Nikola Tesla - Free-Energy Devices

HIGH FREQUENCY AND HIGH POTENTIAL CURRENTS. 333of the plate may diminish the capacity effect with relation to theprimary of the latter coil to such an extent that the currentthrough it is diminished, though the potential at the terminal TJof the induction coil may be the same or even higher. Or theresult might have been produced by the change of phase of theprimary and secondary currents and consequent reaction. Butthe chief determining factor is the relation of the self-inductionand capacity of coil c and plate p tand the frequency of the currents.The greater brightness of the filament in Fig. 179&, is,however, in part due to the heating of the rarefied gas in thelamp by electrostatic induction, which, as before remarked, isgreater when the suspended plate is disconnected.Still another feature of some interest Imay here bring to yourattention. When the insulated plate is disconnected and the secondaryof the coil opened, by approaching a small object to thesecondary, but very small sparks can be drawn from it, showingthat the electrostatic induction is small in this case. But uponthe secondary being closed upon itself or through the lamp, thefilament glowing brightly, strong sparks are obtained from thesecondary. The electrostatic induction is now much greater,because the closed secondary determines a greater flow of currentthat half of it whichthrough the primary and principally throughis connected to the induction coil. If now the bulb be graspedwith the hand, the capacity of the secondary with reference to theprimary is augmented by the experimenter's body and the luminosityof the filament is increased, the incandescence now beingdue partly to the flow of current through the filament andpartly to the molecular bombardment of the rarefied gas in thebulb.The preceding experiments will have prepared one for the nextfollowing results of interest, obtained in the course of these investigations.Since I can pass a current through an insulatedwire merely by connecting one of its ends to the source of electricalenergy, since I can induce by it another current, magnetizean iron core, and, in short, perform all operations as though a returncircuit were used, clearlyI can also drive a motor by the aidof only one wire. On a former occasion 1 have described a simpleform of motor comprising a single exciting coil, an iron coreand disc. Fig. 180 illustrates a modified way of operating suchan alternate current motor by currents induced in a transformerconnected to one lead, and several other arrangements of circuits