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X-Ray tube powered by Tesla Coil

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King_of_Junk

Thu Nov 23 2006, 02:01PM

Registered Member #481 Joined: Thu Jul 06 2006, 07:10PM
Location: Frisco, Tx
Posts: 20

I saw on here the other day how somebody (Omicron or Orion or someone) was trying to make a good ignition coil driver for use with a small x-ray tube.

Now, I'm no x-ray expert, but I have been reading this old book on Tesla- The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla, by Marc J. Seifer.

I'll just write the passage on here. It's kinda interesting.

P. 168

"In Europe, meager X rays were being produced by static machines and Ruhmkoff induction coils; Tesla suggested, instead, the use of a high frequency disruptive coil attached to a special bulb with two electrodes, a cathode inside the vacuum, and an anode placed as far away as possible outside the bulb to limit the reduction of the potential. With this apparatus, "effective pressures of about 4,000,000 volts were achieved." At first the bulb would get hot and glow with a purpleish hue, then the electrode would disintegrate, and the bulb will cool. Use of a fan helps. "From [this] point on... the bulb is in a very good condition for producing the Roentgen shadows." When the electrode is too hot, it is probably because the vacuum is not high enough.

So that's the passage. I had no idea you could run aan x-ray tube (of some kind) from a tesla coil. If anyone's ever done this, or may be thinking about trying, or just thought that was interesting, please discuss it here.

That's pretty much it, just wanted to hear what you guys thought about the prospects of a tesla coil powered x-ray machine.

c4r0

Thu Nov 23 2006, 08:34PM

Registered Member #151 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 02:53PM
Location: Poland
Posts: 153

As I wrote in the 'Photographic plate for X-rays' topic (

)

c4r0 wrote ...
I also tried to make some x-rays without any real x-ray stuff. Here is the result i get with connecting a vacuum diode to my mini sstc:

Preety good results

But i was using an intensyfing screen. Now i'm going to try it with these glowing in the dark strips, then it will be completely selfmade x-ray machine

It was only a vacuum diode, but i think real x-ray tube would work even better :)

uzzors2k

Thu Nov 23 2006, 09:51PM

Registered Member #95 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:57PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 1308

X-rays can be made from anything which sends high speed electrons at a target to be decelerated.

Therefor almost any high voltage source and any vacuum can make x-rays. Even your CRT makes some.

King_of_Junk

Fri Nov 24 2006, 04:18AM

Registered Member #481 Joined: Thu Jul 06 2006, 07:10PM
Location: Frisco, Tx
Posts: 20

uzzors wrote ...

X-rays can be made from anything which sends high speed electrons at a target to be decelerated.

Therefor almost any high voltage source and any vacuum can make x-rays. Even your CRT makes some.

I knew about the CRTs making x-rays (doh) but they don't make very strong ones and I wouldn't want to get my hopes up for any good x-ray photos with that or anything. I believe I heard that the CRT source x-rays only traveled a few inches at most from the screen. But I could be wrong about that.

And the target itself is kinda important. Tungsten usually, right?

I knew that high voltage was needed, but it just never hit me that you could use a tesla coil. The other guy was trying to just push the ICs to their limit to get the tubes working (the small tubes working). I really don't know what the benefiets of doing it solely with the transformers or going the next step with the tesla coil would be. Take a crack at that one how bout.

And I'm sorry to anyone I may have mislead (with the title) into believing that I had actually made one, and then disappointed with a simple theoretical question (hypothetical? whatever)...

c4r0 wrote ...

As I wrote in the 'Photographic plate for X-rays' topic (

)

c4r0 wrote ...
I also tried to make some x-rays without any real x-ray stuff. Here is the result i get with connecting a vacuum diode to my mini sstc:

Preety good results

But i was using an intensyfing screen. Now i'm going to try it with these glowing in the dark strips, then it will be completely selfmade x-ray machine

It was only a vacuum diode, but i think real x-ray tube would work even better :)

You may have already heard this, but THAT'S AWESOME!!!

Anyhow, cheating to use an intensifying screen? I think not. You got the results.

What did you use anyhow, just out of curiosity, for the intensifying screen? Some kind of wax? (I'm purely guessing at this point)

*** mod edit: No double posting inside of 48 hours! if you've anything to add, edit your original post! ***

c4r0

Fri Nov 24 2006, 09:04AM

Registered Member #151 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 02:53PM
Location: Poland
Posts: 153

King_of_Junk wrote ...

What did you use anyhow, just out of curiosity, for the intensifying screen? Some kind of wax? (I'm purely guessing at this point)

It was a real intensifying screen from a FUJI x-ray cassette.

uzzors2k

Fri Nov 24 2006, 01:07PM

Registered Member #95 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:57PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 1308

CRTs make very little x-ray radiation, plus most of it is blocked by the screen. Yes, the target electrode is important and it's usually tungsten.

What you use to power the x-ray tube doesn't really matter, as electricity is electricity. Using a transformer may allow for more current, but a good TC can give just as much. Even a bunch of ignition coils or flybacks in series could do the job! So all it really depends on is cost, what you have at hand, whether you can design a tesla coil or not. The voltage you use to power the tube will effect how much the x-rays penetrate. Its measured in keV or something, but I'm probably wrong here.

I have an x-ray machine planned for a future project, and a tesla coil is what I had planned on driving it with. Mostly because a 100kV transformer would cost and weigh too much.

Plus TCs are way cooler.

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