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First Light, Full Power? Mini SSTC (Steve Ward)

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coillah

Thu May 28 2009, 06:01AM

Registered Member #1517 Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304

Very nice sean!

You have stuff crammed in there tighter than japanese people in a train at rush hour. :D

I like the spinning mobile thing you got for a topload, its like the sparks themselves are pushing it around.

Thanks for the tips dude, it looks like I am going to take a hacksaw to the heatsink and ensure that the fets are isolated.

Mads Barnkob

Thu May 28 2009, 02:36PM

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

coillah wrote ...

Very nice sean!

You have stuff crammed in there tighter than japanese people in a train at rush hour. :D

I like the spinning mobile thing you got for a topload, its like the sparks themselves are pushing it around.

Thanks for the tips dude, it looks like I am going to take a hacksaw to the heatsink and ensure that the fets are isolated.

I would go with a variac for first light, that way you might have enough time to feel heating and not just hear a bang :D

it is ion wind that makes the aluminumpaper go around, you just have to make opposit poiting breakout points on the wings

Renesis

Thu May 28 2009, 04:41PM

Registered Member #2028 Joined: Mon Mar 16 2009, 08:13PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 319

Pylon wrote ...

Then you can supply your sstc from AC line with huge lightbulb or high power resistor as a current limiter (with rectification of course).

You could use an electric stove in series with your coil as a current limiter. They often have several power (read: resistance) levels. Some also have variable output, and could be used as very unefficient variacs.

Arcstarter

Thu May 28 2009, 06:03PM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

Well, my mini pulled under 6 amps when i put 125 volts input (we have rather high mains voltage around here). My PLL sstc at 80 volts pulled 6 amps, using an actual ammeter. the mini had some pretty insane arcs, from 10 or so feet away my room's lights would light up brightish. If i stood on a chair and put my hand near them while i was around 10 feet from the operating coil, they would light up as bright as they do with 125 volts into them. They are of course CFL's.

About the spinning alu foil, it is very simple to remake. As MadsKaizer said it is just ion wind.

If you want to make one, look how mine is made nin that videa. Some wire, a piece of flat metal (transformer lamination) and some aluminum tape (any kind will work, but aluminum tape conducts and will not catch of fire from a spark shooting through it).

A well built mini will do better than mine did, the PLL coil did not run too well. That was interrupted and i guess 80 volts input.

coillah

Thu May 28 2009, 08:05PM

Registered Member #1517 Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304

OK. So I have the thing all hooked up and ready to roll. But I have a 16vac 1A transformer hooked to the power input of the bridge, cause I do not want to blow the fets quite yet... I am tempted to turn it on and check for heating and what not...

I have about 6-7 turns for my primary. Will this be enough? Read a bunch of threads that said that this is the bare minimum... I have a sweet breakout point on the top...

I am nervous.

Dr. Dark Current

Thu May 28 2009, 08:12PM

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

If you dont have a variac, stick a bulb socket in series with the mains and put in bulbs starting from low wattage going higher. This is what I do anyway, as I dont have a variac, and the bulbs do a good job limiting the fault current because of their non-linearity (they are something between a resistor and a current source)

coillah

Thu May 28 2009, 09:52PM

Registered Member #1517 Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304

Ok. So I put the coil in series with a 40W bulb, and turned it on, for a brief second, I see some nice sparks, then no more, and the bulb turns off (does not burn out) as well...any ideas?

btw, the series rigging is a bit janky, could this be an issue? The sparks seem to work so long as the power switch is being switched on or off...

fixed the rigging, soldered it up nice... but still, no sparks while the power is on, just during switching... something tells me my antenna is not picking up a signal...

coillah

Thu May 28 2009, 10:28PM

Registered Member #1517 Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304

Ok I improved the antenna signal by wrapping the coil ground around the antenna a bit. The coil is off and running, but still a very weak output... large sparks at switching, and little constant sparks during operation... Perhaps further improving the feedback signal will improve operation?

Dr. Drone

Thu May 28 2009, 10:53PM

Registered Member #290 Joined: Mon Mar 06 2006, 08:24PM
Location:
Posts: 1673

coillah

Thu May 28 2009, 11:06PM

Registered Member #1517 Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304

Ok cool. I can draw 1 inch sparks, does that mean I can hook up mains directly?

Ok I did it.

So cool, very cool sparks... best part is I can play around with the resistor cap combo to get different kinds!!!

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