NIKOLA ~....., ÆTHERFORCE NIKOLA TESLA ON HIS WORK WITH ALTERNATING ÆTHERFORCE Second banquet meeting of the Institute of Radio Engineers (now part of the Institute of Electrical Engineers) at Luchow's in New York City, April 24, 1915. Photo by C.A. Schere Smithsonian Institution Standing at back from left, George W. Ferdinand John Stone Jonathan Lee de Nikola Fritz Alfred N. Ernst F.W. Pierce Braun Stone Zenneck Forest Tesla Lowenstein Goldsmith Alexanderson Tesla refers to these contemporaries in the interview at pages: not mentioned 103 16, 124 16, 133 100 178, 179 not mentioned 24, 171 ÆTHERFORCE Tesla Presents Series 1 NIKOLA TESLA ON HIS WORK WITH ALTERNATING CURRENTS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY, AND TRANSMISSION OF POWER An Intervievv Leland 2002 Twenty First Century Books Breckenridge, Colorado ÆTHERFORCE Copyright © Twenty First Books All reserved. First Published 1992 Printed in the United States of America by Fidlar Doubleday, Inc. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without in from the publisher. Library of Long!:ess Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nikola, 1856-1943. Nikola Tesla on his work with currents and their to wireless telegraphy, telephony, and transmission of power: an extended interview / Leland U1(lerSOtl. editor. p. cm.-- Originally published: 1992. Includes index. ISBN 1-893817-01-6 2. Tesla, Nikola, 1856-1943--Interviews. 3. Electric States--Interviews. 4. systems--United States--Patents. 5. Electric currents, Alternating. 6. Telegraph, Wireless. 1. Anderson, Leland 1. II. Title. ill. Series. TK257 .T48 2002 621.382'092--dc21 2002072006 Originally by Sun uu"uU'I"" Denver a subsidiary of & Colorado ·~--··--Books Box 2001 .....,U.""""H.L~UJ<,", Colorado 80424 IV ÆTHERFORCE This work is dedicated to the late D. Jordan, Professor emeritus of American history, University of who pressed his to the review of legal records in historical research. few Istc::mans, librarians, and archivists L¥~'V~H"L.~the of materials. . .. Yet the law, in one way or is the basis of most institutions-political, social, cultural, economic .... It is unfortunately a truism that graduate students are seldom introduced to materials."* * "In Search of Legal n~~,,,,u,, American Archivist, Vol. No.4 (Oct. 1970). v ÆTHERFORCE ÆTHERFORCE CONTENTS Xl Introduction I. High 1 with Wireless and 9 Mechanical Oscillators 36 rv. Apparatus Condenser Discharges; Damped Waves 48 for Transformation by Continuous Waves 76 VI. Energy Transmission 125 VIII. 148 IX. Receiving 1 of Remarks 169 L 181 .~"'~ ~t-""A of 1915 ship board LLa, ••, ,,,.JLlL spiral antenna [Re£ from p. 1 inventory 1 237 ÆTHERFORCE FIGURES Figure Page 1 Diagrammatic illustration of first high frequency alternator with 384 poles. 4 2 Photographic view of alternator [shown in Fig. 1]. 6 3 Light and motive devices operated from this alternator in novel manner. 7 4 Vacuum tubes lighted in alternating electrostatic field. 8 5 Illustrating various ways of using a high frequency alternator. 10 6 Diagram of the second machine built with no wire on the rotating part. 13 7 Photograph of machine covered by US. Patent No. 447,921. 16 8 Diagrammatic drawing of the third and larger machine with 480 poles. 18 9 Photographic view of alternator covered by US. Patent No. 447,921. 19 10 Small alternator of very high frequency built for purposes of investigation (receivers). 20 11 Small high-frequency alternator of different construction, for the same purposes. 20 12 Diagrammatic illustration of machine with rotating magnetic field excitation. 22 13 Instrument to receive radio waves of 1896-1899 structure. 25 14 Electrical condenser described in US. Patent No. 464,667. 30 15 Electrical condenser described in US. Patent No. 567,818. 31 16 Improved form of electrolyte condenser as used in N.yC.laboratories. 33 17 Form of condenser with air under great pressure as dielectric. 33 18 Apparatus for manufacture of condensers and coils to exclude air. 34 19 Simple mechanical oscillator used in first experiments. 36 20 Mechanical oscillator with air spring combined with electric generator. 37 21 Another mechanical oscillator with controlling electromagnetic system. 38 22 Another type of small mechanical electromagnetically controlled oscillator. 39 23 Large electro-mechanical oscillator for generating isochronous oscillations. 40 24 Diagram of electro-mechanical oscillator for generating isochronous oscillations. 40 25 Double compound electro-mechanical isochronous oscillator. 41 26 Diagram of double compound electro-mechanical isochronous oscillator. 42 27 Large mechanical and electrical isochronous oscillator with four vibrating parts. 43 28 Diagram showing length of section of large mechanical and electrical oscillator. 44 29 Small high frequency mechanical and electrical oscillator used in many investigations. 45 30 Diagram of small high frequency electro-mechanical and electrical oscillator. 46 31 Method of transformation of electrical energy by oscillatory condenser discharges. 49 32 Series quenched spark gap. 50 33 Discharger working in hydrogen rich atmosphere, still further weakened by heat. 51 34 Oscillatory apparatus with interrupter in oil. 53 35 Apparatus with mechanical break as installed on a large scale in the N.yC.labs. 55 36 Isochronous mechanical break used in 35 So. Fifth Avenue laboratory. 57 37 Mechanical break with two oppositely rotating discs. 58 ÆTHERFORCE ~""J'A""L."un with break. HH."',llAUJ''-D.J. by condenser discharges (both ",,+"PIP"" transmitting -.u .......... ". illustrating transmission and transformation of through one vacuum tubes and lamps. through one wire. U.a..l""LLLU"\..U which a at the of a 88 56 which the coil is not directly 89 \.Vl.lll,,\. 57 preceding were made. 91 with coils ,,,UU,,,,,'VH of energy with 93 60 Application of transmission messages. 93 61 .U.U""'"'''''''''U):; an eXJJer:tmc~nt alternator and 62 Striking expenrnen electrorrlag:net:1c waves. 95 An important experiment in the transmission of energy performed in 1899. 96 65 98 66 101 67 wave arr:~;errlefi1ts. 68 111 69 113 70 electricity set movement. 114 71 were performed. 1 ",-'.H"''-H"0 72 Diagram showing general arrarlj;;erneIlt of transmitting and receiving 1 \...U.'.U"'-,,!. Experimental at Colorado a later phase development. 117 74 at Colorado investigative structure. 118 75 of a transmitter a pressure of 12 volts. 121 "",-uao,.«'- Another discharge remarkable for symmetry at Colorado plant. IX ÆTHERFORCE