If you need assistance, please send an email to forum at 4hv dot org. To ensure your email is not marked as spam, please include the phrase "4hv help" in the subject line. You can also find assistance via IRC, at irc.shadowworld.net, room #hvcomm.
Support 4hv.org!
Donate:
4hv.org is hosted on a dedicated server. Unfortunately, this server costs and we rely on the help of site members to keep 4hv.org running. Please consider donating. We will place your name on the thanks list and you'll be helping to keep 4hv.org alive and free for everyone. Members whose names appear in red bold have donated recently. Green bold denotes those who have recently donated to keep the server carbon neutral.
Special Thanks To:
Aaron Holmes
Aaron Wheeler
Adam Horden
Alan Scrimgeour
Andre
Andrew Haynes
Anonymous000
asabase
Austin Weil
barney
Barry
Bert Hickman
Bill Kukowski
Blitzorn
Brandon Paradelas
Bruce Bowling
BubeeMike
Byong Park
Cesiumsponge
Chris F.
Chris Hooper
Corey Worthington
Derek Woodroffe
Dalus
Dan Strother
Daniel Davis
Daniel Uhrenholt
datasheetarchive
Dave Billington
Dave Marshall
David F.
Dennis Rogers
drelectrix
Dr. John Gudenas
Dr. Spark
E.TexasTesla
eastvoltresearch
Eirik Taylor
Erik Dyakov
Erlend^SE
Finn Hammer
Firebug24k
GalliumMan
Gary Peterson
George Slade
GhostNull
Gordon Mcknight
Graham Armitage
Grant
GreySoul
Henry H
IamSmooth
In memory of Leo Powning
Jacob Cash
James Howells
James Pawson
Jeff Greenfield
Jeff Thomas
Jesse Frost
Jim Mitchell
jlr134
Joe Mastroianni
John Forcina
John Oberg
John Willcutt
Jon Newcomb
klugesmith
Leslie Wright
Lutz Hoffman
Mads Barnkob
Martin King
Mats Karlsson
Matt Gibson
Matthew Guidry
mbd
Michael D'Angelo
Mikkel
mileswaldron
mister_rf
Neil Foster
Nick de Smith
Nick Soroka
nicklenorp
Nik
Norman Stanley
Patrick Coleman
Paul Brodie
Paul Jordan
Paul Montgomery
Ped
Peter Krogen
Peter Terren
PhilGood
Richard Feldman
Robert Bush
Royce Bailey
Scott Fusare
Scott Newman
smiffy
Stella
Steven Busic
Steve Conner
Steve Jones
Steve Ward
Sulaiman
Thomas Coyle
Thomas A. Wallace
Thomas W
Timo
Torch
Ulf Jonsson
vasil
Vaxian
vladi mazzilli
wastehl
Weston
William Kim
William N.
William Stehl
Wesley Venis
The aforementioned have contributed financially to the continuing triumph of 4hv.org. They are deserving of my most heartfelt thanks.
Registered Member #973
Joined: Tue Aug 28 2007, 07:32PM
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 66
ha. thats right, sorry about that. i read it wrong.. or something. cause i used a small black pipe for a small coil and it never worked right. so i then i wound one on a white pipe, same size, and it worked much better. i dont know....
Registered Member #964
Joined: Wed Aug 22 2007, 12:39AM
Location: Stockton, CA
Posts: 134
I'd guess most of the price went into the variac, 'cause I just priced the electronics and it only goes up to like $20. I haven;t found that 25v 2amp xformer yet, but I'm sure I'll score if I look around.
Registered Member #1062
Joined: Tue Oct 16 2007, 02:01AM
Location:
Posts: 1529
wouldn't the magnet wire be enamel coated or some other? if so, why's it matter? im new to tesla coils too =), was gonna post something just like this.
Registered Member #973
Joined: Tue Aug 28 2007, 07:32PM
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 66
"Do not use black PVC as it contains carbon." from here
wikipedia lies??? (of course) whatever, i know nothing of chemistry and materials composition...
anyway, besides that....
The variac i bought was from eBay for $30. it is 10 amp @ 120V rated. The parts from futurlec cost about 40 or so. Maybe a little over $70, i have spent all together. My father brought home an XRAY control panel, complete with : a 6 amp variac, giant 50ohm resistors, and other goodies. i can use the variac as a permanent part of my sstc. Things will come up as you go along, i have found out. i am very new, but i know what im doing, so i'm learning as well.
My part count is a little higher than what Steve's SSTC circuit requires, so i spent a tad more on parts. I found at the Home Depot they sell 2 foot segments of white PVC pipe at different diameters of 2,3, and 4 inch. it was exactly what i needed.
just throwin' info out there i guess now... use what you need.
Registered Member #964
Joined: Wed Aug 22 2007, 12:39AM
Location: Stockton, CA
Posts: 134
Really? the prices must have gone down a bit, the most I'm seeing is $15 and a bit for what I can find from the schematic.
I wouldn't thing the carbon in black PVC would be a problem, it's locked in the chem. bond's I'm pretty sure. It's a different mixture of chemicals than white, thats all..
But some people get black-plastic woes when they try to use black/dark rubber bands in small VDGs. The minute coloring carbon in the bands shorts out the VDG.
Dang, where am I supposed to get that 25v 2a transformer? can;t find one anywhere... though I haven;t check ebay yet.. that's kinda last resort for me...
Where do you think I could find a variac?
Oh, and possibly the most important question of all, Is an oscilloscope required for tuning of the coil? I don;t have one or know anyone who has one..... >.<
Registered Member #1025
Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566
Spedy wrote ...
Oh, and possibly the most important question of all, Is an oscilloscope required for tuning of the coil? I don;t have one or know anyone who has one..... >.<
To try to build a sstc without osciloscope is like to be blind - if is not working, you will never know what's wrong... BTW: there is X-mass soon - an osciloscope could be a nice present from your parents
Registered Member #514
Joined: Sun Feb 11 2007, 12:27AM
Location: Somewhere in Pirkanmaa, Finland
Posts: 295
For a single switch design a scope is not really needed. The MicroSSTC circuit is so simple that it simply works or doesn't work if something is wrong. I found it to be extremely easy to get oscillating reliably.
Now, if you use a bridge to drive your resonator, and use a GDT, a scope comes in handy when checking the drive signals. A scope is also needed if you go Class-E or something more complex, but these are a bit too hard for first projects.
Registered Member #15
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068
Spedy wrote ...
Before I go and save up for parts for a SSTC, I want a couple of questions answered.
How do you implement a feedback antenna?
Hi Spedy,
I would recommend not using a feedback antenna, but rather use a current transformer to sample current instead. Its much easier and you don't have to worry about positioning the antenna etc...
Digikey.com sells inexpensive CST-106A (for example) current transformers that work for small SSTCs up to very large DRSSTCs that switch hundreds of amps of current. They are about $6.00 each. You can also wind your own if you are so inclined.
Registered Member #152
Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 03:36PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 3384
EastVoltResearch wrote ...
I would recommend not using a feedback antenna, but rather use a current transformer to sample current instead. Its much easier and you don't have to worry about positioning the antenna etc...
I had exactly opposite experiences. When I was using a CT the coil's performance would greatly depend on the CT construction, the way it is hooked up to the control electronics etc. It also did not allow me to draw ground arcs from my TC, it would either stop oscillating and/or the thing would explode with a loud bang.
When I replaced the CT with an antenna I had no more problems, after a few tweaks it was very reliable and even allowed gound arcs without flying silicon
Registered Member #618
Joined: Sat Mar 31 2007, 04:15AM
Location: Us-Great Lakes
Posts: 628
Hey Jmartis, would you be able to post a pic of how close your antenna is setup etc for your coil, cuz when I put my TC onto a wood stand (crudely made) and using the antenna method, the antenna would arc towards the torroid, then when I adjusted the antenna to be a bit further way, it stopped the arcs but proceded to blow up the fets.
This site is powered by e107, which is released under the GNU GPL License. All work on this site, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License. By submitting any information to this site, you agree that anything submitted will be so licensed. Please read our Disclaimer and Policies page for information on your rights and responsibilities regarding this site.