This page is currently under construction. When complete, it will describe how I designed and constructed the 900 Watt Tesla Coil which was used in the Resurrection of The Hangman, The theme of the October 2000 season for The Hangman's House of Horrors.

Introduction and Background

In Fort Worth, Texas, where haunted houses are popular during the Halloween season, one haunted house stands out among the rest. The Hangman's House of Horrors (http://www.hangmans.com) is the largest charity haunted house in the United States and perhaps the world. This year they donated over $300,000 to the Tarrant County Texas Multiple Sclerosis Society. They've been doing this for over 12 years.

I became one over the many volunteers during the 1999 season. During that time I was planning what might be a good scare for the 2000 season. My good friend, Tom Polk, a successful realtor in Austin, Texas, built a Tesla Coil as one of his hobbies. When I saw this in operation during May 1999, I knew it would be a great device for the Hangmans House.

You can see Tom's Tesla Coil in his garage at
( http://www.prismnet.com/~tpolk/coils/coils.html )

Research Starts

The first step in building a Tesla Coil is a great deal of reading. Fortunately there are excellent sources on the web for this. You should begin by reviewing the Safety Material at http://www.pupman.com. Designing, building and testing a Tesla Coil can be a very dangerous experience unless you take each step very seriously. It is not for the casual person, the inattentive, or the student who thinks all this safety material is a joke. The wrong move can be FATAL.

Once you read and understand and accept this approach, building a coil can be very rewarding.

November 22