Testing High Tension Power Lines

[bob p]

found an interesting video on you-Tube about how high tension power lines are tested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tzga6qAaBA

[Steve Conner]

Here's how I test mine: http://hackedgadgets.com/2006/06/30/tesla-coil-music/

[bob p]

Steve, that's way cool. Now you've got me thinking that its really not at all unreasonable to build a pair of plasma tweeters to go with my stereo...

[dai h.]

whoa... It seems greater in shock effect if you play something cool, otherwise (the playing and sound seems "dorkier" on the second video clip) it doesn't seem to have as much impact at least for me.

[bob p]

I was thinking that it would be pretty cool to hear something like Tocatta and Fugue played on a tesla coil. Isn't that the Bach piece that always gets played on the pipe organ in the creepy horror movies?

[dai h.]

it should be in a remake of Frankenstein (if it isn't already), lol... What are those guys on the 'copters called, "flying linesmen"? (Although this is most certainly NOT recommended) you can do the same thing with an ordinary amp couldn't you? As long as you were on say a wooden chair and no part of your body didn't touch anything else.

[bob p]

"The Amazing Flying Linesmen." I know, it sounds like a circus act.

Regarding movies, I was thinking about silent movies where you hear organ accompaniment -- like that scene in Phantom of the Opera (1929) with Lon Chaney playing the pipe organ right before the Phantom is unmasked .



You're right though -- the high voltage theme does fit in well with the Frankenstein plot. So instead of having Dr. Frankenstein standing atop the castle playing the violin to entice the runaway creature to come home, he should be standing atop the castle playing his MIDI-equipped tesla coil!!!

To make the image complete, Dr. Frankenstein should be jamming some Bach while wearing a strap-on MIDI controller keyboard, like the Roland AX7: