Maker Faire 2009: Tesla Coils

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By Evan Ackerman

One of the most popular attractions at Maker Faire are the Tesla coils. There were several scattered around, although the most prominent are the twin 10-foot coils constructed by Nevada Lightning Lab. The coils have no problem bridging a 25 foot gap with several million volt discharges, and they can wirelessly power nearby electronics as well as cook hot dogs.

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There was also a somewhat smaller (okay, WAY smaller) coil from the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics. It was a sparky little guy, though, and a brave grad student (or a not-so-brave one who knows how electricity works) donned a suit of metal armor and did battle with the electrons.

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More pics, including a lovely closeup of a discharge and a long exposure of a three phase Jacob’s ladder, after the jump.

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[ Nevada Lightning Lab ]
[ SCIPP ]

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