coils and his Dr. Zeus Faraday suit, plus David Rieben demonstrating the Arczilla.
A new R.A.T.C.B. group page has been set up which contains a gallery with photos taken by Phillip Slawinski and myself. Ed has also provided Tesla Universe with exclusive photos from previous years which will be added to the gallery in the near future.
It was another great year for the R.A.T.C.B. Teslathon and we hope for many more to come. Thank you Ed and Cheryl for your hospitality and for opening your home and lab for this event. We are already looking forward to next year.
Let everyone know what you thought of the event by leaving a comment!
