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Killa-X's first tesla coil

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LAN_403

Killa-X

Tue Apr 07 2009, 03:38AM

Registered Member #1643 Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039

Many first-time here. Such as First time winding a coil with this thin of wire...

This is a 1X6 inch Tesla coil, made out of junk. PVC, was found in a field. Topload, soda cans that i polished with steel wool, and the coil is from a 120V to 12V 2A wallwart. I'm guessing the wire is 34-36. Any questions, Please ask!

Full Tesla coil (BIG picture, -- Yes, the coil is very messy, I know this. My first time ever coiling that much with such thin wire!)

Close up of Topload:

I tested this a long time ago (no topload, no varnish) and I was able to get 1-2 inch streamers out of a 20V, 4.62A transformer. I killed a mosfet, and I get more tomorrow, so pictures of it running will be tomorrow or wednesday. Things I improved since the last test:

* New topload
* Varnished coil
* New 195W transformer with volt ranges of 10-77V
* Better leyden jars, Instead of 3 being 0.5nf, 1 is 0.790 nf, and i made 2 into 1580nf. I got 3 more jars.

Still need: GROUNDING ROD.

(SGTC)
Please comment, it's my first tesla after all! :D

Mads Barnkob

Tue Apr 07 2009, 07:39AM

Registered Member #1403 Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968

Have you tuned the circuit with the new primary capacitance?

I suggest thicker layers of varnish on the secondary coil if you start getting racing sparks, it will become a problem with corona around all the overlapping windings, which is hard to avoid when using such a thin reused wire :)

Got any pictures of the power supply circuits?

Looking good for a junk coil, my first topload was a tennisball wrapped in tinfoil :D

Killa-X

Tue Apr 07 2009, 05:32PM

Registered Member #1643 Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039

Well, It's only 4 coats of varnish right now, And My primary sucks. It's a 1.5 inch PVC pipe with extension cord wire around it, about 12 layers. This resulted in 1-2 inch on my old transformer. Please note that my 1-2 inch streamers were 555+flyback. Sept this time I'm connecting a big stereo transformer to it.

Not really any power supply circuits to show really...

So far, The coil doesnt have corona issues, only at the top final coil.. HOWEVER, oddly, at the primary, I've noticed multiple streamers going from my coil to the PVC where the primary is. This was before I varnished it. Other than that, it has no corona except for the last coil on top.

No tesla, Just testing transformer

semiconductor

Thu Apr 09 2009, 02:31AM

Registered Member #1989 Joined: Fri Feb 20 2009, 05:28AM
Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada
Posts: 17

HeHe, That torroid looks familiar. Nice work. I had problems with my pop can coil having streamers comming from the last winding on the top to the PVC that I had my primary wound on.

I coated it with several coats of polyeurathane, that seems to have solved the problem. Do you have any more pictures of the whole setup? What kind of driver/power supply are you using?

Killa-X

Thu Apr 09 2009, 06:52AM

Registered Member #1643 Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039

Right now I'm still fixing my leyden jars.. But I use a stereo transformer as my power supply, 555 timer, and a flyback transformer.

Plasma Lover

Fri Apr 10 2009, 04:00PM

Registered Member #1911 Joined: Mon Jan 05 2009, 06:30PM
Location: Salem, Oregon, USA
Posts: 165

BlowinFets wrote ...

HeHe, That torroid looks familiar. Nice work. I had problems with my pop can coil having streamers comming from the last winding on the top to the PVC that I had my primary wound on.

I coated it with several coats of polyeurathane, that seems to have solved the problem. Do you have any more pictures of the whole setup? What kind of driver/power supply are you using?

My advice is to lower the toroid. While that may have some adverse effects with topload capacitance, it will keep the top turn electrostatically shielded...either that, or you won't be able to see the streamers coming out of it because the topload will be in the way!
=)

I think, though, that this probably won't work with your coil. The reason being that the pop can bottom is a smaller diameter on the inside than your secondary.

I think that everybody who has attempted this toroid (that includes Killa-X and myself, who introduced it to him) has wondered - "How did he get his pop cans so seamless?" Would you mind revealing your secret?

Killa-X

Fri Apr 10 2009, 06:26PM

Registered Member #1643 Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039

Plasma Lover wrote ...

I think that everybody who has attempted this toroid (that includes Killa-X and myself, who introduced it to him) has wondered - "How did he get his pop cans so seamless?" Would you mind revealing your secret?

Hey now, I believe it was you who told me how to get started at least no? You have to admit mine came down good for just placing a razor in a vice and hand guiding it while spinning. Else for getting rid of the edges that hang-over the other soda can was simple.. I just ran it very lightly against a bench top grinder. Light enough that you could hear the thin aluminum cut away, but barely etch the other can (very different sound) Don't forget the sandpaper and 000 grade steel wool :)
--Technically, The Pepsi can went over the Coke can, and had like 1cm sticking out..I cut that with a scissors and THEN stone wheel it. Plus my pictures shows the bottom of a can, not much of the edge :P

Tesla Is still in the working. After a saltwater leyden oddly..exploded...I replaced it with just the old foil ones I had. No testing has been done with the 2 leydens in parallel yet, but I have a fully working Rotary spark gap.. I'm so lazy to buy stuff, that I've used knex to hold my leyden jars, and used knex as a rotary sparkgap. :D

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