Man electrocuted in science project mishap

[platinum]

This just looks wrong. From what I've learned, Tesla Coils typically generate electricity at such a high-frequency, that it passes through human tissue without causing any damage, but this still looks wrong regardless.

-Jonathan

[James Lehman]

Did he really get killed? What a bummer!

Still, that is just the craziest thing I've ever seen.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that thing with any metal (or no metal at all)!

James.

[platinum]

Did he really get killed? What a bummer!

Still, that is just the craziest thing I've ever seen.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that thing with any metal!

James.

I suppose I shouldn't have been so deadpan with my thread title. My bad.

I made up the electrocution mishap part.

-J

[flecom]

no the electricty would most definately kill him at whatever frequency... the reason he isnt dead is becuase he is standing in a Faraday Cage... (that wire mesh around him)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

remember electricty always wants the shortest path to ground... thats why you are safe in your car during a lightning storm... not becuase of your tires insulating you (common mis-conception) its becuase the electricty will go around you (metal frame of the car) and arc to the ground (where it wants to go)

as a comment on the picture, i LOVE the leaf-blower air-cooling system! LOL!!!

also check out you-tube for people that modulate their tesla coils to play music, very cool stuff!

[platinum]

no the electricty would most definately kill him at whatever frequency... the reason he isnt dead is becuase he is standing in a Faraday Cage... (that wire mesh around him)

I'm aware of the cage in the photo.

I was referring to the skin effect where a subject doesn't get a typical electric shock feeling because of the properties of the Tesla coil electricity.

I should've phrased it differently though as one can damage themselves nonetheless. A friend of mine made a small Tesla coil a while back and insisted that it wouldn't hurt me to touch it and demonstrated as such, but I never fully trusted him on that.

-Jonathan

[James Lehman]

How about the fact that you're getting saturated with UV and O3?

James.

[helium]

In order for the Faraday cage effect to be effective I thought it had to be spherical in shape.......maybe not? At least if he gets torched he should still be able to donate his ears to a good cause.

[frank_1257]

of passing incredible high voltages to ground through his own body, however very low currents were involved.

[soforene]

The Tesla man has his own web site.

Sounds like it'd be interesting to live next door to him.

[fuzcub]

There's also Dr megavolt:
http://www.drmegavolt.com/
who has a cute wire mesh costume with an old fasion birdcage as a helmet,
and was a favorite at BurningMan for many years.

- I think the leaf blower is being used to quench the rotary spark gap that stimulates the high frequency transformer.
B.