Electricity theft bleeds power grid dry, officials say

ABCNews15 ^ | AP

[_Jim]

Click-clack ... click-clack (the sound of relay logic) accompanied by the constant running of a motor-generator set steadily converting 60 Hz AC line to DC (in some situations).

Sure beats the hum-drum non-eventful sounds of a solid-state controller!

Is that your specialty - elevator control systems?

[adx]

automotive (spark) ignition systems (even though the secondaries of the coild are *not* strictly tuned, they do 'ring' owing to the stray interwire capacitance that exists in any physcial coil).

Yep. Although I don't work on the automotive side (I do marine ignitions), the principles are the same. About the only thing we watch for besides turns ratio (and making sure the wire insulation has a high enough dielectric) as far as the secondary is the inductance, because too high of an inductance serves as a rev limit due to saturation at high RPM.

What's real fun is to hook a marine ignition (cap ripper @ 250-300VDC output) to an automotive coil (rated with a 12VDC primary, and thus a higher turns ratio). The coil don't last long when you do that, but it is fun to see foot-long sparks!

[_Jim]

What's real fun is to hook a marine ignition (cap ripper @ 250-300VDC output) to an automotive coil

I used to have a "CD" (Capacitive Discharge ignition kit as built by Delta and Heathkit years ago) on my old Plymouth; one learns of the 'hotter spark' put out by those configurations when pulling the spark plug wire at the plug (as opposed to the distributor) while looking for a 'dead' cyclinder ...

[unlearner]

That sounds a lot like the way a transformer works, except for the build up and release of energy. (?)

Somehow I was expecting the effect was related to an interference pattern between two sources.

Thanks for the info. Maybe one day I'll get the time to really explore this. It always has seemed incredibly interesting.

[_Jim]

That sounds a lot like the way a transformer works,

That's what Tesla's specialty was, AC circuits including 'untuned' circuitry like tranformers and AC motors (he invented the brushless "AC induction motor"):

Single phase induction motor

By the way, a word to the wise, stay away from the pseudo science sites touting Tesla, instead, try a good cited, referenced and reseached book like one of the below:

BOOKS ON OR ABOUT NIKOLI TESLA

My Inventions (Nikola Tesla)
Advances in Tesla Technology (Nick Begich)
Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla (David Hatcher)
In Searh of Nikola Tesla (David Peat)
Nikola Tesla: A Spark of Genius (Carol Donnermuth-Costa)
Nikola Tesla?s Earthquake Machine (Dale Pond)
Nikola Tesla Returns (Robert Reichtman)
Streams of Lenard and Roentgen (Nikoli Tesla)
TCBA Guide to the Colorado Springs Notes (Richard Hull)
Tesla: Man Out of Time (Margaret Cheney)
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla (Marc Seifer)

[Cold Heat]

This is done in every third and second world country on the planet.

I recently saw hundreds of instances of this in Jamaica. In fact, there are psudo-electricians who make a very good living doing this for pay.

As a electrician in the U.S. for many years, I have personally removed and reported such thefts in this country many times.

It is an age old problem.

[IamConservative]

May I be the first to predict the Telsa coil may win someone a Darwin award someday?

[ArmstedFragg]

Can someone explain to me why Mexico and the Mexicans are now, and always have been, so decrepit and backward

Take a look at their history. They've spent the last two hundred years in revolutions against the wealthy. In each case, they supported politicians who claimed to be "for the people" and "for the working class". In each case, the politician they supported proved to be more greedy, corrupt and dishonest than the prior one. Some might say that in a political sense, they're actually ahead of us in their evolution, not behind, and that they offer a view of America's future if we lose our ability to make critical decisions about those we put in office and instead just support those who tell us what we want to hear.

[ArmstedFragg]

a true tesla coil uses a spark gap where your TV does not.

Actually, I had a TV that did once, but not for long.

Darned entertaining while it lasted, though.

[RadioAstronomer]

May I be the first to predict the Telsa coil may win someone a Darwin award someday?

We came close! :-) LOL!!

[RadioAstronomer]

What did the FCC think?

We didn't leave it on long enough to find out!

[RadioAstronomer]

Let me get em scanned in. Looking back, we must have been completely whacked to build that monstrosity! LMAO

[RadioAstronomer]

Actually, I had a TV that did once, but not for long.

Was a computer for me. :-)

I had just completed building a Heathkit H8/H9 back in the late 70s. I called a friend and said “get over to my apt quick. I have something to show you”. After he got there, I told him “I bet you never have seen a personal computer do what this one will”! FYI, all day this thing had been working great. Well I fired it up (not thinking fire in the literal sense) and BOOM smoke sparks and flame. The PS blew up. After we both managed to catch our breath (I was laughing so hard I could barely get the dang thing unplugged), he said “yup, I have never seen a personal computer do that”.

[Professional Engineer]

I do 3-phase power systems for commercial buildings.

[unlearner]

"By the way, a word to the wise, stay away from the pseudo science sites touting Tesla"

Yes. I agree. One of the biggest problems learning about these achievements is the fringe science that gets mixed in with the real stuff.

Thanks again.

[Khurkris]

"Let me get em scanned in. Looking back, we must have been completely whacked to build that monstrosity! LMAO"

LOL!...trust me...I know exactly what you mean....the words..."That sure blowed-up real good!"...come to mind.
If ya get 'em up send me a ping. Thanks.

[PatrickHenry]

BOOM smoke sparks and flame. The PS blew up.

And they let YOU control satellites?