Hi,
Is anyone here a fan of Nikola Tesla? Because I am.

Problem is in the modern computing/electronics/iPhone world,
nobody has any reason to look back in history past Steve Jobs, Bill Gates,
Steve Wozniak, and maybe back to transistors and integrated circuits.

The discovery of electricity passing through space in a heated vacuum
"The Edison Effect" was patented by Thomas Edison while working on light bulbs, but he did nothing with it.
At some stage later, Tesla worked for Edison for a time,
and then after implementing AC power distribution,
went on to perform experiments distributing electricity wirelessly through space, and into the Earth's crust.

It seems we have plenty of vacuum in space out there,
and a Sun, I just wish I could figure out the circuit he was trying to complete.

Yes, Mr AC himself. Although in my opinion it was Sir John Fleming that best exploited Edison's unwillingness to capitalise on the almost undiscovered hidden properties of the humble light globe as Tesla went on to study magnetism and the development of the induction motor which is the most commonplace electric motor today.

To his credit, the unit of magnetic flux density was named in his honour.

Yes, but it's after that, where Marconi entered the scene,
when Tesla was trying to transmit electricity through space.

There is a good movie on Tesla, with some poetic licence I'm sure, but it's after that, in his second workplace at Colourado Springs (such as magnifying transmitter) where things really get interesting:

Image Link

Tesla was a towering genius. Were it not for his eccentricities I feel he would be better known and respected today. My guess he was bi-polar, a condition that has been associated with high creativity.

Edison was fundamentally an entrepreneur with the practical bent to go from idea to production. He had an eye for the main chance and didn't miss too many opportunities.

The future for much of the world would seem to be local power generation at individual houses as transmission lines becoming too expensive (price of conductive metals and losses in transmission/ transformers).

Apart from solar cells, local fuel cell units show promise. An Aussie Co - cfcl.com.au - is a world leader in these but for some strange reason their stock price keeps declining - as world demand would be surging you would think? Their share price is now only 3 cents (was 25 cents about 4 years ago)

I know the truth about Unified Energy claims, but there's a difference between the many Hippy solutions that discount friction and heat loss, to that of taking advantage of abundant energy sources already available in nature.

I'm inclined to believe that there is truth in most, if not all of Tesla's claims.
Particularly with regard to current energy sources being "out of step with nature".

I think that words can be easily misunderstood,
especially when those words are being delivered by such a genius.

At the end of the movie, Tesla claims to have spoken to long deceased people such as Mark Twain "only yesterday".
Again, I understand poetic licence in movies,
bu tthat could simply mean that time had not passed for Tesla since they last spoke,
or that nothing significant has happened between the past and the present to warrant the measure of time, or acknowledge it. Especially if he was in status waiting for someone.

Of all the greats, Einstein, Marconi, Faraday, Edison, etc.
Tesla is the portrait I'd want on my wall for inspiration.
If not for his genius, then for his motivation and example.

It didn't occur to me straight away looking at the Earth sphere diagram,
but if you flatten it out in your mind's eye, it's a little simpler... is this it?

Image Link

What's the difference exactly between a 50 Hz carrier wave (RF) and mains alternating current?

Old thread but I just had to comment

Actually Yeah I am a Fan of Telsta too and have often said the world we have is really down to him and AC transmission thought he umm may not have got that off the ground if he'd had mention the word FREE early on

I am seeing now DC does have its merits, it would have been a very very costly system and would have been the Provence of the rich so Telsta's AC system happened at the right time I think
(current wars.... and gee how to play the media)

He should have made Bill Gate's look like pauper but what he did make from it he ploughed back into research...he died a pourper with birds as his only friends...so I read somewhere...sad end to a very inventive minded man.....but maybe he was happy within his world with the birds and bitterness is never a good place to live your life

"What's the difference exactly between a 50 Hz carrier wave (RF) and mains alternating current?"

That is an interesting question and I dont really have an answer for it expect the medium is different

1 I think magnetic the other I cant really define except from the idea of free moving electrons..
but there in lays the difference I guess...the trick being in conversion and maybe the party trick of a 27 MHz CB ant and a fluro is were its all at

I never really looked into his Idea of RF electrical transmission but well low frequency transmission has been blamed for a lot of things including our weather..so who knows ???? Harp (misspelt) for instance

Anyway a Great man, and I am pretty sure I wouldn't be here typing this now but for him

Thanks Art & all..... interesting thread.