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My mini Tesla coil

Razako

Razako

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Mar 17, 2006
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This is my mini ghettocoil ;D I already have a bigger coil, but it was built from a kit and I wanted to try making one entirely from scratch.

It's powered by a 3kv 30ma NST.

The spark gap is made from 2 nails with plastic shielding to block the UV produced.

I used 2 10kv caps in parallel. I got the caps from a broken oscilloscope.

The primary coil is made from 3 (yes 3) different wires all soldered together because I didn't have a long enough wire. Then I wrapped it around an old fireworks tube and placed the secondary in the middle of the tube.

The secondary was made by unwinding a microwave fan motor and then winding it onto a small piece of pvc pipe by hand. In all it has around 500-600 turns.

The bottom of the secondary is connected to the house ground and the top is terminated into a nail with a spring on top.

Total cost of project=$5 for the transformer and about 3 hours to build it.

Amazingly this contraption actually works. It puts out 1 cm streamers into the air and can arc about 2 cm to a screwdriver or other object.

vid+pics.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRq_3oOq9xQ&feature=channel_page[/media]
VIx004.jpg

VIx012.jpg
 





Wow! i have been looking at making one of them but there too complicated for me :-/ do you have any link to easy tutorial to make one?
 
ben74 said:
Wow! i have been looking at making one of them but there too complicated for me  :-/ do you have any link to easy tutorial to make one?
Click to expand...
same here
 
Nice!! I wanna build a solid state coil too but haven't got around to it.

Here's mine I built back when I was 16. It's running with a 12/60 and puts out i around 220kV.

Pic sucks but at full power I can get 3 foot streamers!! 8-)

-Tony
 

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Xplorer877 said:
Nice!! I wanna build a solid state coil too but haven't got around to it.

Here's mine I built back when I was 16. It's running with a 12/60 and puts out i around 220kV.

Pic sucks but at full power I can get 3 foot streamers!! 8-)

-Tony
Click to expand...
instructions [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif]
 
jamilm9 said:
[quote author=Xplorer877 link=1231790796/0#5 date=1232020215]Nice!! I wanna build a solid state coil too but haven't got around to it.

Here's mine I built back when I was 16. It's running with a 12/60 and puts out i around 220kV.

Pic sucks but at full power I can get 3 foot streamers!! 8-)

-Tony
Click to expand...
instructions  [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif][/quote]

More pics [smiley=evil.gif] with links to where to buy [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif]
 
ben74 said:
[quote author=jamilm9 link=1231790796/0#6 date=1232035183][quote author=Xplorer877 link=1231790796/0#5 date=1232020215]Nice!! I wanna build a solid state coil too but haven't got around to it.

Here's mine I built back when I was 16. It's running with a 12/60 and puts out i around 220kV.

Pic sucks but at full power I can get 3 foot streamers!! 8-)

-Tony
Click to expand...
instructions [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif][/quote]

More pics [smiley=evil.gif] with links to where to buy [smiley=evil.gif] [smiley=evil.gif][/quote]
Here's a complete kit for about $800 shipped. If you want to save you'll need to find and buy all of the components separately. Even then it will cost you a fair amount to build a large coil.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Tesla-Coil-Pack...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1308|301:1|293:1|294:50
 
If you can afford any local ham radio fair you should be able to get most of the components for far less than $700, I've built my Vacuum Tube coil with something more than 150€ of parts, yes they're giving you a complete secondary, but I would wind that by myself for better insulation too. HV caps can be found there, or if you don't find single PP giants you can still build a nice MMC of many smaller caps, with still good results. I would say a good sgtc with transformer, plexyglass mounts, copper tubing primary, if you can find all the parts off good sources it should be possible to stay under $400.

Photos of my old rig, now being rebuilt as a dual-tube staccato coil with a far better and cleaner build. Max discharge to an RF ground about 55cm / 2 ft. GU-81m off a doubled 2100V MOT, Fres about 250KHz.




If anyone wants to build a solid state coil... I only reccomend it to people with a SOLID electronics knowledge, maybe with also an oscilloscope to track down any problem found on your driver stage. Also, silicon is freaky easy to break apart, vacuum tubes are a little bit harder to take damage even from insanely oversized loads, and will cost less to your pocket :)
 
andrea87 said:
If you can afford any local ham radio fair you should be able to get most of the components for far less than $700, I've built my Vacuum Tube coil with something more than 150€ of parts, yes they're giving you a complete secondary, but I would wind that by myself for better insulation too. HV caps can be found there, or if you don't find single PP giants you can still build a nice MMC of many smaller caps, with still good results. I would say a good sgtc with transformer, plexyglass mounts, copper tubing primary, if you can find all the parts off good sources it should be possible to stay under $400.

Photos of my old rig, now being rebuilt as a dual-tube staccato coil with a far better and cleaner build. Max discharge to an RF ground about 55cm / 2 ft. GU-81m off a doubled 2100V MOT, Fres about 250KHz.




If anyone wants to build a solid state coil... I only reccomend it to people with a SOLID electronics knowledge, maybe with also an oscilloscope to track down any problem found on your driver stage. Also, silicon is freaky easy to break apart, vacuum tubes are a little bit harder to take damage even from insanely oversized loads, and will cost less to your pocket :)
Click to expand...
That tube is so cool :o
Here are some pics of my better coil. I'll try to post some action shots later.
VIx002.jpg

VIx001.jpg
 
Wow they look so cool 8-) a bit big for me :-/ anyone know of a place to get the small coil?
 
The thing is-- this coil "This is not one of those large coils producing many hundreds of thousand of volts like others on ebay, and does not have the ability to generate open air arcs. It is intended for educators and inquisitive individuals to study and demonstrate tesla coil construction and characteristics safely. " so it is lower power and does not generate enough voltage to make those awesome streamers in air.
 
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