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Registered Member #952
Joined: Mon Aug 13 2007, 11:07AM
Location: Finland
Posts: 388
Zenador wrote ...
So I finished my "micro" SGTC yesterday. This is the first or many (family/friends are asking for one now...)
I have to say, well done Dr. 2N3055 on your descriptions for building this little guy. I think the biggest pain in the build was the CW multiplier - those little caps just do not want to sit still to solder them together...
changes and results...
6 turns 1mm wire 120mm x 15mm secondary (32AWG magnet wire) (former was the tube you get solder in) Three 1"x1/16" aluminum crush washers soldered together to make a top load. Two 2kV 300pF MMC (parallel - series made it worse) 1.5mm spark gap.
I get about 4mm discharges, and continuous arcs just about an inch. The arcs are visible in a lighted room, which was important to me - I had to demo it at my desk at work today...
If you have any other uses for those flash boards, post them up, I have another 30 I can play with....
Z
Very nice! Could you post any pictures of it to this thread? I'd love to see your coil. What value did you use for the limiting resistor? You seem to have found the optimum value or at least close to it.
Your imagination is the limit when it comes to camera flash boards. Some ideas: -a miniature ion spray gun -a cap bank to power coilguns and railguns, for example
Then you could make a big CW with pulse rated diodes and capacitors and amaze people by generating loud 1-inch long fat sparks from a 1.5V battery
CT2 built a setup like this Tesla coil, but instead of the air-cored transformer he used a flyback and generated kinda long arcs. I actually got the idea for my coil from CT2!
Registered Member #1733
Joined: Thu Oct 02 2008, 03:17PM
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
Posts: 100
Dr. 2N3055 wrote ...
Very nice! Could you post any pictures of it to this thread? I'd love to see your coil. What value did you use for the limiting resistor? You seem to have found the optimum value or at least close to it.
Your imagination is the limit when it comes to camera flash boards. Some ideas: -a miniature ion spray gun -a cap bank to power coilguns and railguns, for example
Then you could make a big CW with pulse rated diodes and capacitors and amaze people by generating loud 1-inch long fat sparks from a 1.5V battery
CT2 built a setup like this Tesla coil, but instead of the air-cored transformer he used a flyback and generated kinda long arcs. I actually got the idea for my coil from CT2!
Limiting resistor? What limiting resistor?! Lol.
I tested with everything from 68R to 10M. 1/4W, 1/2W, 1W. The higher the resistance, the smaller the output. All my wiring is 22AWG stranded for connections, 18AWG solid primary (8 turns, tapped at turn 6) 32AWG magnet wire secondary.
I get about 8-10 minutes of runtime on 4AA batteries, have gone through 4 sets of batteries (free from cameras ) and without the resistor, works like a beauty. I'm at work and don't have any pics here, but I'll post them tonight when I get home.
I tried to get more creative with the second one (building for my brother.) I reverse engineered several boards and drew out the plans, and built everything on one board. Boo-Urns - I failed. Going to attempt more trouble shooting tonight. Essentially everything is contained on a 2"x3" PCB (non-etched) except the batteries and the switch. The board is attached...
Registered Member #952
Joined: Mon Aug 13 2007, 11:07AM
Location: Finland
Posts: 388
I didn't see the resistors for the transformers. Did you remember adding them? They're needed to start the oscillation. Other than that, very nicely done. Just watch out for arcovers under the board!
Registered Member #1733
Joined: Thu Oct 02 2008, 03:17PM
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
Posts: 100
Dr. 2N3055 wrote ...
I didn't see the resistors for the transformers. Did you remember adding them? They're needed to start the oscillation. Other than that, very nicely done. Just watch out for arcovers under the board!
Yes, I added them. That image was taken at work (slow day yesterday) and I added them after the fact. Didn't help though... I just spent my lunch-hour going to photo stores near my office getting another 30 cameras... gotta love free parts.
Registered Member #1779
Joined: Sat Oct 25 2008, 11:05AM
Location:
Posts: 32
Hi, i wired up a three stage multipler to the circuit and it managed to work i got 600-700 volts. All of a sudden it stopped working and would not create the sparks it was creating before. I then wired up a 6 stage one to see if it would make a difference but nada. My multipler is a negative multipler and the grey side of the diode (which has been removed) side is connected to in voltage in. and the other side is connected to the ground. Does anyone know what im doing wrong. Im using only one circuit on 1 AA battery. The circuit works fine but it doesnt work when connected to the multiplier. My diodes are 1F16 diodes and the capacitors i used are two different types. The grey and yellow one. Mind you it was working when i wired a three stage with one grey and 5 yellows.
Registered Member #1733
Joined: Thu Oct 02 2008, 03:17PM
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
Posts: 100
fatboyslim wrote ...
Hi, i wired up a three stage multipler to the circuit and it managed to work i got 600-700 volts. All of a sudden it stopped working and would not create the sparks it was creating before. I then wired up a 6 stage one to see if it would make a difference but nada. My multipler is a negative multipler and the grey side of the diode (which has been removed) side is connected to in voltage in. and the other side is connected to the ground. Does anyone know what im doing wrong. Im using only one circuit on 1 AA battery. The circuit works fine but it doesnt work when connected to the multiplier. My diodes are 1F16 diodes and the capacitors i used are two different types. The grey and yellow one. Mind you it was working when i wired a three stage with one grey and 5 yellows.
My working coil uses both the yellow and gray caps. Just make sure they are rated the same. Mine are all marked 223k400. The diodes are OK, I mixed 1F16's, F15V25's and F15V33's on my 6 stage CW. With no load, you should hear that unmistakable sound from the flash board, and get a measured voltage of ~-300V. My board, using 3V (4.5VA) I read an output of ~700V. Just don't do what I did - I dropped one of my test leads for my DMM and is landed on the spark gap. A 600V rated DMM REALLY doesn't like 2000V.
I'd check the caps and diodes in your multiplier. If any of them were arcing, they may be toast. If you could post pics (close-up and clear) we may be able to see any issues...
Registered Member #1779
Joined: Sat Oct 25 2008, 11:05AM
Location:
Posts: 32
I did hear some arcing before. I think my caps may be toast cause sometimes when i connect the multipler no noise is heard from the board and when i use 3 volts on my board the spark is EXTREMELY LOW. like only 115 volts for some reason. I think ill change my camera circuit. This ones giving mee too much trouble. How can you tell if your caps are fried?
Registered Member #1733
Joined: Thu Oct 02 2008, 03:17PM
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
Posts: 100
fatboyslim wrote ...
I did hear some arcing before. I think my caps may be toast cause sometimes when i connect the multipler no noise is heard from the board and when i use 3 volts on my board the spark is EXTREMELY LOW. like only 115 volts for some reason. I think ill change my camera circuit. This ones giving mee too much trouble. How can you tell if your caps are fried?
Some DMM's specifically have Cap testing modes, I was looking at one today. Testing can be done 2 ways. If your DMM supports 1000V AND you have a HV probe, run the circuit, break the connection from CW HV out to GND, turn the board off, measure voltages across each cap, starting from the HV input, or just run the circuit with the HV probe and common probe in series from CW HV out and GND. I can't be responsible if you fry your DMM. Fastest way would be skip testing with the DMM and just short out the CW. It should arc and discharge BEFORE you actually touch the HV out and GND. 1kV per mm.
Registered Member #1733
Joined: Thu Oct 02 2008, 03:17PM
Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
Posts: 100
As promised... The pics of the little guy... The switch on the side is 2P2T, 1T is batteries, 1T is the Blue/Yellow jacks. I have a 5V/3A 3point power supply for that. The spark image is top-load to grounding (bottom of secondary soldered to 12AWG copper) and is about 1".
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Small Tesla Coil using disposable camera transformers
) and without the resistor, works like a beauty. I'm at work and don't have any pics here, but I'll post them tonight when I get home.
