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 #2128
Joined: Thu May 21 2009, 03:17AM
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Posts: 58
I won't be back in TN until july, but i can attest (as another first timer just finishing first coil) that almost all the expert advice you need can be obtained just on this site, if you ask the right question - look for recommendations about specific issues. =)
Registered Member #480
Joined: Thu Jul 06 2006, 07:08PM
Location: North America
Posts: 644
Jonathon -
Your transformer appears to be an "old style" (UL-506) conventional NST without SCGFP (Secondary Circuit Grounf Fault Protection), so it should be fine for powering spark-gap Tesla coil.
However, your expectations for arc length are unreasonable. For a first-time Tesla coil builder, you would be doing fine if you were to get 24" - 28" arcs using a static spark gap. With a lot of experimentation, optimization, and tuning, you might achieve 34" - 36". A five-foot discharge length will not be achievable with a single 12/30 NST.
The archives of this discussion group contain all the information you will need to design, build, and tune a Tesla coil. Spend some time reviewing the posts, and get back when you have specific questions that you can't find the answer to.
If you don't have any knowledge of Tesla coil design, construction, or theory of operation, then spend as much time as necessary reviewing the information on spark-gap Tesla coils presented at:
Registered Member #480
Joined: Thu Jul 06 2006, 07:08PM
Location: North America
Posts: 644
Jonathon -
A well-established formula for estimating the maximum streamer length of an "optimized" spark-gap Tesla coil is the "Freau Formula", which is: maximum streamer length = 1.7 X (square of input power)
In the case of your 12/30 NST, the transformer's rated input power is 360VA (360 volt-amps). Plugging this value into the formula, the maximum streamer length is ~32". It is possible to run the NST at higher than the rated input voltage, or to use a somewhat "risky" design (resonant capacitor value) to draw more than the "rated" power from the NST. These techniques can boost output slightly, but increase the risk of potential reliability problems.
Registered Member #2153
Joined: Wed Jun 03 2009, 03:19PM
Location:
Posts: 69
Thanks for the NST information everyone. Can I safely plug this into one of my houses standard wall outlets to test it and my spark gap, without the danger of frying my homes circuitry?
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.
First Tesla Coil, help appreciated!
