As admittedly mind-bendingly cool as the Musical Tesla Coil undisputedly is, this merits a bit of caution. High-voltage, high-frequency electricity is nothing to toy with lightly, nor is soldering in the process of work with potential electrical hazards. This may not be an ideal purchase for any burgeoning Tony Starks under the age of 18 – at least, not without an adult’s watchful eye.
OK, did that take the baby geniuses out of the equation? OK, then.
Quite possibly the coolest aspect of this experimental alternating-current electricity kit is, if you can solder, you’re a good way toward your Windows, Mac or Linux laptop’s USB connection controlling a six-inches-tall Tesla coil’s pressure waves to compose some evocative MIDI music that would make Edison himself weep…with shame.
The actual “instrument” of the whole kit is the USB-connected interrupter that conducts the single-resonant solid-state (SSTC) Tesla coil 4″ discharge sparks themselves to make a joyful noise. The secondary coil comes pre-wound to spare the conductors of the true Electric Light Orchestras of home-spun science the finger-numbing monotony of hand-winding wires as thin as the hairs on your chinny-chin chins 600 times or so. Basically, you have a visually captivating 110V USB MIDI device at your fingertips.
The Musical Tesla Coil kit comes with a U.S.-plug power cord, feedback antenna and fiber optic cable. The device assembles with included screws, standoffs, and additional mounting hardware. Sorry, this product does not include hand tools, a soldering iron, or paint-on or spray-on varnish.
