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Electricity theft bleeds power grid dry, officials say
ABCNews15 ^ | AP

Posted on 01/24/2005 1:13:36 PM PST by hsmomx3

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Comment #41 Removed by Moderator

To: Sergio

We all know that these people use underground tunnels that they build to smuggle people and drugs into our country. I can just see them splicing thru an underground cable.


42 posted on 01/24/2005 2:32:17 PM PST by hsmomx3 (GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
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To: unlearner
How does a Tesla coil work? I have always been curious but never took the time to learn how to build one.

It's just a high frequency step up transformer. The spark gap, capacitor and primary form a resonant circuit. The large secondary provides the step up. It is common to excite the resonant primary with something like a neon transformer.

43 posted on 01/24/2005 2:38:07 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: cyborg
If those things work, then why aren't we using them?

Actually they are similar to the high voltage circuit (flyback transformer) in a TV. The big difference is a true tesla coil uses a spark gap where your TV does not.

44 posted on 01/24/2005 2:39:24 PM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: DannyTN

That's when you were young and dumb, huh? Had you said what a wonderful country is she probably would have married you on Sunday morning.


45 posted on 01/24/2005 2:39:49 PM PST by B4Ranch (Don't remain seated until this ride comes to a full and complete stop! We're going the wrong way!)
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To: RadioAstronomer

Shouldn't we be looking more into these things so we can be less dependent on oil? Just wondering aloud. Don't mind me *LOL*


46 posted on 01/24/2005 2:40:31 PM PST by cyborg
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To: Myrddin

BTW, very nice coil you described. :-)


47 posted on 01/24/2005 2:41:45 PM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

What is that supposed to mean?


48 posted on 01/24/2005 2:43:41 PM PST by justshutupandtakeit (Public Enemy #1, the RATmedia.)
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To: cyborg

People have been building these for years. Unfortunately you cannot get something from nothing. (At least at this level of physics :-))

Takes more power to run than you can "reap". :-)


49 posted on 01/24/2005 2:45:36 PM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: hsmomx3
Many of you seem to think that it is the peon stealing from the electric collectif and that new technical modifications would solve the problem.

What is happening is that the peons are paying for their stolen electricty but not paying the electric company. It is electric company and government employees who are setting up the power taps and charging the users for doing so. They rationalize that the power comes from the public entity and they can take it and sell it.

Just check your local Mexican landscapping crews. They all think it is perfectly acceptable in the US to blow leaves out into the street because the street is a public asset.

Here, the real thieves are electric company employees and no one is going to stop them because they are related to company officials and government folks and kick back to them a portion of the peons' pesos.

50 posted on 01/24/2005 2:50:31 PM PST by Tacis (Democrats! - When You Need America Blamed Or A Pool Peed In!!)
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To: Myrddin

I should probably read up before asking too many questions (at risk of sounding completely ignorant), but I am curious about what causes the effect.

Do the Tesla coils use a single, constant source of alternating current?


51 posted on 01/24/2005 2:52:31 PM PST by unlearner
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To: Floyd R Turbo

I ought to be going back to that site soon. Wanna tag along?


52 posted on 01/24/2005 2:54:39 PM PST by Professional Engineer (I've been divided by zero.)
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To: bowzer313

They are so used to people giving them fish instead of showing them how to fish.


53 posted on 01/24/2005 2:54:53 PM PST by ßuddaßudd (7 days - 7 ways (but you must follow the instructions carefully))
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To: Myrddin; Jim Robinson
My Tesla coil was more conservative. The secondary was a 2 inch diameter, 30 inch long mailing tube. I spent 7 hours winding the secondary with 36 gauge magnet wire. It looked like smooth copper foil. The capacitor was built with a stack of 12" mirror tiles. Spark gap with 10d nails. Primary with some 12 gauge wire stripped from spare Romex. A 15,000 volt neon transformer was used to excite the primary. I powered it up inside an 8 X 8 foot bedroom at a friend's house. The snaky violet discharges went all the way to the walls. After days of work, the total run time was under 5 minutes. Too much RFI.

You need to contact JimRob and volunteer for the ZOT team!

54 posted on 01/24/2005 2:59:22 PM PST by TheRightGuy (ERROR CODE 018974523: Random Tagline Compiler Failure)
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To: hsmomx3

This is why many Freepers idea of an electric fence is doomed. There would be extension cords running all the way to Mexico City.


55 posted on 01/24/2005 3:02:11 PM PST by usurper (Correct spelling is overrated)
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To: usurper

Leave 'em alone...they're only stealing the electricity that Americans won't.


56 posted on 01/24/2005 3:08:57 PM PST by wingnut1971
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To: hsmomx3

The power company should send an announcement to all paying customers that on a specified day and time they are to disconnnect from the grid for 5 minutes. When the time comes, the power company should up the voltage going through their lines by 50%. That will fry every appliance still attached to the grid. If the power thieves have no more appliances, they won't need to steal the juice.


57 posted on 01/24/2005 3:09:51 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (All I ask from livin' is to have no chains on me. All I ask from dyin' is to go naturally.)
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To: newgeezer

They need more windmills.


58 posted on 01/24/2005 3:17:21 PM PST by biblewonk (Neither was the man created for woman but the woman for the man.)
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To: unlearner

References concerning building Tesla coils

http://205.243.100.155/frames/build1.html


59 posted on 01/24/2005 3:24:55 PM PST by steve86
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To: B4Ranch

Yep, Insulting the girl's country isn't exactly out of the pages of Andrew Carnegie.


60 posted on 01/24/2005 3:53:30 PM PST by DannyTN
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