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Post you first HV project or thing

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LAN_403

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Fri Mar 09 2007, 07:08AM

Registered Member #561 Joined: Sat Mar 03 2007, 02:46AM
Location: Adelaide Australia
Posts: 230

ok every one post your first HV project or thing, supply a pic or video and then give a quick description. here's mine
a jacobs ladder powered by a 15kv 30ma NST

go on post you own hv thing or project

...

Fri Mar 09 2007, 07:41AM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

I don't think I have any pictures (back then I didn't even have a camera) but my first HV project was a ccfl transformer from the electronic goldmine. It was supposed to be run off 5v, but I found that if you were careful to never run it without a spark (without an ark on the output the voltage would get high enough to break down the insulation) it would run off 12v. I remember how amazed I was when I managed to melt a single strand out of a piece of stranded 14awg wire

Now my projects could do the same to a 1/4" copper rod

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Fri Mar 09 2007, 08:07AM

Registered Member #561 Joined: Sat Mar 03 2007, 02:46AM
Location: Adelaide Australia
Posts: 230

... wrote ...

I don't think I have any pictures (back then I didn't even have a camera) but my first HV project was a ccfl transformer from the electronic goldmine. It was supposed to be run off 5v, but I found that if you were careful to never run it without a spark (without an ark on the output the voltage would get high enough to break down the insulation) it would run off 12v. I remember how amazed I was when I managed to melt a single strand out of a piece of stranded 14awg wire

Now my projects could do the same to a 1/4" copper rod

i have been able to melt paper clips with my 30/15 nst

. they sparkle nicely and melt stuff

Steve Conner

Fri Mar 09 2007, 10:41AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

This was my first serious HV project:

Dr. Dark Current

Fri Mar 09 2007, 02:18PM

Registered Member #152 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 03:36PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 3384

My really first HV project were two small mains transformers run in reverse and driven by a 555 and a transistor, it could make a 3mm buzzing spark

Then I remembered that a long time ago I dismantled my grandma's tv and kept the innards, and I also knew that tv's use high voltage, so I looked for a hv transformer, and found it. I made a simple driver using a 555 and BU208 transistor that also came from the tv. Power supply was a 12V lead battery. It was drawing about 6A(iirc) and made a small 5mm purple arc

At that time I was amazed by it and it didn't matter that the transistor was cooking in like 10 seconds

Avalanche

Fri Mar 09 2007, 03:41PM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

My first HV project was a small tabletop tesla coil, that sat on my desk for weeks and weeks. Meanwhile, I built an ignition coil driver and got that working before I finished the coil.

I was totally fascinated by it. I didn't know what to call the discharge, so I started referring to it as an 'RF flame'

vasil

Fri Mar 09 2007, 04:29PM

Registered Member #229 Joined: Tue Feb 21 2006, 07:33PM
Location: Romania
Posts: 506

My first HV project was an ignition coil driver Wechnelt type using a needle electrode and a concentrated NaOH solution. It worked fine. Unfortunately I don't have anymore the pics (the old geocities site crashed and I lost all the pics....stupid enough to not keep them on a disk).

uzzors2k

Fri Mar 09 2007, 05:20PM

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

My first HV project was the simple single 2N3055 flyback driver, built with scavenged parts, making it a single C3460 driver. Actually, I still have the original transistor.

Funny as that was almost 2 years ago. It only produced weak 3mm sparks, which lead me to building a 555 driver.

GreySoul

Fri Mar 09 2007, 06:34PM

Registered Member #546 Joined: Fri Feb 23 2007, 11:43PM
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 239

no pics.... my first experiance with high voltage was at a "top secret" facility near Los Alamos, my dad was building the footing for a multi-gigawatt turbine generator. Some guys on the site were testing some of the equipment and drawing up these 20 foot arcs, setting trees on fire and stuff. I wasn't more than 5 or 6, but it was a lasting impression. Looking back at it, I figure they were just having fun with high voltage more than testing anything... who knows.

I should find out more about where I was and what the project was for....

So fittingly my first HV project was making jacobs ladders out of anything and everything I could get my hands on. That was when I was probably 8 or 9. My fist transformer was from a very old model train set that when run backwards would put out a decent little arc.

then i got into igition coil drivers and got some pretty good sparks and a few nasty shocks.

From there I got my tech HAM lisence when I was 13 and moved on to radio stuff....

More recently I got my stuff together to start building a tesla coil, which I consider my first adult HV project... still in the works a year later... pics can be found here

Also some pics of my very early transformers and capacitors and what not....

I got my MMC SSG running earlier this year, video is on my youtube site (look in the 4hvers YouTube thread)

-Doug

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Fri Mar 09 2007, 10:45PM

Registered Member #561 Joined: Sat Mar 03 2007, 02:46AM
Location: Adelaide Australia
Posts: 230

uzzors wrote ...

My first HV project was the simple single 2N3055 flyback driver, built with scavenged parts, making it a single C3460 driver. Actually, I still have the original transistor.

Funny as that was almost 2 years ago. It only produced weak 3mm sparks, which lead me to building a 555 driver.

wow

that thing runs on a 9volt battery! am i right about that?

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